Rome’s Mia market dedicated to international TV series, animation, feature films, and documentaries is set to feature a panoply of 62 projects from 36 countries for its upcoming 9th edition.
Though European content remains the core of the curated pre-Mipcom event that will run Oct. 9-13 in the central Rome’s Palazzo Barberini – which besides being Italy’s National Ancient Art gallery, is also the market’s main hub – organisers on Thursday announced that this year more than 500 entries were submitted from 80 countries which they said marks a 30% increase in terms of national provenance.
Mia (whose whose acronym stands for the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo or International Audiovisual Market) is headed by Gaia Tridente.
Standout projects that made the cut for Mia comprise groundbreaking Romanian animator Anca Damian’s “Motherhood,” described as a poetic journey into female body and desire, illustrated by Italian artist Virginia Mori and co-produced by French studio Miyu Productions...
Though European content remains the core of the curated pre-Mipcom event that will run Oct. 9-13 in the central Rome’s Palazzo Barberini – which besides being Italy’s National Ancient Art gallery, is also the market’s main hub – organisers on Thursday announced that this year more than 500 entries were submitted from 80 countries which they said marks a 30% increase in terms of national provenance.
Mia (whose whose acronym stands for the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo or International Audiovisual Market) is headed by Gaia Tridente.
Standout projects that made the cut for Mia comprise groundbreaking Romanian animator Anca Damian’s “Motherhood,” described as a poetic journey into female body and desire, illustrated by Italian artist Virginia Mori and co-produced by French studio Miyu Productions...
- 9/21/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The first trailer has been unveiled for “Walls” (“Mur”), actor-turned-filmmaker Kasia Smutniak’s directorial debut that will world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to a mass exodus of refugees seeking asylum across Europe. Among the European countries offering aid and refuge, Poland was particularly generous but the country had also simultaneously commenced the construction of Europe’s most expensive wall along its entire border with Belarus to deter further refugees from entering.
A strip of land known as the red zone running parallel to the Belarusian border prevents anyone from approaching and seeing the construction of the wall. Smutniak undertakes an uncertain and risky journey into the red zone, where access is not allowed to the media, with the help of local activists and minimal technical equipment. The director’s journey begins and ends with two walls.
The first wall rejects migrants arriving...
In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to a mass exodus of refugees seeking asylum across Europe. Among the European countries offering aid and refuge, Poland was particularly generous but the country had also simultaneously commenced the construction of Europe’s most expensive wall along its entire border with Belarus to deter further refugees from entering.
A strip of land known as the red zone running parallel to the Belarusian border prevents anyone from approaching and seeing the construction of the wall. Smutniak undertakes an uncertain and risky journey into the red zone, where access is not allowed to the media, with the help of local activists and minimal technical equipment. The director’s journey begins and ends with two walls.
The first wall rejects migrants arriving...
- 8/21/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Francesca Archibugi on Paolo Virzì: “We actually were students together. We studied with Furio Scarpelli, who was a great screenwriter. I think we both loved him very much.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
As a screenwriter, Francesca Archibugi has worked with director/screenwriter Paolo Virzì on his films Magical Nights (Notti Magiche) and The Leisure Seeker (starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland) with Francesco Piccolo. Dry (Siccità) starring Monica Bellucci, Silvio Orlando, Valerio Mastandrea, Vinicio Marchioni, Claudia Pandolfi, Sara Serraiocco, and Tommaso Ragno is Archibugi’s third collaboration with Paolo Virzì, this time also with screenwriters Paolo Giordano and Francesco Piccolo.
Dry star Tommaso Ragno inside the Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Piccolo is also the co-writer with Laura Paolucci on Archibugi’s The Hummingbird which was the opening night selection of Cinecittà and Film at Lincoln Center’s...
As a screenwriter, Francesca Archibugi has worked with director/screenwriter Paolo Virzì on his films Magical Nights (Notti Magiche) and The Leisure Seeker (starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland) with Francesco Piccolo. Dry (Siccità) starring Monica Bellucci, Silvio Orlando, Valerio Mastandrea, Vinicio Marchioni, Claudia Pandolfi, Sara Serraiocco, and Tommaso Ragno is Archibugi’s third collaboration with Paolo Virzì, this time also with screenwriters Paolo Giordano and Francesco Piccolo.
Dry star Tommaso Ragno inside the Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Piccolo is also the co-writer with Laura Paolucci on Archibugi’s The Hummingbird which was the opening night selection of Cinecittà and Film at Lincoln Center’s...
- 7/5/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
“Prince Aden,” a new drama by Italian directing duo Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio, known internationally for their immigration-themed “Seven Acts of Mercy,” is among projects selected by Locarno’s Alliance for Development initiative.
The platform, now in its 8th year, is geared towards fostering co-productions between France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Inspired by the book “Partigiani d’Oltremare,” by Italian historian Matteo Petracci, the De Serio twins’ new colonial-era film follows the vicissitudes of a 16-year-old Somali named Aden Sicré who in 1935 becomes a soldier in the Italian army that invaded Ethiopia on Mussolini’s orders. In an unexpected turn, he becomes hailed as a war hero by the Fascist regime. Then a few years later Aden and other African fighters play a pivotal role in the partisan struggle against fascism in Europe.
The Aug. 4-6 Alliance 4 Development goes beyond being a mere co-production platform since it allows for...
The platform, now in its 8th year, is geared towards fostering co-productions between France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Inspired by the book “Partigiani d’Oltremare,” by Italian historian Matteo Petracci, the De Serio twins’ new colonial-era film follows the vicissitudes of a 16-year-old Somali named Aden Sicré who in 1935 becomes a soldier in the Italian army that invaded Ethiopia on Mussolini’s orders. In an unexpected turn, he becomes hailed as a war hero by the Fascist regime. Then a few years later Aden and other African fighters play a pivotal role in the partisan struggle against fascism in Europe.
The Aug. 4-6 Alliance 4 Development goes beyond being a mere co-production platform since it allows for...
- 6/22/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Includes projects by Lorenz Merz, Ann Oren and Sara Fattahi.
New projects by directors Lorenz Merz, Ann Oren and Sara Fattahi are among those selected for Locarno Pro’s Alliance 4 Development initiative which runs from August 4-6.
The initiative is an integral part of Locarno Film Festival’s Locarno Pro industry strand and is aimed at encouraging co-productions between Switzerland and France, Germany and Italy.
Scroll down for full list of projects
11 projects were chosen out of 74 submissions. During the three Alliance 4 Development programme, participants will meet with potential partners and attend panels and networking events.
Lorenz Merz will attend with Who/Man,...
New projects by directors Lorenz Merz, Ann Oren and Sara Fattahi are among those selected for Locarno Pro’s Alliance 4 Development initiative which runs from August 4-6.
The initiative is an integral part of Locarno Film Festival’s Locarno Pro industry strand and is aimed at encouraging co-productions between Switzerland and France, Germany and Italy.
Scroll down for full list of projects
11 projects were chosen out of 74 submissions. During the three Alliance 4 Development programme, participants will meet with potential partners and attend panels and networking events.
Lorenz Merz will attend with Who/Man,...
- 6/22/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
11 projects selected for Locarno Film Festival’s industry strand.
New projects by directors Lorenz Merz, Ann Oren and Sara Fattahi are among those selected for Locarno Pro’s Alliance 4 Development initiative which runs from August 4-6.
The initiative is an integral part of Locarno Film Festival’s Locarno Pro industry strand and is aimed at encouraging co-productions between Switzerland and France, Germany and Italy.
Scroll down for full list of projects
11 projects were chosen out of 74 submissions. During the three Alliance 4 Development programme, participants will meet with potential partners and attend panels and networking events.
Lorenz Merz will attend with Who/Man,...
New projects by directors Lorenz Merz, Ann Oren and Sara Fattahi are among those selected for Locarno Pro’s Alliance 4 Development initiative which runs from August 4-6.
The initiative is an integral part of Locarno Film Festival’s Locarno Pro industry strand and is aimed at encouraging co-productions between Switzerland and France, Germany and Italy.
Scroll down for full list of projects
11 projects were chosen out of 74 submissions. During the three Alliance 4 Development programme, participants will meet with potential partners and attend panels and networking events.
Lorenz Merz will attend with Who/Man,...
- 6/22/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The Hummingbird (Il Colibrì) director Francesca Archibugi with Anne-Katrin Titze on Dancing Barefoot: “That Patti Smith song is very important to me.” And The Clash’s London Calling: “It does belong to Marco’s (Pierfrancesco Favino) story as a boy …”
Francesca Archibugi’s The Hummingbird with songs from Patti Smith, Billie Holiday, and The Clash, stars Pierfrancesco Favino (in Andrea Di Stefano's The Last Night With Amore at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival), Nanni Moretti, Bérénice Bejo, Laura Morante, Kasia Smutniak, Benedetta Porcaroli, Fotinì Peluso, Azzurra Di Marco, Francesco Centorame, and Sergio Albelli Is the opening night selection of Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà’s 22nd edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema.
Luisa Lattes (Bérénice Bejo) with Marco Carrera (Pierfrancesco Favino)
Other highlights include Roberto Andò’s Strangeness with Toni Sevillo (Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning The Great Beauty), as Nobel Prize-winning playwright Luigi Pirandello, Salvo Ficarra,...
