04.12.2017
Written by Cem Kayıran
Contemporary films from Italian cinema meets the audience this January at Akbank Sanat. With collaboration of Italian Cultural Center, A Look To Recent Italian Cinema screenings include one documentary and three films.
The first screening of the program is Le Cose Belle, a documentary that presents a unique look at Napoli. Directed by Agostino Ferrente and Giovanni Piperno, the documentary invites the audience to trace the lives of four characters and the city with several four year jumps. Aiming to expose the social identity of the city through the lives of four characters who we first see as children during 1999, the documentary is scheduled for screening on 9th January at 18:00.
Un Rogazzo D’oro (2014) is the most recent film of the living legend of Italian cinema, Pupi Avati. Centered around a scriptwriter father and his son who wants to be an advertisement copywriter, the film stand outs with its interesting plot and dramatic breaks. Cast includes Italian stars Riccardo Scamarcio and Cristiana Capotondi as well as Hollywood star Sharon Stone. The screening is scheduled for 16th January.
Known with his interesting films such as Perfetti Sconosciuti ve Immaturi, Paolo Genovese’s 2015 comedy Sei Mai Stata Sulla Luna is the third film of the program. Focusing on a woman who works at a fashion magazine and thinks she has succeeded in everything she wanted for until she falls in love with a guy in Puglia, South Italy; Sei Mai Stata Sulla Luna will be screened at 23rd January.
The last film of the program is Italo (2014), a film that takes place in Sicily and was inspired by true events. Marco Bocci, one of the most popular actors of contemporary Italian cinema, is starring in the lead role. Directed by Alessia Scarso, the film tells the heartwarming tale of a dog named Italo, which was loved by whole town and given honorary citizenship. Italo will be screened at 30th January.
Before taking our journey into the contemporary examples of Italian cinema, we are taking a look at some of the most important film music composers and their iconic works for major films that has achieved cult status.
Ennio Morricone
When you put Italy and film music together, the first name that comes to mind is Enni Morricone. Morricone has composed music for over 500 films, including some magnificent works for Quentin Tarantino films. Collaborating frequently with master directors of Italian cinema such as Roberto Faenza, Salvatorre Samperi and Gillo Pontecorvo; Morricone is working with Joshua Sinclair for his latest feature film, A Rose in Winter.
Bruno Nicolai
Bruno Nicolai is one of the major names in Italian film music, who has received numerous awards for both his works with Ennio Morricone and solo projects. Born in Rome, Nicolai is especially known for his compositions for spaghetti western and giallo films.
Francesco De Masi
A student of Angelo Francesco Lavagnino, Francesco De Massi entered the cinema scene with his compositions for various documentaries in the early 1950’s. De Massi started to work with Folco Quilici in the second half of 50’s and the duo composed music for many feature films, television movies and documentaries. De Massi passed away in 2005.
Claudio Simonetti
Known mostly for his music in Dario Argento films, Claudo Simonetti and his band Goblin brought a unique intensity to Italian horror cinema with their characteristic sound. Especially remembered by his work for films like Russo, Suspiria and Demons, Simonetti is still - yet rarely- performs cine-concerts with a younger formation of Goblin.