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Indie film distributor Well Go USA Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Italian director Gabriele Mainetti’s Rome-set martial arts movie “The Forbidden City” following its international launch at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

Set in the cosmopolitan melting pot of Rome’s Piazza Vittorio neighborhood, “The Forbidden City” sees two very different souls intersect. One is a mysterious young woman with some mean kung fu skills who has just arrived from China in the Italian capital in search of her missing sister; the other is the son of an indebted local restaurant owner who has disappeared with his lover. These two lost souls are catapulted into an action-packed descent into the criminal underworld of the Italian capital dominated by the Chinese mafia.

Mainetti, who is known internationally for previous genre-bending titles “They Call Me Jeeg” and “Freaks vs. the Reich,” in his latest work “shows impressive command of...

Of Paolo Genovese’s 2016 Italian phenom “Perfect Strangers,” the original Variety review warned “remakes will be rampant,” and sure enough, Guinness World Records made it official last fall: The hooky dramedy — about a dinner party where a group of friends agree to read their private text messages aloud — has since become the “most remade” film in the world, with no fewer than two dozen versions popping up everywhere from South Korea to Azerbaijan.

The success of that model seems to have gone straight to Genovese’s head, as the writer-director treats his latest feature, “Madly,” more like a format than a proper film: The high-concept romantic comedy — which personifies the conflicting thoughts a man and a woman experience during the course of their first date — is ripe for reinvention in a diverse range of languages and cultures. If and when that happens, however, one hopes each new filmmaker will make...

Oh, the Italians… They take the genre or genres that are not native to their cinema, put a twist on it and – it somehow works! More than that, it sports its own style. They did it with spaghetti westerns and giallo pulp, so why they would not try the same thing with the Kung Fu flicks. Spaghetti or noodles, it is just a matter of taste, right? And, truth to be told, many “outsiders” tried their luck with Asian-style martial arts-powered action, from Gareth Evans to Timo Tjahjanto, and their efforts were far from embarrassing.

Enter the Italian actor and filmmaker Gabriele Mainetti who already flirted with the Asian-sourced sub-genres with his 2015 “They Call Me Jeeg Robot” and his vision of the “old-school-new-school” countdown between the mob dinosaurs and the triads newcomers on the streets of Rome. “Forbidden City” was released to selected theatres without a flashy festival premiere, but...

Movies set in unexpected locations typically make a point of labeling where they take place with prominent on-screen chyrons. “The Forbidden City” slyly withholds that information, treating the answer almost like a twist. The surprise stems from a prologue set in rural China, where a father teaches his two daughters kung fu before leaping forward to its first bone-shattering set-piece.

A decade or so later, Mei (Yaxi Liu) reappears in the basement of the Forbidden City, a multi-story Chinese restaurant-cum-brothel, fighting her way through a crowd of thugs and sex traffickers. When one assailant pulls a knife, she smashes a compact disc and fights back with the jagged shards of plastic. Mei kicks her way up the stairs, intending to save her older sister Yun, who’s nowhere to be found. Cornered in the kitchen, she improvises weapons from iron pans and a gnarly cheese grater, dousing the next round of henchmen in boiling grease.

‘Perfect Strangers’ director Paolo Genovese has done it again with a new concept comedy titled “Madly” that is set to hit the global market after scoring mightily in Italy.

“Madly” – which is titled “FolleMente” in Italy – depicts a first date between a man and a woman in Rome and features all the voices that live in their brains which oscillate between embarrassment and laughter, each played by a different actor. The romance-tinged comedy has scored more than 2 million admissions and grossed more than $18 million at the Italian box office since it’s Feb. 20 local release via Rai Cinema’s 01 Distribution — and is still going strong.

Genovese co-wrote the screenplay with Isabella Aguilar, Lucia Calamaro, Paolo Costella and Flaminia Gressi.

“We are getting remake requests from all over the world,” producer Raffaella Leone tells Variety, adding that this time around “we want to manage things a bit differently” from what happened with “Perfect Strangers,...

Netflix is hitting the ground running in 2025, especially for lovers of police dramas and crime thrillers. While watching shows and movies that are dubbed over or require closed captions can be a turn-off for some English-speaking viewers, Netflix has inspired more subtitle-friendly audiences thanks to its many great international series. The following examples are proof that anyone who is still avoiding subbed or dubbed shows might be missing out on some of the best stories of the year.