Francesca Archibugi’s The Hummingbird with songs from Patti Smith, Billie Holiday, and The Clash, stars Pierfrancesco Favino (in Andrea Di Stefano's The Last Night With Amore at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival), Nanni Moretti, Bérénice Bejo, Laura Morante, Kasia Smutniak, Benedetta Porcaroli, Fotinì Peluso, Azzurra Di Marco, Francesco Centorame, and Sergio Albelli Is the opening night selection of Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecittà’s 22nd edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema.
Luisa Lattes (Bérénice Bejo) with Marco Carrera (Pierfrancesco Favino)
Other highlights include Roberto Andò’s Strangeness with Toni Sevillo (Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning The Great Beauty), as Nobel Prize-winning playwright Luigi Pirandello, Salvo Ficarra,...
- 5/29/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Belgian directors Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s Italian-language drama The Eight Mountains and veteran Marco Bellocchio’s Exterior Night topped the 68th edition of Italy’s David di Donatello Awards on Wednesday evening.
The Eight Mountains won best film as well as best non-original screenplay, photography and sound.
Based on the novel of the same name by Paolo Cognetti, it stars Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi as two men from different backgrounds who form a life-long bond during summers spent together as children in a remote mountain village.
The film world premiered in Competition at Cannes last year where it co-won the Jury Prize. Read the Deadline review here.
It is the second time in the history of the awards that a film by non-Italian directors has clinched the best film prize.
The last time was in 1971 when the Dino de Laurentiis-produced epic Waterloo by Russian director Sergei Bonderchuk,...
The Eight Mountains won best film as well as best non-original screenplay, photography and sound.
Based on the novel of the same name by Paolo Cognetti, it stars Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi as two men from different backgrounds who form a life-long bond during summers spent together as children in a remote mountain village.
The film world premiered in Competition at Cannes last year where it co-won the Jury Prize. Read the Deadline review here.
It is the second time in the history of the awards that a film by non-Italian directors has clinched the best film prize.
The last time was in 1971 when the Dino de Laurentiis-produced epic Waterloo by Russian director Sergei Bonderchuk,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Shooting is underway in Naples on the fourth and final season of HBO/Rai series “My Brilliant Friend” which sees some key casting changes in the lead roles of the two best friends, Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo, no longer played by Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace.
For the fourth season of the Elena Ferrante quadrilogy, titled “The Story of the Lost Child,” as previously announced, Alba Rohrwacher (on the left of the first look image) is playing Elena Greco, aka Lenù. Irene Maiorino (“Gomorrah”) has now been announced as Lila. And additionally, Fabrizio Gifuni (“Exterior Night”) will play Nino Sarratore, the writer who has long been the object of Lenù’s affection. Sarratore was previously played by Francesco Serpico.
The fourth season of “Brilliant Friend” is being directed by Laura Bispuri, known for the transgender-themed drama “Sworn Virgin” and for “Daughter of Mine.” Both films starred Rohrwacher and played in Berlin.
For the fourth season of the Elena Ferrante quadrilogy, titled “The Story of the Lost Child,” as previously announced, Alba Rohrwacher (on the left of the first look image) is playing Elena Greco, aka Lenù. Irene Maiorino (“Gomorrah”) has now been announced as Lila. And additionally, Fabrizio Gifuni (“Exterior Night”) will play Nino Sarratore, the writer who has long been the object of Lenù’s affection. Sarratore was previously played by Francesco Serpico.
The fourth season of “Brilliant Friend” is being directed by Laura Bispuri, known for the transgender-themed drama “Sworn Virgin” and for “Daughter of Mine.” Both films starred Rohrwacher and played in Berlin.
- 1/30/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
In “The Lying Life of Adults,” the lies are elusive things. For those unfamiliar with the Elena Ferrante novel the new Netflix series is adapted from, hearing a premise about a teenage girl looking for answers about her estranged aunt might conjure ideas of generations-long cover-ups and long-held secrets.
What makes this TV version of the story — directed by Edoardo De Angelis and boasting Ferrante among its team of screenwriters — so entrancing is that it downplays the sordid. When Giovanna (Giordana Marengo) begins her search for physical evidence of her aunt Vittoria (Valeria Golino) and the origins of a family split, what she finds doesn’t necessarily contradict much of the story she’s told as she approaches her 16th birthday. “The Lying Life of Adults” is more about assumptions and misunderstandings and willful ignorance of a shared past, leaving the viewer to fill in those gaps, too. The process...
What makes this TV version of the story — directed by Edoardo De Angelis and boasting Ferrante among its team of screenwriters — so entrancing is that it downplays the sordid. When Giovanna (Giordana Marengo) begins her search for physical evidence of her aunt Vittoria (Valeria Golino) and the origins of a family split, what she finds doesn’t necessarily contradict much of the story she’s told as she approaches her 16th birthday. “The Lying Life of Adults” is more about assumptions and misunderstandings and willful ignorance of a shared past, leaving the viewer to fill in those gaps, too. The process...
- 1/5/2023
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The novel ‘The Lying Life of Adults’ by Elena Ferrante has been adapted into a six-episode series. The trailer of the streaming show was unveiled on Tuesday by Netflix, which has set its premiere date as January 4, 2023.
‘Lying Life’, which is directed by Neapolitan helmer Edoardo De Angelis, stars Valeria Golino in the role of the crass and enigmatic Neapolitan aunt of the story’s young protagonist, named Giovanna, played by newcomer Giordana Marengo, reported Variety.
The Ferrante’s book depicts Giovanna’s transition from childhood to adolescence during the 1990s in a Naples that is actually two kindred cities that fear and loathe one another: the upper-crust Naples of the high quarters, hiding behind the the mask of refinement, and the Naples of its more vulgar and exciting low quarters, where her intriguing aunt Vittoria lives.
According to Variety, Giovanna vacillates between these two sides of the city, neither one offering answers or escaping.
‘Lying Life’, which is directed by Neapolitan helmer Edoardo De Angelis, stars Valeria Golino in the role of the crass and enigmatic Neapolitan aunt of the story’s young protagonist, named Giovanna, played by newcomer Giordana Marengo, reported Variety.
The Ferrante’s book depicts Giovanna’s transition from childhood to adolescence during the 1990s in a Naples that is actually two kindred cities that fear and loathe one another: the upper-crust Naples of the high quarters, hiding behind the the mask of refinement, and the Naples of its more vulgar and exciting low quarters, where her intriguing aunt Vittoria lives.
According to Variety, Giovanna vacillates between these two sides of the city, neither one offering answers or escaping.
- 11/8/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Date
Netflix has revealed the launch date of its Elena Ferrante adaptation “The Lying Life of Adults” and released a provocative poster and teaser art for the show based on the “My Brilliant Friend” author’s latest novel.
“Lying Life,” which will drop debut on Netflix globally on Jan. 4, 2023, is directed by Neapolitan helmer Edoardo De Angelis (“Indivisible”) and stars Valeria Golino in the role of Neapolitan aunt of the story’s young protagonist named Giovanna, played by newcomer Giordana Marengo.
Alessandro Preziosi (“Medici”) plays Giovanna’s father, Andrea, while Pina Turco plays her mother, Nella.
The Ferrante book depicts Giovanna’s transition from childhood to adolescence during the 1990s in a Naples that is actually two kindred cities that fear and loathe one another: the upper crust Naples of the high-quarters, where a mask of refinement is worn, and the Naples of its more vulgar and exciting low quarters...
Netflix has revealed the launch date of its Elena Ferrante adaptation “The Lying Life of Adults” and released a provocative poster and teaser art for the show based on the “My Brilliant Friend” author’s latest novel.
“Lying Life,” which will drop debut on Netflix globally on Jan. 4, 2023, is directed by Neapolitan helmer Edoardo De Angelis (“Indivisible”) and stars Valeria Golino in the role of Neapolitan aunt of the story’s young protagonist named Giovanna, played by newcomer Giordana Marengo.
Alessandro Preziosi (“Medici”) plays Giovanna’s father, Andrea, while Pina Turco plays her mother, Nella.
The Ferrante book depicts Giovanna’s transition from childhood to adolescence during the 1990s in a Naples that is actually two kindred cities that fear and loathe one another: the upper crust Naples of the high-quarters, where a mask of refinement is worn, and the Naples of its more vulgar and exciting low quarters...
- 10/24/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix Unveils ‘The Lying Life Of Adults’ Launch; Teaser Art
Netflix’s upcoming six-part Italian drama The Lying Life of Adults will launch on January 4, 2023. Teaser art for the Fandango-produced series has also been unveiled this morning. The drama, based on My Brilliant Friendcreator Elena Ferrante’s book of the same name, follows the life of Giovanna, as she transitions from childhood to adolescence in 1990s Naples and jumps between the city’s high and lower classes without finding answers in either world. Edoardo De Angelis is directing with Giordana Marengo playing Giovanna. Valeria Golino, Alessandro Preziosi, Pina Turco, Azzurra Mennella and Rossella Gamba also star. Ferrante writes alongside Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo and De Angelis.
