Getting the chance to see foreign films on the big screen—even acclaimed ones like the Oscar winning “The Great Beauty“—can be a challenge, particularly if you’re not in a major market city. But Emerging Pictures are going to make it a bit easier for film fans to see five recent, critically regarded Italian films, including Paolo Sorrentino‘s award winner.
In collaboration with Istituto Luce-Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Commission, the company has put together the program “Cinema Made In Italy,” that will bring five movies to screens nationwide, backed with a full promo campaign. And it will shine a light on a particularly strong year in Italian cinema, bringing forth five films that have received buzz and good notices on the festival circuit and/or in limited release. We could talk about them in detail, but perhaps the best way to take it all in is to watch the trailer for the program below. And more, the press release follows.
Emerging Pictures announces “Cinema Made In Italy,” a major new initiative between Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, the Italian Trade Commission and Emerging Pictures that will provide distribution and marketing support to five major Italian films with the goal of broadening the audience for Italian cinema in the United States. Emerging will oversee the initiative and distribute Gianni Amelio’s L’INTREPIDO, Marco Bellocchio’s DORMANT BEAUTY, Bernardo Bertolucci’s ME AND YOU and Valeria Golino’s HONEY in 2014. These films will receive marketing and distribution support from a fund created by Istituto Luce-Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Commission. The first film in the series was Paolo Sorrentino’s Academy Award-winning THE GREAT BEAUTY. Since it was released by Janus Films with support from the CINEMA MADE IN ITALy program, it has become one of the most acclaimed foreign language films of the year.
All five films will receive a nationwide release. Theaters will be announced shortly. Each of the films will have a full marketing and publicity campaign overseen by Emerging Pictures and supported by Istituto Luce-Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Commission.
Ira Deutchman, Managing Partner of Emerging Pictures, said, “Italian cinema has always captured the imagination of American audiences since the heyday of Fellini, Pasolini, Visconti, De Sica and Rossellini. Our goal is to create a marketing and distribution initiative that will allow new Italian films to regularly enter the marketplace with a presence and to help create an ongoing new audience. We’re thrilled to be working with Istituto Luce-Cinecittà and the Italian Trade Commission to create this truly groundbreaking program.”
“Luce Cinecitta’ is proud to test this new way to promote Italian cinema abroad,” said Istituto Luce-Cinecitta’ Chief Executive Officer Roberto Cicutto. “Thanks to the funds provided by the Ministry of Economic Development and The Italian Trade Commission (Agenzia ICE) in addition to those provided by the Ministry of Culture in partnership with Emerging Pictures, we will be able to give the largest theatrical distribution to recent Italian titles directed by very prestigious auteurs. Italian cinema is well known worldwide for its glorious past and for such great contemporary directors as Bertolucci, Bellocchio, Moretti, Sorrentino, Garrone, Amelio and others. This new platform will give our movies the chance to be seen in a wide array of theaters throughout the U.S., and not just in specialized art houses in a few big cities. The recent outstanding success of Sorrentino’s ‘Great Beauty,’ a Janus release, with our support, shows there is great potential here for Italian cinema. We look forward to increasing the availability of Italian films to our American friends.”
Dr. Carlo Angelo Bocchi, Trade Commissioner, Italian Trade Commission, said, “We have been working in the past two years with all the institutions mentioned by Roberto with two main goals: to get the Italian movie industry as the most important made-in-Italy tool for the commercial promotion of our country in the U.S., to try to reach the widest possible audience for viewing Italian movies. The support of different public institutions was central to building a project that was from the outset commercial: the movie industry is quintessentially important to promoting wine, food, fashion, design, technology, tourism and Italian style, together with the expression of our cultural values, trends and innovations. Italian cinema provides a single, comprehensive tool for achieving that meaningful goal. With ‘The Great Beauty,’ our first film, Cinema Made in Italy makes its debut in 25 cities, in more than 100 theatres in 15 states. This far-reaching exposure is exactly what we were searching for in our partnership with Emerging Pictures, and we are very happy that this first film in our Italian movie series is already appearing throughout the United States.”