A nice change of pace from the typical American police procedural, The Åre Murders successfully tackles the Nordic noir genre; Public Disorder acts as a commentary on current sociopolitical tension in Italy; and the French film Squad 36 is a respectable addition to the cops-and-car-chases plots that audiences are oh-so fond of. All three of these projects bring something fresh to well-worn narratives.

The Åre Murders Netflix

The Åre Murders is a...

Netflix’s social drama, Public Disorder, revolves around the universal issue of unrestrained police violence emboldened by a failing authoritative and judicial system. The series brings a unit of riot cops into narrative focus, whose personal and professional lives get affected by the decisions they make, or are forced to make, being a part of the decrepit institution. The six-episode series is character-driven, and the roster of riot cops comprises an interesting set of characters. What makes Public Disorder unique in terms of characterization is that the series brings contrasting perspectives into focus, drawing the line between opposing sides of morality—only to have the characters switch their ideals under changing circumstances. While there is a sympathetic gaze that is noticeable when the miseries of personal lives of the involved characters come into focus, the series never tries to justify the barbaric mindset of the ones who rampantly exploit the power they have been given.

Public Disorder (original title: A.C.A.B. La Serie) is a six-episode Italian Netflix Original series drawn from Carlo Bonini’s controversial novel Acab. Michele Alhaique directed the show, which came out on January 15, 2025. The series shows the raw experiences of Rome’s riot police dealing with their duties, use of force, and job impact. The show, modified for Netflix viewers worldwide, depicts the clash between social control and individual rights in society.

The story centers on Roma Unit 3, a riot squad facing upheaval after a protest turns violent, leaving their chief hurt and their conduct under review. Michele Nobili takes command and works to rebuild team confidence while facing his own challenges. Issues of right and wrong, dishonesty, and group commitment mix with the officers’ broken home lives, showing what it costs people to keep order during unrest.

The show mixes stark reality with stories that challenge easy answers.

In the Italian crime drama Public Disorder, a team of riot police officers navigates societal turmoil and personal conflicts after a violent demonstration causes irreversible consequences. From director Michele Alhaique, the series stars Marco Giallini, Adriano Giannini, and Valentina Bellè. Based on the 2012 film Acab, Public Disorder was created by Carlo Bonini (Suburræterna) and Filippo Gravino (The First King).

Stream it now.

Check it out at the top of this page.

In the Susa Valley in Turin, Italy, activists who oppose the construction of a new high-speed rail clash with Rome’s riot police, and the demonstration grows violent. The chief of riot police is left gravely injured, leading to the promotion of an officer who’s determined to reform the department. As social tensions rise, so do the interpersonal issues among the squad. Will the riot unit be able to rise up amid mounting turmoil among...

"This is not brotherhood. This is the end of everything." Netflix has unveiled the full trailer for the Italian thriller series called Public Disorder, which will be available for streaming worldwide next week. Sadly they switched the title - the official Italian name is A.C.A.B. La serie, or simply the Acab series. Public Disorder is Netflix streaming series about a riot police team in Rome, whose personal and professional lives slowly fall apart because of the hatred burning inside them. Among rising tensions, the team members are called to take sides & forced to question the deeper meaning of their work and their own membership of the Department. The series cast includes Julia Messina, Francesco Buttironi, Aiman Machhour, Marco Giallini, Valentina Bellè, Pierluigi Gigante, and Adriano Giannini. "Violence becomes the common thread connecting their lives, both professionally and personally." This looks intense and brutally honest and tough -...

“Public Disorder”, is a new Italian-produced live-action ‘riot police’ procedural TV series, directed by Michele Alhaique, adapting the novel by Carlo Bonini, starring Julia Messina, Francesco Buttironi, Aiman Machhour, Marco Giallini, Valentina Bellè, Pierluigi Gigante, and Adriano Giannini, streaming January 14, 2025 on Netflix:

‘…a riot police team in Rome, see their personal and professional lives slowly fall apart because of the hatred burning inside each of them. Among rising tensions, the team members are called to take sides and forced to question the deeper meaning of their work and their own membership in the Department…”

“Now, after a night of fierce clashes in ‘Val di Susa’, the team from the ‘Mobile Unit of Rome’ is left without its leader, who is seriously injured. However, this team isn't like the others—it's ‘Rome’, a squad that has learned to counter unrest with borderline methods and a bond as tight as a tribe,...