Studio 100 Media Lines Up Latest ‘Heidi’ Feature
Munich-based Studio 100 Media is set to produce a new animated version of classic children’s story Heidi. Studio 100 is the rights holder of the...
Netflix’s upcoming six-part Italian drama The Lying Life of Adults will launch on January 4, 2023. Teaser art for the Fandango-produced series has also been unveiled this morning. The drama, based on My Brilliant Friendcreator Elena Ferrante’s book of the same name, follows the life of Giovanna, as she transitions from childhood to adolescence in 1990s Naples and jumps between the city’s high and lower classes without finding answers in either world. Edoardo De Angelis is directing with Giordana Marengo playing Giovanna. Valeria Golino, Alessandro Preziosi, Pina Turco, Azzurra Mennella and Rossella Gamba also star. Ferrante writes alongside Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo and De Angelis.
Studio 100 Media Lines Up Latest ‘Heidi’ Feature
Munich-based Studio 100 Media is set to produce a new animated version of classic children’s story Heidi. Studio 100 is the rights holder of the...
- 10/24/2022
- by Jesse Whittock, Nancy Tartaglione and Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The Hummingbird TIFF Gala Presentations Section Reviewed for Shockya.com by Abe Friedtanzer Director: Francesca Archibugi Writer: Laura Paolucci, Francesca Archibugi, Francesco Piccolo Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino, Kasia Smutniak, Bérénice Bejo, Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante, Sergio Albelli, Massimo Ceccherini, Alessandro Tedeschi, Benedetta Porcaroli Screened at: Scotiabank Theatre, Ontario, 9/18/22 Opens: September 16th, 2022 (Toronto International Film Festival) […]
The post TIFF 2022: The Hummingbird Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post TIFF 2022: The Hummingbird Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/19/2022
- by Abe Friedtanzer
- ShockYa
The film explores the famed Isis ‘matchmaker’ who allegedly recruited teenage girls to become the wives of jihadi fighters
Screen can exclusively reveal the first trailer for Benedetta Argentieri’s documentary The Matchmaker which plays out of competition at the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
The documentary explores Tooba Gondal, a London-raised Isis ‘matchmaker’ who allegedly recruited teenage girls to become the wives of jihadi fighters. Argentieri interviewed Gondal in Syria before she was deported to France at the end of 2019.
Producing The Matchmaker is Domenico Procacci and Laura Paolucci at Fandango, which also handles world sales.
Argentieri...
Screen can exclusively reveal the first trailer for Benedetta Argentieri’s documentary The Matchmaker which plays out of competition at the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
The documentary explores Tooba Gondal, a London-raised Isis ‘matchmaker’ who allegedly recruited teenage girls to become the wives of jihadi fighters. Argentieri interviewed Gondal in Syria before she was deported to France at the end of 2019.
Producing The Matchmaker is Domenico Procacci and Laura Paolucci at Fandango, which also handles world sales.
Argentieri...
- 9/1/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
The film explores the famed Isis ‘matchmaker’ who allegedly recruited teenage girls to become the wives of jihadi fighters
Screen can exclusively reveal the first trailer for Benedetta Argentieri’s documentary The Matchmaker which plays out of competition at the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
The documentary explores Tooba Gondal, a London-raised Isis ‘matchmaker’ who allegedly recruited teenage girls to become the wives of jihadi fighters. Argentieri interviewed Gondal in Syria before she was deported to France at the end of 2019.
Producing The Matchmaker is Domenico Procacci and Laura Paolucci at Fandango, which also handles world sales.
Argentieri...
Screen can exclusively reveal the first trailer for Benedetta Argentieri’s documentary The Matchmaker which plays out of competition at the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
The documentary explores Tooba Gondal, a London-raised Isis ‘matchmaker’ who allegedly recruited teenage girls to become the wives of jihadi fighters. Argentieri interviewed Gondal in Syria before she was deported to France at the end of 2019.
Producing The Matchmaker is Domenico Procacci and Laura Paolucci at Fandango, which also handles world sales.
Argentieri...
- 9/1/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
My Brilliant Friend is coming to an end at HBO. But not quite yet.
The WarnerMedia-owned cable network and Italian public broadcaster Rai have renewed the series, which is based on Elena Ferrante’s book series, for a fourth and final season.
It comes as the third season, My Brilliant Friend: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, launched in the U.S. last month.
The fourth season will be based on Ferrante’s The Story of the Lost Child, the fourth book in her quadrilogy.
Cancellations/Renewals Scorecard: TV Shows Ended Or Continuing In 2021-22 Season
Created by Saverio Costanzo, My Brilliant Friend is produced by The Apartment, Fremantle Italy, Wildside and Fandango.
The third season, which stars Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace, follows Elena Greco and Lila, otherwise known as Raffaella Cerullo, both now grown women, during the great open sea of the 1970s. Lila took her...
The WarnerMedia-owned cable network and Italian public broadcaster Rai have renewed the series, which is based on Elena Ferrante’s book series, for a fourth and final season.
It comes as the third season, My Brilliant Friend: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, launched in the U.S. last month.
The fourth season will be based on Ferrante’s The Story of the Lost Child, the fourth book in her quadrilogy.
Cancellations/Renewals Scorecard: TV Shows Ended Or Continuing In 2021-22 Season
Created by Saverio Costanzo, My Brilliant Friend is produced by The Apartment, Fremantle Italy, Wildside and Fandango.
The third season, which stars Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace, follows Elena Greco and Lila, otherwise known as Raffaella Cerullo, both now grown women, during the great open sea of the 1970s. Lila took her...
- 3/22/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
“My Brilliant Friend” is set to close the book on Elena and Lila’s journey. The Italian- and Neapolitan-language television series has been renewed for a fourth and final season by co-producers HBO and Rai.
Based on the acclaimed “Neapolitan Novels” four-book series by Italian writer Elena Ferrante, “My Brilliant Friend” follows the coming-of-age of two best friends, Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo, who grow up in a poor Naples neighborhood in the 1950s. As the smart-but-shy Elena continues her education and eventually ascends into the wealthy elite, the outspoken Lila is denied schooling by her family and struggles through an abusive marriage. The show, which is named after the first novel in Ferrante’s series, has adapted each book into an eight-episode season, with the fourth season set to adapt the final installment, “The Story of the Lost Child.”
The first three seasons of “My Brilliant Friend” have starred...
Based on the acclaimed “Neapolitan Novels” four-book series by Italian writer Elena Ferrante, “My Brilliant Friend” follows the coming-of-age of two best friends, Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo, who grow up in a poor Naples neighborhood in the 1950s. As the smart-but-shy Elena continues her education and eventually ascends into the wealthy elite, the outspoken Lila is denied schooling by her family and struggles through an abusive marriage. The show, which is named after the first novel in Ferrante’s series, has adapted each book into an eight-episode season, with the fourth season set to adapt the final installment, “The Story of the Lost Child.”
The first three seasons of “My Brilliant Friend” have starred...
- 3/22/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Italy’s “The Impossible She,” Spain’s “Detective Touré,” South Africa’s “Paradys” and France’s “Hormones” feature among 15 drama series projects selected for the Series Mania Forum’s 2022 Co-Pro Pitching Sessions.
One of Europe’s most prestigious TV competitions, with titles competing for a €50,000 grand prize, this year’s Sessions form part of the Forum, which runs March 22-24.
The lineup is rich in projects backed by top-tier producers and sales forces, while sluiced by large themes, such as racial and gender equality.
The latest from top Italian company Fandango, producer of “Gomorrah” and “My Brilliant Friend,” “The Impossible She” turns on young Neapolitan aristocrat Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first female Formula 1 driver.
Co-produced by Academy Award winner Tornasol (“The Secret in My Eyes”), “Detective Touré” features Touré a sub-Saharan immigrant settled in Bilbao who will become the best detective of the city, despite no badge, nor papers.
One of Europe’s most prestigious TV competitions, with titles competing for a €50,000 grand prize, this year’s Sessions form part of the Forum, which runs March 22-24.
The lineup is rich in projects backed by top-tier producers and sales forces, while sluiced by large themes, such as racial and gender equality.
The latest from top Italian company Fandango, producer of “Gomorrah” and “My Brilliant Friend,” “The Impossible She” turns on young Neapolitan aristocrat Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first female Formula 1 driver.
Co-produced by Academy Award winner Tornasol (“The Secret in My Eyes”), “Detective Touré” features Touré a sub-Saharan immigrant settled in Bilbao who will become the best detective of the city, despite no badge, nor papers.
- 2/17/2022
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Series Mania has unveiled the nine shows from six countries competing for the prestigious International Competition along with revealing the lineup and Guests of Honor for this year’s edition, the first to take place in person for three years.
Scroll down for the full list. Shows competing for the Competition include Michael Hirst’s Billy the Kid, for Epix, MGM and Viaplay, Israel’s Fire Dance, France’s Le Monde De Demain and The UK’s The Birth of Daniel F. Harris, each of which are being handed a world premiere.
The president of the jury announced soon will be joined by German actor Christian Berkel, Franco-Belgian actress Cécile de France, Israeli actress Shira Haas (Unorthodox), Turkish creator and director Berkun Oya (Bir Baskadir) and French singer-songwriter and model Yseult.
