News

Ferzan Özpetek, the director of Diamonds (Diamanti):”There are certain costume designers I was thinking of, Milena Canonero, yes. Piero Tosi who was a good friend …”

Ferzan Özpetek’s sparkling Diamonds almost entirely takes place in a Roman film and theater costume atelier in the 1970s, owned by Alberta Canova (Luisa Ranieri) and her sister Gabriella (Jasmine Trinca), who after a personal loss seems more and more out of sorts to handle all the detailed requirements requested by demanding costume designers, movie directors, and stars.

Ferzan Özpetek with Anne-Katrin Titze about his encounter with Monica Vitti: ”She turned around and came back to me and said, you are going to make a lot of beautiful films!”

The fabulous ensemble cast sheds light on the various concerns of women in the garment business and their personal relationships through humorous and sometimes almost tragic vignettes.

The...

Claudio Cupellini’s My Family lands on Netflix as a six-episode Italian dramedy that treats mortality like an old friend over a late-night espresso. Eduardo Scarpetta embodies Fausto, a man who learns his days are numbered and then spends each precious moment crafting voice-memo farewells for two sons, a protective mother, a wayward brother, and two steadfast confidants.

Each installment bears a character’s name and hops among three eras—Fausto’s whirlwind courtship, the moment his illness is revealed, and the chaotic present—forming what I’ll call a “chronomemorial framework.” This structure keeps us curious (no chance to drift off mid–tearjerker) and deepens our bond with every figure on screen.

Cupellini balances gentle humor—think a lighthearted jibe at Italian formality—with scenes of unvarnished emotion. Warm laughter flickers in crowded family dinners, then subsides into quiet grief when Scarpetta’s voice cracks. That swing between levity...

Going into My Family on Netflix, I had zero expectations. I have recently fallen into a slump with shows and feel like everything will turn out disappointing; however, I was pleasantly shocked with My Family. The 6-part series tells the story of a man named Fausto and his family dealing with him dying from cancer. Each episode is titled with a character’s name and gives us bits and pieces of Fausto and his family’s lives between the years of him falling in love, getting married, and then eventually getting a cancer diagnosis. His family isn’t just his “family,” it also includes two of his best friends, Maria and Demetris. The dynamic between this big family, specifically after Fausto’s gone, is what makes this show really worth your time. Italian dramedies can often be a bit hit or miss; the stories can be too over the top,...

Pictures: Netflix

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been getting regular updates as part of Next on Netflix, an opportunity to see what’s coming to Netflix in 2025 from around the world. One of the countries participating in the live event for journalists was Netflix Italy, which previewed its upcoming slate for 2025 for local journalists. The year has already started strong with Public Disorder (or Acab as it’s known in other regions), but what else is coming up? Here’s a rundown of what we unveiled.

In Italy, Tinny Andreatta, the Vice President of Content, expressed her enthusiasm about 2025, stating, “This year is significant for us in Italy because it marks the 10th anniversary of Netflix’s launch in our country. We will provide our audience with a wider and more diverse selection that spans various genres, innovative formats, and languages. We aim to tell authentic stories...

Netflix’s next Italian originals will be pairs of series and feature films from the likes of Stefano Mordini, Alessandro Genovesi and Cristina Comencini.

The projects were unveiled at a See What’s Next event in Rome today, in front of several stars, directors and stars.

Tinny Andreatta, Vice President of Italian Content at Netflix, said the orders showed the streamer remains “committed to our investment in Italy and Italian stories with conviction, continuing our long-term commitment to the country and its creative community.” Netflix opened an Italian office in May last year.

Namely, pics are Cristina Comencini’s Il Treno dei Bambini and Fabbricante di Lacrime from director Alessandro Genovesi. TV shows comprise Storia della mia Famiglia and Adorazione.

Il Treno dei Bambini is based on Viola Ardone’s bestselling novel pf the same name and is billed as as an “epic and poignant film” set in post-war Italy...

Stars: Luca Marinelli, Miriam Leone, Valerio Mastandrea, Alessandro Roja, Serena Rossi, Luca Di Giovanni, Claudia Gerini, Vanessa Scalera, Roberto Citran, Guglielmo Favilla | Written by The Manetti Bros., Michelangelo Le Neve | Directed by Antonio and Marco Manetti

I’ve been a fan of the Manetti Brothers – Antonio and Marco – since the first time I saw their fantastic sci-fi horror The Arrival of Wang way back in 2012. Since then the pair have directed numerous films, including Paura 3D and the action ‘Mafia musical’ Love and Bullets. The pair also produced Daniele Misischia’s fantastic zombie film The End?, which screened at Frightfest in 2017… Why mention those films? Because all of those films have – unfortunately – faded into obscurity on these shores since debuting at films festivals here in the UK. Hopefully Diabolik, the duo’s latest film based on the classic Italian comic book anti-hero of the same name will not suffer the same fate,...

Disney+ has put Italian true crime drama This is Not Hollywood — Avetrana into production in Puglia.

The four-part series (original title Avetrana – Qui non è Hollywood) is based on the true story of the death Sarah Scazzi and the massive media response. Each 80-minute episode takes point of view of one of the story’s main protagonists — Sarah, Sabrina, Michele and Cosima, who are played by Federica Pala, Giulia Perulli, Paolo De Vita and Vanessa Scalera, respectively.