"This is Rome. And Rome doesn't retreat." Netflix has launched a first look teaser for an upcoming Italian series called Public Disorder, which is set to debut streaming in January 2025. Not too long of a wait for this one. Sadly they tamed down the title - the official Italian name is A.C.A.B. La serie, or simply just the Acab series. Public Disorder is an upcoming Netflix streaming series about a riot police team in Rome, whose personal and professional lives slowly fall apart because of the hatred burning inside each of them. Among rising tensions, the team members are called to take sides & forced to question the deeper meaning of their work and their own membership of the Department. Definitely sounds like a proper Acab series that will make cops look in the mirror and understand their own anger and hate. Starring Julia Messina, Francesco Buttironi, Aiman Machhour,...

Over the past few years Italian cinema has been making strides in the global arena and 2024 looks likely to bolster its international standing. New works by top auteurs Paolo Sorrentino and Luca Guadagnino will be launching from the festival circuit just as a fresh crop of directors comes to fore, starting with Margherita Vicario, whose first film “Gloria!” scored a Berlin competition slot.

Below is a compendium of new Italian movies set to hit this year’s fest circuit.

“Another End” – Gael García Bernal and Renate Reinsve (“The Worse Person in the World”) star as lovers caught in an unusual bind in Italian director Piero Messina’s sci-fi film “Another End” which is competing in Berlin. This second feature by Messina – whose first feature, “The Wait,” launched with a splash in the 2015 Venice competition – is set in a near-future when a new technology exists that can put the consciousness of...

Italian producer Domenico Procacci, whose Fandango shingle is developing Elena Ferrante’s “The Lying Life of Adults” for Netflix, has several new films in the pipeline, including chiller “Pantafa” toplining Kasia Smutniak (“Devils”) as a strong-willed mother trying to protect her haunted young daughter.

“Pantafa,” which takes its cue from an ancient Italian legend involving an evil spirit that stifles women in their sleep, has just ended principal photography. Pic is directed by Emanuele Scaringi, who has long worked with Fandango in various guises: as writer, creative producer (“Bangla”), and director of graphic novel adaptation “The Armadillo’s Prophecy,” Scaringi’s feature film debut that went to Venice. He also directed TV crime series “L’Alligatore” for Rai.

“Fandango has never made a horror film in 30 years [of our existence] because I’m personally neither a big fan [of this genre] nor an expert,” Procacci tells Variety. But Scarigni “really believed in this project, so I went with it,...

International buyers can view the trailer at the virtual Cannes market.

Italian sales outfit True Colours has picked up Edoardo Falcone’s I Am Santa Claus and is screening a trailer to international buyers at this week’s virtual Cannes market.

I Am Santa Claus is a comedy starring veteran Italian comedian Gigi Proietti as Santa Claus and Marco Giallini as a thief just out of jail. The two go on a journey of self discovery together. The film is now in post production and will be distributed in Italy by Lucky Red around Christmas 2020.

It is produced by Lucky...

Barcelona’s Filmax is handling international sales rights to “Tomorrow’s A New Day,” the Italian remake of Cesc Gay’s acclaimed friendship dramedy “Truman.”

Iván Díaz, head of international sales at Filmax, is introducing the film to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin.

A production by Rome-based Baires Produzioni in collaboration with Medusa Film, the remake is directed by Simone Spada (“Hotel Gagarin”), boasting a heavyweight local cast led by Valerio Mastandrea (“Perfect Strangers”), Marco Giallini (“A Flat For Three”) and Anna Ferzetti (“Emma”).

The film opens on Feb. 28 in Italy, distributed by Medusa, under the original title “Domani è un altro giorno.”

It tells the story of two, lifelong friends, Giuliano and Tommaso, who come together for four unforgettable days in Rome.

Giuliano, a vivacious, seductive actor, who loves life, has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. After a year-long fight, he’s decided to forgo his treatment.