The jury will award the Grand Prize for Best Series, the Prize for Best Actress,...
Scroll down for the full list. Shows competing for the Competition include Michael Hirst’s Billy the Kid, for Epix, MGM and Viaplay, Israel’s Fire Dance, France’s Le Monde De Demain and The UK’s The Birth of Daniel F. Harris, each of which are being handed a world premiere.
The president of the jury announced soon will be joined by German actor Christian Berkel, Franco-Belgian actress Cécile de France, Israeli actress Shira Haas (Unorthodox), Turkish creator and director Berkun Oya (Bir Baskadir) and French singer-songwriter and model Yseult.
The jury will award the Grand Prize for Best Series, the Prize for Best Actress,...
- 2/17/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The third season of the Rai and HBO series “My Brilliant Friend” is ready to air in Italy and in the U.S., where the high-end show based the third book in Elena Ferrante’s quadrilogy has been set for a Feb. 28 debut on HBO and HBO Max.
The eight-episode adaptation of Ferrante’s 1970s-set novel, “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay,” was unveiled Wednesday during an online presser held in Rome by Rai, ahead of its premiere on Feb. 6 on the pubcaster’s flagship Rai 1 station.
“My Brilliant Friend: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay” follows Lila (Gaia Gerace), who married at 16, has a young son, left her husband and comfortable life and is now working in a factory under tough conditions. Elena, aka Lenù, (Margherita Mazzucco) meanwhile has left the Naples neighborhood, earned her college degree and published a successful novel, all of which has...
The eight-episode adaptation of Ferrante’s 1970s-set novel, “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay,” was unveiled Wednesday during an online presser held in Rome by Rai, ahead of its premiere on Feb. 6 on the pubcaster’s flagship Rai 1 station.
“My Brilliant Friend: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay” follows Lila (Gaia Gerace), who married at 16, has a young son, left her husband and comfortable life and is now working in a factory under tough conditions. Elena, aka Lenù, (Margherita Mazzucco) meanwhile has left the Naples neighborhood, earned her college degree and published a successful novel, all of which has...
- 1/26/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
In his film “The Mute Man of Sardinia” (“Il Muto di Gallura”) Turin-born Matteo Fresi reignites the feud between the Vasa and Mamia families, which caused the deaths of more than 70 people in mid-19th century Sardinia. Focusing on deaf-mute Bastiano Tansu, he shows an outsider who – mistreated and marginalized all his life – turned into a feared assassin, driven into a killing frenzy following his brother’s murder.
“My father is from Sardinia, from Gallura, so I would hear about these events a lot. It’s a famous story in that region, yet completely unknown in the rest of the country,” Fresi tells Variety after the film’s premiere at Torino Film Festival, admitting that he reached out to the locals in order to find out a bit more. In 1884, Enrico Costa published a novel about Tansu, described by the helmer as a “very precise” take on the violent conflict.
“My father is from Sardinia, from Gallura, so I would hear about these events a lot. It’s a famous story in that region, yet completely unknown in the rest of the country,” Fresi tells Variety after the film’s premiere at Torino Film Festival, admitting that he reached out to the locals in order to find out a bit more. In 1884, Enrico Costa published a novel about Tansu, described by the helmer as a “very precise” take on the violent conflict.
- 12/3/2021
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix Reveals Italian Series Slate
Netflix has revealed a handful of new series out of Italy and confirmed the imminent start of shoot on Elena Ferrante adaptation The Lying Life Of Adults, which will star Valeria Golino. Scroll down for the series (synopses translated from Italian). Netflix’s VP of Italian Originals Tinny Andreatta, the former Rai exec, said: “Being able to show the world Italy as it really is, in its authenticity, in its culture, in its beauty and contradictions, in its roots and infinite reserves of imagination, through the voice of the best authors and directors, and taking it to 190 countries, is our great challenge: it’s a challenge that we want to face together with our production partners and Italian talent.” Previously announced Italian series include Luna Park, out on September 30th; Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infranti (Astrological Guide for Broken Hearts); and Strappare Lungo I Bordi...
Netflix has revealed a handful of new series out of Italy and confirmed the imminent start of shoot on Elena Ferrante adaptation The Lying Life Of Adults, which will star Valeria Golino. Scroll down for the series (synopses translated from Italian). Netflix’s VP of Italian Originals Tinny Andreatta, the former Rai exec, said: “Being able to show the world Italy as it really is, in its authenticity, in its culture, in its beauty and contradictions, in its roots and infinite reserves of imagination, through the voice of the best authors and directors, and taking it to 190 countries, is our great challenge: it’s a challenge that we want to face together with our production partners and Italian talent.” Previously announced Italian series include Luna Park, out on September 30th; Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infranti (Astrological Guide for Broken Hearts); and Strappare Lungo I Bordi...
- 9/17/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix is moving forward with its Elena Ferrante series adaptation, “The Lying Life of Adults,” which will start shooting in Naples in October with Neapolitan helmer Edoardo De Angelis (“Indivisible”) directing and Valeria Golino playing a prominent role.
“Lying Life of Adults” leads a slate of Netflix Italian original series projects — several of which are literary adaptations — that were announced in Rome on Thursday by Eleonora “Tinny” Andreatta in her first meeting with the press since joining the streaming giant last year as VP of Italian Original series after a long stint as head of drama at Italian public broadcaster Rai.
Golino, who kickstarted her acting career in Hollywood co-starring with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Barry Levinson’s “Rain Man,” will soon be seen again by U.S. audiences in season 2 of Apple Original “The Morning Show.”
In “Lying Life,” Golino will play Vittoria whom Andreatta described as...
“Lying Life of Adults” leads a slate of Netflix Italian original series projects — several of which are literary adaptations — that were announced in Rome on Thursday by Eleonora “Tinny” Andreatta in her first meeting with the press since joining the streaming giant last year as VP of Italian Original series after a long stint as head of drama at Italian public broadcaster Rai.
Golino, who kickstarted her acting career in Hollywood co-starring with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Barry Levinson’s “Rain Man,” will soon be seen again by U.S. audiences in season 2 of Apple Original “The Morning Show.”
In “Lying Life,” Golino will play Vittoria whom Andreatta described as...
- 9/17/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Drama is adapted from Sandro Veronesi’s 2019 bestseller Il Colibrì (The Hummingbird).
France’s Orange Studio has boarded Francesca Archibugi’s new feature Il Colibrì which is currently shooting in Tuscany with Pierfrancesco Favino, Bérénice Bejo, Nanni Moretti and Laura Morante in the cast.
The company, which is the film and TV arm of French telecoms group Orange, has joined the production in association with Anne-Dominique Toussaint at Paris-based Les Films des Tournelles. It has taken all rights for France.
The film is lead-produced by Domenico Procacci at Fandango, with Rai Cinema. Fandango Sales is handling international sales.
The feature has been adapted by Archibugi,...
France’s Orange Studio has boarded Francesca Archibugi’s new feature Il Colibrì which is currently shooting in Tuscany with Pierfrancesco Favino, Bérénice Bejo, Nanni Moretti and Laura Morante in the cast.
The company, which is the film and TV arm of French telecoms group Orange, has joined the production in association with Anne-Dominique Toussaint at Paris-based Les Films des Tournelles. It has taken all rights for France.
The film is lead-produced by Domenico Procacci at Fandango, with Rai Cinema. Fandango Sales is handling international sales.
The feature has been adapted by Archibugi,...
- 7/11/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Oscar-nominated French actor Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist”) has joined Pierfrancesco Favino (“The Traitor”), Nanni Moretti, and the Italian cast of romantic drama “Il Colibrì,” which has started shooting in Rome.
Fandango Sales is launching sales at the virtual Cannes market on this high-profile drama directed by Francesca Archibugi (“A Question of the Heart”) based on the eponymous novel by Sandro Veronesi, winner of Italy’s top literary prize, the Premio Strega 2020. The book is now set for translation in 25 countries, including the U.S.
Domenico Procacci’s Fandango, which is producing the €7.85 million ($9.3 million) film with Rai Cinema, has set it up as an Italian-French co-production by teaming up with Anne-Dominique Toussaint Paris-based Les Films des Tournelles. The two companies previously collaborated two decades ago on Emanuele Crialese’s Sicily-set “Respiro,” which in the early aughts made an international splash.
“Colibrì,” which translates literally as “Hummingbird,” is set over several decades.
Fandango Sales is launching sales at the virtual Cannes market on this high-profile drama directed by Francesca Archibugi (“A Question of the Heart”) based on the eponymous novel by Sandro Veronesi, winner of Italy’s top literary prize, the Premio Strega 2020. The book is now set for translation in 25 countries, including the U.S.
Domenico Procacci’s Fandango, which is producing the €7.85 million ($9.3 million) film with Rai Cinema, has set it up as an Italian-French co-production by teaming up with Anne-Dominique Toussaint Paris-based Les Films des Tournelles. The two companies previously collaborated two decades ago on Emanuele Crialese’s Sicily-set “Respiro,” which in the early aughts made an international splash.
“Colibrì,” which translates literally as “Hummingbird,” is set over several decades.