Imma Villa, Anna Ferzetti and Giancarlo Commare have also been cast for key roles in the show, which is based on Carmine Gazzanni and Flavia Piccinni’s book ‘Sarah: La Ragazza di Avetrana.’

The series’ synopsis reads: “On August 26, 2010, in Avetrana, a small town on the edge of the holiday destination Salento, a young girl leaves home never to return. Her name is Sarah Scazzi, she is 15. The whole town is in turmoil,...

Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God” and Gabriele Mainetti’s “Freaks Out” lead the pack at the David di Donatello Awards this year with 16 nominations each.

Here’s the complete list of nominees:

Picture

“Ariaferma” (The Inner Cage), Leonardo Di Costanzo

“The Hand of God,” Paolo Sorrentino

“Ennio,” Giuseppe Tornatore

“Freaks Out,” Gabriele Mainetti

“Qui Rido Io” (The King of Laughter), Mario Martone

Director

“Ariaferma” (The Inner Cage), Leonardo Di Costanzo

“The Hand of God,” Paolo Sorrentino

“Ennio,” Giuseppe Tornatore

“Freaks Out,” Gabriele Mainetti

“Qui Rido Io” (The King of Laughter), Mario Martone

Debut Director

“The Bad Poet,” Gianluca Jodice

“Maternal,” Maura Delpero

“Small Body,” Laura Samani

“Re Granchio” (The Legend of King Crab), Alessio Rigo De Righi, Matteo Zoppis

“Una Femmina” (The Code of Silence), Francesco Constabile

Producer

“A Chiara,” Jon Coplon, Paolo Carpignano, Ryan Zacarias, Jonas Carpignano (Stayblack Productions) — Rai Cinema

“Ariaferma” (The Inner Cage), Carlo Cresto...

Javier Krause, one of Argentina’s key sales agents and co-founder of Kaflims Argentina, has crossed the Atlantic and started Kafilms Suisse, a new Swiss production company where he is taking the reins to create new content for international audiences, including two new Italian co-productions which Krause has announced in exclusivity with Variety.

Joined by Maurizio and Manuel Tedesco of Italy’s Baires Produzioni, backers of Filmax-sold “Tomorrow’s a New Day” from Simone Spada and WWI drama “Il destino degli uomini,” Kafilms will co-produce “The Eye of the Rabbit” from debut feature filmmakers Valentina and Francesca Bertuzzi and “L’Arminuta,” – currently in production – written by Monica Zapelli in collaboration with the author of the eponymous novel on which the film is based, Donatella di Pietrantonio.

“The Eye of the Rabbit” turns on Liz, the eldest daughter of a middle-class Roman family who discovers a mysterious hole that, night after night,...

The Rome Film Festival (October 17-27) has unveiled its 2019 official selection, which includes Downton Abbey, Waves, Judy, The Aeronauts, Hustlers and Werner Herzog documentary Nomad[/link] about writer Bruce Chatwin.

A total of 33 films and documentaries will play in the official lineup (full list below). As previously announced, the fest will open with Edward Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn while Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman will have a centerpiece screening. Only two Italian movies are included in the main selection.

The festival also revealed a pre-opening October 16 world premiere for John Turturro’s anticipated The Big Lebowski spinoff, The Jesus Rolls, which follows Lebowski character Jesus Quintana.

The impressive lineup of onstage interviews includes Bill Murray and Viola Davis – both of whom will receive lifetime achievement awards – Fanny Ardant, Olivier Assayas, Ethan Coen, Benicio Del Toro, Bret Easton Ellis, Ron Howard, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Edward Norton, Bertrand Tavernier, John Travolta and Jia Zhangke.

Sky Italia and Gomorrah producer Cattleya have unveiled the first look at their forthcoming big-budget drama Romulus, the founder and first king of Rome, which is being produced in archaic Latin.

The ITV-owned producer is producing the ten-part series, which was created by Matteo Rovere, who directed The First King feature. It marks Rovere’s television debut. The ten-part series is co-produced by Rovere’s Groenlandia and filming started in Rome last month.

It stars Andrea Arcangeli (Trust), Marianna Fontana (Indivisible) and Francesco Di Napoli (Piranhas) with Rovere directing alongside Michele Alhaique and Enrico Maria Artale. It is written by Rovere, Filippo Gravino (The First King) and Guido Iuculano (A Quiet Life).

The series is set in eighth century B.C., in a primitive and brutal world in which man’s fate is decided by the merciless power of nature and the gods. It is the story of Romulus and his twin brother Remus,...

Gomorrah producer Cattleya is making a TV drama about Romulus, the founder and first king of Rome, in archaic Latin for Sky Italia.

The ITV-owned producer is producing Romulus, created by Matteo Rovere, who directed The First King feature. It marks Rovere’s television debut. The ten-part series is co-produced by Rovere’s Groenlandia and will start filming in Rome in early June.

It will star Andrea Arcangeli (Trust), Marianna Fontana (Indivisible) and Francesco Di Napoli (Piranhas) with Rovere directing alongside Michele Alhaique and Enrico Maria Artale. It is written by Rovere, Filippo Gravino (The First King) and Guido Iuculano (A Quiet Life).

The series is set in eighth century B.C., in a primitive and brutal world in which man’s fate is decided by the merciless power of nature and the gods. It is the story of Romulus and his twin brother Remus, as seen through the...