Villeta con ospiti

Director Ivano De Matteo has commenced on an Italian-French co-production with sixth feature Villeta conospiti (House with Guests). Produced by Marco Poccioni and Marco Valsania, the Rai Films and Les Films d’Ici project will also be co-produced by Rodeo Drive with a cast consisting of Marco Giallini, Michela Cescon and Massimiliano Gallo with lensing by Dp Maurizio Calvesi. De Matteo’s 2012 feature Balancing Act premiered out of Venice Horizons, but his 2014 feature The Dinner won a Special Mention out of Venice.…...

Netflix rolled out the red carpet at Rome’s Villa Miani on Wednesday to unveil new projects and expound on its international ambitions. CEO Reed Hastings and Cco Ted Sarandos made brief appearances high above the Eternal City introducing a series of panels and announcements that revealed details of such upcoming offerings as a continuation of the Peabody Award winning true crime mini The Staircase; a documentary about the November 2013 Paris Attacks; a Julian Fellowes-penned origins of soccer drama; German event series The Wave; Idris Elba-starrer Turn Up Charlie; its first Italian original film; and still more.

In 2018, Netflix is nearly doubling the number of produced shows and investment since 2017 overseas. It has over 35,000 people working on local productions and this year, says subscribers will have access to over 100 projects in 16 languages from 16 countries, including for the first time the Middle East and Africa.

The service said it is committed to local-language shows,...

Actors Cary Elwes and Jake Busey will join the “Stranger Things” cast in the show’s third season, Netflix announced Wednesday.

Elwes, known for “The Princess Bride,” will play a character named Mayor Kline, while Busey, from “Starship Troopers,” will play Bruce.

Mayor Kline is being described by Netflix promotional materials as “handsome, slick, and sleazy.” “Your classic ’80s politician – more concerned with his own image than with the people of the small town he governs.” The Bruce character played by Busey is “a journalist for the The Hawkins Post, with questionable morals and a sick sense of humor.”

Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos made the new casting announcement at Netflix’s See What’s Next event in Rome, where the streaming giant announced a slew of new productions from Europe and elsewhere around the world.

As previously announced, Maya Hawke will be one of the new leads in “Stranger Things,...

Streaming giant also announces shows from France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.

Netflix has announced a new batch of European original dramas at press event in Rome.

These include a six-part drama from Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes and an eight-part comedy created by and starring Idris Elba.

UK indie 42 (Watership Down) is producing Fellowes’ series The English Game, which Netflix VP of international originals Eric Barmack said was about “the invention of modern football and how its creation reached across the class divide”.

He added that the series would be “part-Etonians, part-factory workers”.

The drama was one of a...

True Colours continues to sell comedy-drama.

Source: True Colours

The Place

Italian sales outfit True Colours has inked additional deals on Paolo Genovese’s (Perfect Strangers) comedy-drama The Place, which has already sold to markets including Russia, China, Latin America and Spain.

Seven more territories were closed at the recent Ventana Sur market in Argentina: Bodega Films have picked the film up for France, Paradiso Entertainment will handle in Belgium and The Netherlands, FilmBazar bought for Denmark, Strada Films in Greece, Il Sorpasso in Portugal and Indepenta Films took rights for Romania.

After the huge success of Perfect Strangers Genovese returns with the adaptation of hit FX series The Booth At the End. The film follows the fates of an apparently random group of strangers who each come into contact with a mysterious figure in a bar who they believe possesses the power to grant them any wish. In return...

True Colours continues to sell comedy-drama.

Source: True Colours

The Place

Italian sales outfit True Colours has inked additional deals on Paolo Genovese’s (Perfect Strangers) comedy-drama The Place, which has already sold to markets including Russia, China, Latin America and Spain.

Seven more territories were closed at the recent Ventana Sur market in Argentina: Bodega Films have picked the film up for France, Paradiso Entertainment will handle in Belgium and The Netherlands, FilmBazar bought for Denmark, Strada Films in Greece, Il Sorpasso in Portugal and Indepenta Films took rights for Romania.