- 6/18/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Veteran Italian auteur Daniele Luchetti, whose most recent film “The Ties” opened the 2020 Venice Film Festival, is now shooting season 3 of HBO-rai series “My Brilliant Friend,” taking the reins from helmer-showrunner Saverio Costanzo, who is taking a break.
The show’s hotly anticipated third season is based on the bestselling novel “My Brilliant Friend – Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay,” the third book of the quadrilogy by Elena Ferrante published in the U.S. by Europa Editions. It’s produced by The Apartment and Wildside, both Fremantle companies, along with FremantleMedia Italia and Fandango Production, in collaboration with Rai Fiction and HBO Entertainment. The story and screenplays are by Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo.
Luchetti spoke exclusively to Variety about the upcoming season’s cinematic references, the two protagonists’ journeys, and his personal connection to the material.
Saverio had told me that after referencing Neorealism in...
The show’s hotly anticipated third season is based on the bestselling novel “My Brilliant Friend – Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay,” the third book of the quadrilogy by Elena Ferrante published in the U.S. by Europa Editions. It’s produced by The Apartment and Wildside, both Fremantle companies, along with FremantleMedia Italia and Fandango Production, in collaboration with Rai Fiction and HBO Entertainment. The story and screenplays are by Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo.
Luchetti spoke exclusively to Variety about the upcoming season’s cinematic references, the two protagonists’ journeys, and his personal connection to the material.
Saverio had told me that after referencing Neorealism in...
- 4/16/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
(L-r) Richard Lowenstein, his frequent Italian collaborator Domenico Procacci, Laura Paolucci and Sue Murray.
Richard Lowenstein’s Ghost Pictures is collaborating with independent producer Mark Fennessy on a feature documentary on Afl star Dustin Martin and a miniseries based on Billy Thorpe’s first book.
Fennessy acquired the rights to both projects and approached Lowenstein after they worked together on Mystify: Michael Hutchence. Fennessy served as a producer on that film and helped acquire the rights to Inxs’s music.
Both are being developed as co-productions between Fennessy’s production company and Ghost Pictures, in which Lowenstein is partnered with Andrew de Groot and Lynn-Maree Milburn.
Milburn is working on the treatment on the feature doc on the colourful Richmond footballer whose New Zealand-based father Shane Martin, a former high-ranking member of the Rebels motorcycle gang, was refused entry to Australia in February.
“It will be a fascinating story; the treatment reads beautifully,...
Richard Lowenstein’s Ghost Pictures is collaborating with independent producer Mark Fennessy on a feature documentary on Afl star Dustin Martin and a miniseries based on Billy Thorpe’s first book.
Fennessy acquired the rights to both projects and approached Lowenstein after they worked together on Mystify: Michael Hutchence. Fennessy served as a producer on that film and helped acquire the rights to Inxs’s music.
Both are being developed as co-productions between Fennessy’s production company and Ghost Pictures, in which Lowenstein is partnered with Andrew de Groot and Lynn-Maree Milburn.
Milburn is working on the treatment on the feature doc on the colourful Richmond footballer whose New Zealand-based father Shane Martin, a former high-ranking member of the Rebels motorcycle gang, was refused entry to Australia in February.
“It will be a fascinating story; the treatment reads beautifully,...
- 6/24/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
HBO has picked up another season of Italian drama adaptation My Brilliant Friend.
The series, which is co-produced with Italian public broadcaster Rai and Fremantle, is based on Elena Ferrante’s novels. The eight-part second season, My Brilliant Friend: The Story Of A New Name, debuted in the U.S. on March 16.
The third season will be based on Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, Ferrante’s third book in the series.
It is produced by The Apartment, Wildside and Fandango with Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani producing for Fremantle’s The Apartment and Wildside and Domenico Procacci producing for Fandango. It was created for television by Saverio Costanz.
Starring Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace, the story and screenplays are by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. Paolo Sorrentino and Jennifer Schuur are the executive producers. Fremantle is the international distributor in association with Rai Com.
The series, which is co-produced with Italian public broadcaster Rai and Fremantle, is based on Elena Ferrante’s novels. The eight-part second season, My Brilliant Friend: The Story Of A New Name, debuted in the U.S. on March 16.
The third season will be based on Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, Ferrante’s third book in the series.
It is produced by The Apartment, Wildside and Fandango with Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani producing for Fremantle’s The Apartment and Wildside and Domenico Procacci producing for Fandango. It was created for television by Saverio Costanz.
Starring Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace, the story and screenplays are by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. Paolo Sorrentino and Jennifer Schuur are the executive producers. Fremantle is the international distributor in association with Rai Com.
- 4/30/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Three of China’s leading platforms have acquired the second season of HBO and Rai drama “My Brilliant Friend.”
iQIYI, Alibaba’s Youku and Tencent Video have all bought the second season of the show, entitled “My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name,” from distributor Fremantle, as well as re-licensing the first.
This marks the first time a non-English language European drama has sold to all three platforms simultaneously. The first season sold to iQIYI in China originally.
Based on the second book of Elena Ferrante’s bestselling series, “My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name” recently launched on Italy’s Rai 1 — becoming the nation’s highest rated drama in almost a year — as well as launching on HBO in the U.S.
“The fact that the series has sold to the biggest platforms in the region at the same time non-exclusively is testament to its...
iQIYI, Alibaba’s Youku and Tencent Video have all bought the second season of the show, entitled “My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name,” from distributor Fremantle, as well as re-licensing the first.
This marks the first time a non-English language European drama has sold to all three platforms simultaneously. The first season sold to iQIYI in China originally.
Based on the second book of Elena Ferrante’s bestselling series, “My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name” recently launched on Italy’s Rai 1 — becoming the nation’s highest rated drama in almost a year — as well as launching on HBO in the U.S.
“The fact that the series has sold to the biggest platforms in the region at the same time non-exclusively is testament to its...
- 4/20/2020
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
The second season of Italian-language drama My Brilliant Friend: The Story Of A New Name is heading to China after Fremantle signed a deal with three of the country’s leading platforms.
iQIYI, Youku (Alibaba) and Tencent Video have all bought the second season of the drama, as well as re-licensing the first. The deal marks the first time that a non-English language European drama has sold to all three platforms simultaneously.
Based on the second book of Elena Ferrante’s bestselling novel series, the show recently launched on Italy’s Rai 1 as the nation’s highest-rated drama in almost a year and aired on HBO in the U.
iQIYI, Youku (Alibaba) and Tencent Video have all bought the second season of the drama, as well as re-licensing the first. The deal marks the first time that a non-English language European drama has sold to all three platforms simultaneously.
Based on the second book of Elena Ferrante’s bestselling novel series, the show recently launched on Italy’s Rai 1 as the nation’s highest-rated drama in almost a year and aired on HBO in the U.
- 4/20/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO has released the first official image from the second season of My Brilliant Friend, featuring Margherita Mazzucco as Elena and Gaia Girace as Lila will return to direct six episodes and Alice Rohrwacher will direct two episodes.
My Brilliant Friend is an HBO and Rai Fiction series, produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and by Domenico Procacci for Fandango, in collaboration with Rai Fiction and HBO Entertainment, in co-production with Umedia. Story and screenplays by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. Paolo Sorrentino and Jennifer Schuur are the executive producers.
Fremantle will distribute internationally in association with Rai Com.
My Brilliant Friend is an HBO and Rai Fiction series, produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and by Domenico Procacci for Fandango, in collaboration with Rai Fiction and HBO Entertainment, in co-production with Umedia. Story and screenplays by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. Paolo Sorrentino and Jennifer Schuur are the executive producers.
Fremantle will distribute internationally in association with Rai Com.
- 7/9/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
My Brilliant Friend is heading to China after digital platform iQIYI struck a deal with distributor Fremantle International.
My Brilliant Friend is the tale of Elena Greco and the most important friend in her life. She met Raffaella Cerullo, whom she has always called Lila, in the first year of primary school in 1950. Set in a dangerous and fascinating Naples, their story goes on to cover more than 60 years of their lives and explores the mystery of Lila, Elena’s brilliant friend and – in a way – both her best friend and her worst enemy.
Filmed in Italian, the eight-episode first season stars newcomers Elisa Del Genio and Ludovica Nasti as the younger versions of Elena and Lila, while Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace portray teenage versions of the characters. All episodes are directed by Saverio Costanzo.
My Brilliant Friend is an HBO, Rai Fiction and Timvision series, produced by Lorenzo Mieli...
My Brilliant Friend is the tale of Elena Greco and the most important friend in her life. She met Raffaella Cerullo, whom she has always called Lila, in the first year of primary school in 1950. Set in a dangerous and fascinating Naples, their story goes on to cover more than 60 years of their lives and explores the mystery of Lila, Elena’s brilliant friend and – in a way – both her best friend and her worst enemy.
Filmed in Italian, the eight-episode first season stars newcomers Elisa Del Genio and Ludovica Nasti as the younger versions of Elena and Lila, while Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace portray teenage versions of the characters. All episodes are directed by Saverio Costanzo.
My Brilliant Friend is an HBO, Rai Fiction and Timvision series, produced by Lorenzo Mieli...
- 12/7/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Chinese streaming giant, iQIYI has snapped up China rights to acclaimed European drama series “My Brilliant Friend.”
