CafePellicola

Sicily

A vibrant community celebrating the prominent achievements of Italian cinema — from Neorealism to the present.

9 posts in Sicily

Still from Il cammino della speranza – The Path of Hope (Pietro Germi – 1950)

Il cammino della speranza – The Path of Hope (Pietro Germi – 1950)

Right from the opening scene where you see the village women all veiled in black waiting patiently outside the mine for their husbands who refuse to come up to avoid the mine closing – you see direct similarities with another Neorealism harbinger – Visconti’s 1948 La terra trema (The Earth Trembles). Both films offer a great view into the Italian neorealism genre marked by social and economic hardships, use of non-professional actors and scenes shot on location vs. the studio.

DramaNeorealismSicily
Still from In nome della legge – In the Name of the Law (Pietro Germi – 1949)

In nome della legge – In the Name of the Law (Pietro Germi – 1949)

New magistrate arrives, and old one departs.

DramaPoliticalSicily
Still from Respiro (Grazia’s Island) (2001)

Respiro (Grazia’s Island) (2001)

Session Winter 2007. Last movie.

DramaSicily
Still from Seduced and Abandoned – Sedotta e abbandonata (Pietro Germi – 1964)

Seduced and Abandoned – Sedotta e abbandonata (Pietro Germi – 1964)

When you think about what makes a film a masterpiece, beyond the usual suspects like clever script, believable acting or memorable soundtrack – what I believe worked extremely well for post-war Italian cinema is the historical context. For the neorealism genre it supplied ample stories of hardships told by non-professional actors in actual locations with uncompromised honesty.

ComedySicily
Still from Fughe e approdi – Return to the Aeolian Islands (Giovanna Taviani – 2010)

Fughe e approdi – Return to the Aeolian Islands (Giovanna Taviani – 2010)

Quick, what comes to your mind when you think about the word “island?”

DocumentarySicily
Still from Teleport Yourself Into Taormina, Sicily

Teleport Yourself Into Taormina, Sicily

June 10-12 starts the famousTaormina Film Fest. Antonioni's L'avventura (The Adventure - 1960) was shot there. If you have other plans for the summer, cafe Pellicola can really take you there now...

FestivalsSicily
Still from Fantasmi di San Berillo – Ghosts of San Berillo (Edoardo Morabito – 2013)

Fantasmi di San Berillo – Ghosts of San Berillo (Edoardo Morabito – 2013)

Italian Cinema London has  launched today a week-long online festival dedicated to Italian documentaries, aptly called ItalianDocsOnline.  It's a quite innovative program that exposes audiences around the world with some of the latest Italian documentaries. And what's more it's free with audience voting to add a bit of a sizzle to the event. Holly, one of the ghosts of San Berillo - an authentic study of timeworn face and stone; form and function.

DocumentarySicily
Still from Terraferma (Emanuele Crialese – 2011)

Terraferma (Emanuele Crialese – 2011)

These days I have roughly an hour commute time between 8AM-9AM, so I find myself spending the time listening to Italian live radio broadcast (thank you TuneIn Radio app). This is one of the blessings of broadband streaming; your views and surroundings are rooted in the US, but your real-time soundtrack is coming from elsewhere – in this case, Italy.

DramaImmigrationSicily
Still from Via Castellana Bandiera – A Street in Palermo (Emma Dante – 2013)

Via Castellana Bandiera – A Street in Palermo (Emma Dante – 2013)

It’s that time of the year, an absolute treat. I am obviously talking about the annual Italian Cinema festival, Open Roads, that takes place every June at Lincoln Film Center. It’s a rare opportunity to get access to some of the freshest voices in Italian cinema with veteran as well as new surprises. This year, unfortunately, I was not able to attend all the films I had planned, part of the reason is that some were scheduled midweek during business hours and that was tough – a note for organizers.

DramaSicilyFestivals