After the huge success of Perfect Strangers Genovese returns with the adaptation of hit FX series The Booth At the End. The film follows the fates of an apparently random group of strangers who each come into contact with a mysterious figure in a bar who they believe possesses the power to grant them any wish. In return they must carry out a task he assigns...

Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth received fourteen nominations while Matteo Garrone’s Tale Of Tales received twelve and Berlin-winner Fuocoammare received four.

Claudio Caligari’s last film, Don’t Be Bad, and superhero film They Call Me Jeeg led the nominations at this year’s David di Donatello awards with sixteen nominations each.

Arthouse crime drama Don’t Be Bad, first seen at last year’s Venice Film Festival, secured nominations including best film, director (Claudio Caligari), screenplay (Claudio Caligari, Francesca Serafini and Giordano Meacci), supporting actress (Elisabetta De Vito) and leading actors (Luca Marinelli and Lorenzo Borghi).

They Call Me Jeeg was nominated for its leading actor (Claudio Santamaria), leading actress (Ilenia Pastorelli), supporting actor (Luca Marinelli), supporting actress (Antonia Truppo) and screenplay (Nicola Guaglianone, Menotti).

In the best film category Don’t Be Bad will compete against Berlin-winner Fuocoammare, Tale of Tales, Youth and the box office hit Perfetti Sconosciuti.

In the best...

Name and focus changes for every section, which are now all competitive, resulting in the festival’s structure being “slimmer’.

The ninth Rome Film Festival (Oct 16-25) has revealed a diverse line-up including the Italian premieres for potential awards contenders including David Fincher’s Gone Girl. the world premiere of Takashi Miike’s As the Gods Will and Burhan Qurbani’s We are Young, We are Strong and European premiere of Oren Moverman’s Time Out of Mind, Toronto hit Still Alice and Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.

This year for the first time the award-winners in each section of the programme will be decided by the audience on the basis of votes cast after the screenings.

Each section has changed name and focus for 2014 and are all competitive, resulting in the festival’s structure being “slimmer’.

Italian comedies Soap Opera and Andiamo a Quel Paese bookend the line-up.

Full line-up

Cinema D’Oggi

World premiere

• Angely...

Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Ambi Pictures is producing.

The ensemble cast of Tre Tocchi will feature Marco Giallini, Francesca Inaudi, Luca Argentero, Massimiliano Benvenuto, Leandro Amato, Ida Di Benedetto, Vincenzo De Michele, Gilles Rocca, Antonio Folletto and Emiliano Ragno.

Marco Risi is directing the Italian dramedy, which is being produced by Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s new Ambi Pictures.

Shooting starts this month in Rome.

Tre Tocchi weaves together the stories of six friends who are united by two of their greatest passions – soccer and acting.

Director Marco Tulio Giordana's Romanzo Di Una Strage has landed 16 nominations for Italy's David di Donatello Awards just two weeks after the film's release.

The stirring movie, which chronicles the 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing, picked up Best Film, Best Director and Best Producer nods, while leading man Valerio Mastandrea was nominated among the Best Actor hopefuls.

The film was released in Italy on 30 March to huge national acclaim.

Close behind Giordana's film among the nominees announced on Thursday, were Nanni Moretti's comedy Habemus Papam (15 nods) and Paolo Sorrentino’s This Must Be the Place (14 nods), which features Sean Penn as a fallen rock star.

Also up for Best Film: Cesare deve moriere and Terraferma, while Mastandrea will fight it out with Frenchman Michel Piccoli (Habemus Papam), Elio Germano (Magnifica presenza), Fabrizio Bentivoglio (Scialla!) and Marco Giallini (Posti in piedi in paradiso) for the Best Actor award.

The Best Actress nominees are: Donatella Finocchiaro (Terraferma), Micaela Ramazzoti (Posti in piedi in paradiso), Claudia Gerini (Il mio domani), Valeria Golino (La kryptonite nella borsa) and Chinese actress Zhao Tao (Io sono Li).

Roman Polanski’s Carnage, Melancholia, Le Havre, Oscar winner The Artist and Intouchables are all up for the Best European Union film trophy, while Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, Ides of March, The Tree of Life and Asghar Farhadi’s Best Foreign Film Oscar winner A Separation will compete for the Best Foreign Film prize.

The awards will be announced on 4 May.