The show is based on the first of a series of books by Elena Ferrante, set in a dangerous and fascinating Naples, and spanning a period over 60 years. It was presented by HBO (U.S.), and Italy’s Rai Fiction and Timvision, and began airing from Nov. 18.
The series is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside, and by Domenico Procacci for Fandango, in collaboration with Rai Fiction, Timvision and HBO Entertainment, in co-production with Umedia. All the episodes are directed by Saverio Costanzo. The story and screenplays are by Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Costanzo. Paolo Sorrentino and Jennifer Schuur are the executive producers.
Distribution in international markets is handled by Fremantle, which has licensed it to over 130 territories. A second series, has already been green-lighted based on “The...
The show is based on the first of a series of books by Elena Ferrante, set in a dangerous and fascinating Naples, and spanning a period over 60 years. It was presented by HBO (U.S.), and Italy’s Rai Fiction and Timvision, and began airing from Nov. 18.
The series is produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside, and by Domenico Procacci for Fandango, in collaboration with Rai Fiction, Timvision and HBO Entertainment, in co-production with Umedia. All the episodes are directed by Saverio Costanzo. The story and screenplays are by Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Costanzo. Paolo Sorrentino and Jennifer Schuur are the executive producers.
Distribution in international markets is handled by Fremantle, which has licensed it to over 130 territories. A second series, has already been green-lighted based on “The...
- 12/7/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
HBO and Italian broadcaster Rai have renewed “My Brilliant Friend” for a second season ahead of the Season 1 finale.
The eight-episode first season of the show is based on Elena Ferrante’s best-selling book of the same name, which is the first of her four-part series published in the U.S. by Europa Editions. Season 2 will be based on “The Story of a New Name,” her second book in the series.
“We’re thrilled that Elena Ferrante’s epic story has resonated so powerfully with viewers and critics, and we look forward to the continuing journey of Elena and Lila,” said Casey Bloys, president of HBO Programming.
The series is the tale of Elena Greco and the most important friend in her life. She met Raffaella Cerullo, whom she has always called Lila, in the first year of primary school in 1950. Set in Naples, their story goes on to cover...
The eight-episode first season of the show is based on Elena Ferrante’s best-selling book of the same name, which is the first of her four-part series published in the U.S. by Europa Editions. Season 2 will be based on “The Story of a New Name,” her second book in the series.
“We’re thrilled that Elena Ferrante’s epic story has resonated so powerfully with viewers and critics, and we look forward to the continuing journey of Elena and Lila,” said Casey Bloys, president of HBO Programming.
The series is the tale of Elena Greco and the most important friend in her life. She met Raffaella Cerullo, whom she has always called Lila, in the first year of primary school in 1950. Set in Naples, their story goes on to cover...
- 12/4/2018
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
HBO and Rai have ordered a second season of the critically praised series My Brilliant Friend.
The eight-episode first season is based on Elena Ferrante’s bestselling book of the same name, which is the first of her four-part series published in the U.S. by Europa Editions. Season 2 will be based on The Story of a New Name, her second book in the series. A start date for production has not yet been announced.
“We’re thrilled that Elena Ferrante’s epic story has resonated so powerfully with viewers and critics, and we look forward to the continuing journey of Elena and Lila,” said Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming, in announcing the news Tuesday.
“Rai is deeply proud of the extraordinary success of My Brilliant Friend. It’s an important milestone that confirms our commitment to focusing on international co-production, as well as on the value of Italian talent,...
The eight-episode first season is based on Elena Ferrante’s bestselling book of the same name, which is the first of her four-part series published in the U.S. by Europa Editions. Season 2 will be based on The Story of a New Name, her second book in the series. A start date for production has not yet been announced.
“We’re thrilled that Elena Ferrante’s epic story has resonated so powerfully with viewers and critics, and we look forward to the continuing journey of Elena and Lila,” said Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming, in announcing the news Tuesday.
“Rai is deeply proud of the extraordinary success of My Brilliant Friend. It’s an important milestone that confirms our commitment to focusing on international co-production, as well as on the value of Italian talent,...
- 12/4/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
“My Brilliant Friend” is exactly the kind of story TV needs to explore, but it’s told in a way that ensures fewer will be made. Focusing on a deeply relatable friendship between two girls in 1950s Italy, the eight-part HBO adaptation digs into the personal observations of characters typically marginalized in stories of the era. The girls are the leads and their friendship forms the journey; boys, men, and their affairs are pushed to the periphery. While the series captures dynamics of adoration and jealousy that rarely have the spotlight, director and writer Saver Costanzo, as well as fellow writers Francesco Piccolo and Laura Paolucci, fail to translate Elena Ferrante’s bestselling, four-novel franchise into an enthralling onscreen experience.
Faithful to a fault, much of the impact is lost in translation. Narration becomes a crutch, direction is bland, and pacing is sluggish. Frustrations like these will likely turn off...
Faithful to a fault, much of the impact is lost in translation. Narration becomes a crutch, direction is bland, and pacing is sluggish. Frustrations like these will likely turn off...
- 11/15/2018
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
The title character of HBO’s My Brilliant Friend is Lila Cerullo, a shoemaker’s daughter in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples in the Fifties. Defying all odds of both nature and nurture, she is a prodigy who masters whatever task she sets her mind to, usually without any outside instruction. As an elementary schooler, she reads Little Women and is inspired to write her own novel. Best friend Elena “Lenu” Greco reads it and is amazed by how naturally Lila articulates all her points.
The adult Elena,...
The adult Elena,...
- 11/14/2018
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Modern Films is releasing the first two episdoes for one day ahead of Sky broadcast.
Modern Films has signed a deal with Fremantle and Sky for a theatrical ’sneak preview’ of the first two episodes of the TV adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend in the UK.
They will play for one day in two cinemas - the Curzon Bloomsbury in London and the Glasgow Film Theatre - over the weekend before the series airs on Sky Atlantic in the territory from Monday November 19.
“We have chosen to offer the film exclusively to a cinema that befits the...
Modern Films has signed a deal with Fremantle and Sky for a theatrical ’sneak preview’ of the first two episodes of the TV adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend in the UK.
They will play for one day in two cinemas - the Curzon Bloomsbury in London and the Glasgow Film Theatre - over the weekend before the series airs on Sky Atlantic in the territory from Monday November 19.
“We have chosen to offer the film exclusively to a cinema that befits the...
- 11/12/2018
- by Louise Tutt
- ScreenDaily
Paolo Sorrentino among executive producers on adaptation.
Fremantle has revealed a slew of international deals on My Brilliant Friend, selling the Elena Ferrante adaptation drama series to Canal+ for France, Sky Atlantic for the UK and other outlets for more than 50 territories.
Produced by Us network HBO with Italy’s Rai Fiction and TIMvision and co-producer Umedia, the Italian-language series has also been placed with Canal+ for French-speaking Africa; HBO Europe for Scandinavia, Spain and Central and Eastern Europe; Quebecor Content for French-speaking Canada; Vrt for Belgium; Cosmote TV for Greece; Ruv for Iceland; Hot for Israel; Cellcom tv for...
Fremantle has revealed a slew of international deals on My Brilliant Friend, selling the Elena Ferrante adaptation drama series to Canal+ for France, Sky Atlantic for the UK and other outlets for more than 50 territories.
Produced by Us network HBO with Italy’s Rai Fiction and TIMvision and co-producer Umedia, the Italian-language series has also been placed with Canal+ for French-speaking Africa; HBO Europe for Scandinavia, Spain and Central and Eastern Europe; Quebecor Content for French-speaking Canada; Vrt for Belgium; Cosmote TV for Greece; Ruv for Iceland; Hot for Israel; Cellcom tv for...
- 10/14/2018
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Paolo Sorrentino among executive producers on adaptation.
Fremantle has revealed a slew of international deals on My Brilliant Friend, selling the Elena Ferrante adaptation drama series to Canal+ for France, Sky Atlantic for the UK and other outlets for more than 50 territories.
Produced by Us network HBO with Italy’s Rai Fiction and TIMvision and co-producer Umedia, the Italian-language series has also been placed with Canal+ for French-speaking Africa; HBO Europe for Scandinavia, Spain and Central and Eastern Europe; Quebecor Content for French-speaking Canada; Vrt for Belgium; Cosmote TV for Greece; Ruv for Iceland; Hot for Israel; Cellcom tv for...
Fremantle has revealed a slew of international deals on My Brilliant Friend, selling the Elena Ferrante adaptation drama series to Canal+ for France, Sky Atlantic for the UK and other outlets for more than 50 territories.
Produced by Us network HBO with Italy’s Rai Fiction and TIMvision and co-producer Umedia, the Italian-language series has also been placed with Canal+ for French-speaking Africa; HBO Europe for Scandinavia, Spain and Central and Eastern Europe; Quebecor Content for French-speaking Canada; Vrt for Belgium; Cosmote TV for Greece; Ruv for Iceland; Hot for Israel; Cellcom tv for...
- 10/14/2018
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Cannes — Fremantle has assembled a strong lineup of global buyers for its highly anticipated drama series “My Brilliant Friend,” which is to break ground in the U.S. next month as an Italian-language series airing with subtitles on HBO.