ABOUT THE FILMS
DORMANT BEAUTY (BELLA ADDORMENTATA)
Director: Marco Bellocchio
Producer: Riccardo Tozzi, Fabio Conversi, Marco Chimenz, Giovanni Stabilini
Screenplay: Marco Bellocchio, Veronica Raimo, Stefano Rulli
Cast: Toni Servillo, Isabelle Huppert, Alba Rohrwacher
Festivals: Venice 2012, Toronto 2012
Three stories, taking place over the course of a few days, involving a conscience-stricken politician, an obsessive mother and two young protestors on different sides, are skillfully interwoven in this gripping, beautifully realized film. Set against the background of the emotional and controversial real-life 2008 euthanasia case of Eluana Englaro, DORMANT BEAUTY is a subtle and complex depiction of recent Italian history.
THE GREAT BEAUTY (released by Janus Films)
Director: Paolo Sorrentino (IL DIVO)
Producer: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima
Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello
Cast: Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferrili, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi, Galatea Ranzi with Massimo de Francovich, Roberto Herlitzka, and with Isabella Ferrari
Festivals: Cannes (Competition) 2013, Toronto 2013, AFI 2013, Italy’s Official Entry to the 2014 Academy Awards
Awards: 4 European Film Award nominations (Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor and winner for Best Editing), Best Foreign Film nominee for British Independent Film Awards
Journalist Jep Gambardella (the dazzling Toni Servillo, IL DIVO and GOMORRAH) has charmed and seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades. Since the legendary success of his one and only novel, he has been a permanent fixture in the city’s literary and social circles, but when his sixty-fifth birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
HONEY (MIELE)
Director: Valeria Golino
Producer: Viola Prestieri, Riccardo Scamarcio, Anne-Dominique Toussaint, Raphael Berdugo
Screenplay: Valeria Golino, Valia Santella, Francesca Marciano, from the novel by Angela Del Fabbro with the same title
Cast: Jasmine Trinca, Carlo Cecchi, Libero De Rienzo, Vinicio Marchioni, Iaia Forte, Roberto De Francesco, Barbara Ronchi, Claudio Guain, Teresa Acerbis, Valeria Bilello, Massimiliano Iacolucci
Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard) 2013, Toronto 2013
Prizes: Winner Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes 2013
Nominated for European Discovery at the European Film Awards 2013
Actress Valeria Golino makes her directing debut with HONEY. Irene lives alone on the coastline outside Rome. To her father and her married lover, she’s a student. In reality, she often travels to Mexico where she can legally buy a powerful barbiturate. Working under the name of Miele (“Honey”), her clandestine job is to help terminally-ill people to die with dignity by giving them the drug. One day she supplies a new “client” with a fatal dose, only to find out he’s perfectly healthy but tired of life. Irene is determined not to be responsible for his suicide. From this point on, Irene and Grimaldi are unwillingly locked in an intense and moving relationship which will change Irene’s life forever.
L’INTREPIDO
Director: Gianni Amelio
Producer: Carlo Degli Esposti
Screenplay: Gianni Amelio, Davide Lantieri
Cast: Antonio Albanese, Sandra Ceccarelli, Livia Rossi, Gabriele Rendina, Alfonso Santagata
Festivals: Venice 2013, Toronto 2013
Set in modern day Milan, this is a Chaplinesque odyssey through the world of work – every type of work, but primarily unskilled manual labor – seen through the eyes of a kind, middle-aged man who takes on every conceivable temporary job in order to be useful and have self respect. This really is a portrait of the highs and lows of modern life. At its heart is a sympathetic man (Antonio Albanese) who, despite loneliness and personal family problems, especially around his gifted but troubled musician son, remains defiantly optimistic even when terrible things happen to him and the people he meets.
ME AND YOU (IO E TE)
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Screenplay: Bernardo Bertolucci, Niccolo Ammaniti, Umberto Contarello
Producer: Mario Gianani
Cast: Tea Falco, Jacopo Olmo Antinori
Festivals: Cannes, Toronto
Lorenzo, a solitary 14-year-old with difficulties relating to his daily life and the world around him, chooses to spend a week hidden in the basement of his house. But Lorenzo’s fragile and rebellious stepsister, Olivia, appears at her brother’s place of refuge and disturbs the quiet.