“Friend” is an adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s acclaimed 2012 novel of two childhood female friends in 1950s Naples. The series was, not surprisingly, well received last month in its debut at the Venice Film Festival. The book was the start of the “Neapolitan Quartet” of historical novels Ferrante published through 2015.
“Friend” producer Fremantle has lined up France’s Canal Plus, the U.K.’s Sky Atlantic and Australia’s Foxtel as buyers for the eight-episode series in key territories. Other buyers to date in 56 markets include HBO Europe, Quebecor Content (French-speaking Canada), Vrt (Belgium), Cosmote TV (Greece), Hot (Israel), Cellcom TV (Israel), Manoto TV (Mena), Svt (Sweden), Digiturk (Turkey) and Tvnz...
“Friend” is an adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s acclaimed 2012 novel of two childhood female friends in 1950s Naples. The series was, not surprisingly, well received last month in its debut at the Venice Film Festival. The book was the start of the “Neapolitan Quartet” of historical novels Ferrante published through 2015.
“Friend” producer Fremantle has lined up France’s Canal Plus, the U.K.’s Sky Atlantic and Australia’s Foxtel as buyers for the eight-episode series in key territories. Other buyers to date in 56 markets include HBO Europe, Quebecor Content (French-speaking Canada), Vrt (Belgium), Cosmote TV (Greece), Hot (Israel), Cellcom TV (Israel), Manoto TV (Mena), Svt (Sweden), Digiturk (Turkey) and Tvnz...
- 10/14/2018
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
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,...
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,...
- 4/18/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has announced a new set of original shows from Europe, including a high-profile soccer origins drama written by “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes (pictured) and several series focusing on young people.
The shows were announced at a See What’s Next Netflix event in Rome. The projects include:
– from the U.K.: Netflix and London and Los Angeles-based production company 42 will make “The English Game,” a six-part drama “about the invention of modern [soccer] and how those involved in its creation reached across the class divide to establish the game as the world’s most popular sport,” said Netflix Vice President of International Originals Eric Barmack. “It’s part Etonians, part factory workers.”
– from the Netherlands, where Netflix is based: the streaming service’s first Dutch, still-untitled original, produced by Dutch company Pupkin. “It’s set in Amsterdam,” said Barmack, and “involves Dutch students who have it all: youth,...
The shows were announced at a See What’s Next Netflix event in Rome. The projects include:
– from the U.K.: Netflix and London and Los Angeles-based production company 42 will make “The English Game,” a six-part drama “about the invention of modern [soccer] and how those involved in its creation reached across the class divide to establish the game as the world’s most popular sport,” said Netflix Vice President of International Originals Eric Barmack. “It’s part Etonians, part factory workers.”
– from the Netherlands, where Netflix is based: the streaming service’s first Dutch, still-untitled original, produced by Dutch company Pupkin. “It’s set in Amsterdam,” said Barmack, and “involves Dutch students who have it all: youth,...
- 4/18/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Sarah Doole, FremantleMedia director of global drama, reveals details of the TV version of Elena Ferrante’s bestselling novel.
HBO suggested transplanting the TV version of Elena Ferrante’s Naples-set novel My Brilliant Friend to Brooklyn, according to FreemantleMedia director of global drama Sarah Doole.
HBO is co-producing the eight-part series with FreemantleMedia and Rai.
Doole, speaking at the 8th annual Incontri Conference (March 22-24) in South Tyrol, Italy, said: “HBO wanted to change the setting and move the story to Brooklyn. We really had to stand by our point to obtain maximum fidelity to the books.”
Despite this, negotiations...
HBO suggested transplanting the TV version of Elena Ferrante’s Naples-set novel My Brilliant Friend to Brooklyn, according to FreemantleMedia director of global drama Sarah Doole.
HBO is co-producing the eight-part series with FreemantleMedia and Rai.
Doole, speaking at the 8th annual Incontri Conference (March 22-24) in South Tyrol, Italy, said: “HBO wanted to change the setting and move the story to Brooklyn. We really had to stand by our point to obtain maximum fidelity to the books.”
Despite this, negotiations...
- 4/13/2018
- by Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
With production currently underway in Italy, HBO has released two first look images at their upcoming adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s bestselling novel, “My Brilliant Friend.” The new images give a glimpse at the series’ central characters — Elena and Lila — played during two key periods in their lives, with newcomers Elisa Del Genio and Ludovica Nasti on board to play the pair as young children, with teenage actresses Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace stepping in for the latter portion of the eight-part series.
Directed by Saverio Costanzo, the show reportedly endured a prolonged casting period of eight months, as HBO notes that “almost 9,000 children and 500 adults from all over Campania” auditioned for parts, and the “casting process included professional and non-professional actors, as well as students recruited from local schools.” All told, the series will include a cast of more than 150 actors and 5,000 extras. That’s not all, though, as...
Directed by Saverio Costanzo, the show reportedly endured a prolonged casting period of eight months, as HBO notes that “almost 9,000 children and 500 adults from all over Campania” auditioned for parts, and the “casting process included professional and non-professional actors, as well as students recruited from local schools.” All told, the series will include a cast of more than 150 actors and 5,000 extras. That’s not all, though, as...
- 3/14/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
FremantleMedia International handles international distribution on adaptation of first of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels.
HBO and Italian broadcaster Rai are set to begin production on My Brilliant Friend this summer.
The original drama series is an eight-episode show adapted from Elena Ferrante’s book of the same name, the first of her four-part series.
The story, set in Naples, centres on Elena Greco, an elderly woman who begins to write the story of her 60-year friendship with Lila who seems to have disappeared without a trace.
Saverio Costanzo is set to direct all eight episodes from an adapted screenplay by Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. The series will be filmed in Italian.
Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani produce for Wildside, while Domenico Procacci produces for Fandango. Jennifer Schuur serves as executive producer for Wildside and Fandango.
“We are thrilled to partner with Wildside, Rai and Fandango to bring the powerful, epic storytelling...
HBO and Italian broadcaster Rai are set to begin production on My Brilliant Friend this summer.
The original drama series is an eight-episode show adapted from Elena Ferrante’s book of the same name, the first of her four-part series.
The story, set in Naples, centres on Elena Greco, an elderly woman who begins to write the story of her 60-year friendship with Lila who seems to have disappeared without a trace.
Saverio Costanzo is set to direct all eight episodes from an adapted screenplay by Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. The series will be filmed in Italian.
Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani produce for Wildside, while Domenico Procacci produces for Fandango. Jennifer Schuur serves as executive producer for Wildside and Fandango.
“We are thrilled to partner with Wildside, Rai and Fandango to bring the powerful, epic storytelling...
- 3/30/2017
- ScreenDaily
HBO wants another high-end Italian series.
After Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Young Pope,” the cable network has sought out “My Brilliant Friend,” an eight-episode drama series that will be directed by Saverio Costanzo, HBO announced on Thursday. Production will begin this summer in Naples.
Read More: ’The Young Pope’: Paolo Sorrentino on Lenny’s Fate and Hopeful Plans for a Second Season
“My Brilliant Friend” is based on the Elena Ferrante bestselling novel of the same name that is the first part of a quartet of books known as the “Neapolitan Novels.” The others in the series are “The Story of a New Name,” “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay” and “The Story of the Lost Child.”
The series will trace six decades of the friendship between Elena Greco and Raffaela Cerullo, whom she has always called Lila. They first met in primary school in 1950 in a small...
After Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Young Pope,” the cable network has sought out “My Brilliant Friend,” an eight-episode drama series that will be directed by Saverio Costanzo, HBO announced on Thursday. Production will begin this summer in Naples.
Read More: ’The Young Pope’: Paolo Sorrentino on Lenny’s Fate and Hopeful Plans for a Second Season
“My Brilliant Friend” is based on the Elena Ferrante bestselling novel of the same name that is the first part of a quartet of books known as the “Neapolitan Novels.” The others in the series are “The Story of a New Name,” “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay” and “The Story of the Lost Child.”
The series will trace six decades of the friendship between Elena Greco and Raffaela Cerullo, whom she has always called Lila. They first met in primary school in 1950 in a small...
- 3/30/2017
- by Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
Chicago -- "Hunger," a U.K./Ireland film, won the Gold Hugo at the 44th annual Chicago International Film Festival.
Directed by Steve McQueen, the film about a hunger strike in Northern Ireland's Hm Prison Maze in 1981 was singled out by the festival jury Saturday for its "uncompromisingly disturbing story of the courage to fight for one's belief."
The festival, which began Oct. 16, concludes Wednesday.
In the documentary category, a U.S. film, "Valentino: The Last Emperor," won the Gold Hugo. Directed by Matt Tymauer, it is a glimpse into the life of fashion designer Valentino Garavani.
"Tokyo Sonata" (Japan/Netherlands/Hong Kong), directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, won the Grand Jury Prize. The film used the story of a humble family as a metaphor for global anxieties.
Henrik Ruben Genz won a Silver Hugo for direction for "Terribly Happy" (Denmark), a genre mix centering on a Copenhagen policeman who is re-assigned to a provincial town.
Directed by Steve McQueen, the film about a hunger strike in Northern Ireland's Hm Prison Maze in 1981 was singled out by the festival jury Saturday for its "uncompromisingly disturbing story of the courage to fight for one's belief."
The festival, which began Oct. 16, concludes Wednesday.
In the documentary category, a U.S. film, "Valentino: The Last Emperor," won the Gold Hugo. Directed by Matt Tymauer, it is a glimpse into the life of fashion designer Valentino Garavani.
"Tokyo Sonata" (Japan/Netherlands/Hong Kong), directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, won the Grand Jury Prize. The film used the story of a humble family as a metaphor for global anxieties.
Henrik Ruben Genz won a Silver Hugo for direction for "Terribly Happy" (Denmark), a genre mix centering on a Copenhagen policeman who is re-assigned to a provincial town.
- 10/26/2008
- by By Duane Byrge
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Berlin International Film Festival
ROME -- In Quiet Chaos, directed by Antontello Grimaldi (Bits and Pieces) and featuring Italian enfant terrible actor-director Nanni Moretti, what unfolds is a father's love for his 10-year-old daughter as he copes with the unexpected death of his wife. This marks the first time Moretti has starred in a film not directed by him in 13 years.
Quiet Chaos, which recently screened at the Berlin International Film Festival and is playing in Italy, will not disappoint international audiences that have come to appreciate Moretti's trademark irony and growing maturity as an actor. Make no mistake, this is a Moretti vehicle as there are few scenes in which he does not appear.
After a painfully stiff opening, the film slowly but assuredly loses its literary feel -- it was adapted from the eponymous novel by Sandro Veronesi by Moretti, Laura Paolucci and Francesco Piccolo -- to find its pace and heart. In the same moment that media executive Pietro Paladini (Moretti) and his brother Carlo (Alessandro Gassman) save two women from drowning, Pietro's wife dies from a fatal fall. Left alone with his daughter, Claudia (Blu Yoshimi), he worries about her lack of emotion over the loss as well as his own. Neither has broken down since the death, enveloped by a strange calm, and he does not understand why.
Shortly thereafter, on the first day of school, Pietro promises Claudia that he will wait for her in front of the building all day, without moving. He proceeds to do just that. One day turns into two, then a week and eventually months as he sits in a park in front of the school, observing and getting to know the other mothers, neighborhood residents and regular passersby.
His co-workers and family try to persuade him to get a grip on himself and return to work. Slowly, however, they start seeking Pietro not to offer consolation but to get advice. He becomes caught up in a pregnancy, the breakdown of the marriage of the woman he saved and his company's forthcoming merger.
A reluctant guru who wants only to be left alone, Pietro tries to make sense of his feelings and, in an effective use of narrative, creates lists in his head to keep himself occupied such as the airlines he has flown and houses he has lived in throughout his life.
Managing to avoid facile sentimentality, the story grows emotionally more and more engaging thanks to Moretti's impeccable comic timing and neurotic acumen. While we never forget we are watching Moretti, we do see a deeper side to him as his brusque awkwardness finds a perfect outlet here.
Not knowing how to help Claudia, in his own fumbling yet unrelenting way Pietro seems more surprised than anyone to realize that showing his daughter he loves her means offering her trustworthiness and stability, which we are led to believe did not come easily to him before Laura's death.
Moretti makes ample room for the other actors, from Gassman, whose playboy nonchalance is balanced by his deep love for his brother, to Silvio Orlando, who plays Pietro's nebbish colleague. Yoshimi is wonderfully low-key as the precocious yet hard-to-read Claudia. French stars Hippolyte Girardot and Charles Berling also give solid turns in their secondary roles.
Quiet Chaos already has sparked controversy for a sex scene between Moretti and Isabella Ferrari. Certainly not scandalous by European standards, the sequence is difficult to watch because Moretti is often called Italy's Woody Allen and like the American icon has always been known for his woman-crazed yet relatively sexless intellect and comedy. It therefore seems like watching a family member having sex, and rough sex at that, which makes the scene all the more perplexing. At best, it might have been intended to show that his increasing tenderness is truly new to him, but it is in such contrast to the rest of his character that it simply makes Pietro less sympathetic.
Luckily, Moretti carries the film through to its touching finale with an emotional restraint that belies the profound desire for salvation of an imperfect man and father.
QUIET CHAOS
Fandango, RAI Cinema, Portobello, Phoenix Film Investment
Credits:
Director: Antonello Grimaldi
Screenwriters: Nanni Moretti, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo
Producer: Domenico Procacci
Executive producer: Eric Abraham
Director of photography: Alessandro Pesci
Production designer: Giada Calabria
Music: Paolo Buonvino
Costume designers: Alexandra Toesca
Editor: Angelo Nicolini
Cast:
Pietro Paladini: Nanni Moretti
Marta: Valeria Golino
Eleonora Simoncini: Isabella Ferrari
Carlo: Alessandro Gassman
Claudia: Blu Yoshimi
Jean Claude: Hippolyte Girardot
Boesson: Charles Berling
Samuele: Silvio Orlando
Running time -- 117 minutes
No MPAA rating...
ROME -- In Quiet Chaos, directed by Antontello Grimaldi (Bits and Pieces) and featuring Italian enfant terrible actor-director Nanni Moretti, what unfolds is a father's love for his 10-year-old daughter as he copes with the unexpected death of his wife. This marks the first time Moretti has starred in a film not directed by him in 13 years.
Quiet Chaos, which recently screened at the Berlin International Film Festival and is playing in Italy, will not disappoint international audiences that have come to appreciate Moretti's trademark irony and growing maturity as an actor. Make no mistake, this is a Moretti vehicle as there are few scenes in which he does not appear.
After a painfully stiff opening, the film slowly but assuredly loses its literary feel -- it was adapted from the eponymous novel by Sandro Veronesi by Moretti, Laura Paolucci and Francesco Piccolo -- to find its pace and heart. In the same moment that media executive Pietro Paladini (Moretti) and his brother Carlo (Alessandro Gassman) save two women from drowning, Pietro's wife dies from a fatal fall. Left alone with his daughter, Claudia (Blu Yoshimi), he worries about her lack of emotion over the loss as well as his own. Neither has broken down since the death, enveloped by a strange calm, and he does not understand why.
Shortly thereafter, on the first day of school, Pietro promises Claudia that he will wait for her in front of the building all day, without moving. He proceeds to do just that. One day turns into two, then a week and eventually months as he sits in a park in front of the school, observing and getting to know the other mothers, neighborhood residents and regular passersby.
His co-workers and family try to persuade him to get a grip on himself and return to work. Slowly, however, they start seeking Pietro not to offer consolation but to get advice. He becomes caught up in a pregnancy, the breakdown of the marriage of the woman he saved and his company's forthcoming merger.
A reluctant guru who wants only to be left alone, Pietro tries to make sense of his feelings and, in an effective use of narrative, creates lists in his head to keep himself occupied such as the airlines he has flown and houses he has lived in throughout his life.
Managing to avoid facile sentimentality, the story grows emotionally more and more engaging thanks to Moretti's impeccable comic timing and neurotic acumen. While we never forget we are watching Moretti, we do see a deeper side to him as his brusque awkwardness finds a perfect outlet here.
Not knowing how to help Claudia, in his own fumbling yet unrelenting way Pietro seems more surprised than anyone to realize that showing his daughter he loves her means offering her trustworthiness and stability, which we are led to believe did not come easily to him before Laura's death.
Moretti makes ample room for the other actors, from Gassman, whose playboy nonchalance is balanced by his deep love for his brother, to Silvio Orlando, who plays Pietro's nebbish colleague. Yoshimi is wonderfully low-key as the precocious yet hard-to-read Claudia. French stars Hippolyte Girardot and Charles Berling also give solid turns in their secondary roles.
Quiet Chaos already has sparked controversy for a sex scene between Moretti and Isabella Ferrari. Certainly not scandalous by European standards, the sequence is difficult to watch because Moretti is often called Italy's Woody Allen and like the American icon has always been known for his woman-crazed yet relatively sexless intellect and comedy. It therefore seems like watching a family member having sex, and rough sex at that, which makes the scene all the more perplexing. At best, it might have been intended to show that his increasing tenderness is truly new to him, but it is in such contrast to the rest of his character that it simply makes Pietro less sympathetic.
Luckily, Moretti carries the film through to its touching finale with an emotional restraint that belies the profound desire for salvation of an imperfect man and father.
QUIET CHAOS
Fandango, RAI Cinema, Portobello, Phoenix Film Investment
Credits:
Director: Antonello Grimaldi
Screenwriters: Nanni Moretti, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo
Producer: Domenico Procacci
Executive producer: Eric Abraham
Director of photography: Alessandro Pesci
Production designer: Giada Calabria
Music: Paolo Buonvino
Costume designers: Alexandra Toesca
Editor: Angelo Nicolini
Cast:
Pietro Paladini: Nanni Moretti
Marta: Valeria Golino
Eleonora Simoncini: Isabella Ferrari
Carlo: Alessandro Gassman
Claudia: Blu Yoshimi
Jean Claude: Hippolyte Girardot
Boesson: Charles Berling
Samuele: Silvio Orlando
Running time -- 117 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/21/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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