Producer and filmmaker Eckhart Schmidt has shot documentaries and five feature films in Sicily. Through his docs, he discovered that Bagheria-born Giuseppe Tornatore was highly influenced by the monsters of the Villa Palagonia, and that Francesco Rosi shot his movie “Salvatore Giuliano” on all original locations. Schmidt’s features shot in Sicily include 2021’s “Palermo. Gente,” of which he writes “I was filming the Sicilian way of life as it is represented in a small three-face statue: showing a girl, the devil and the death.”
His impressions of Sicily offer compelling pictures of the island’s locations:
You step out from your Agrigento hotel room to the terrace and there you are in front of the Greek temples. You walk down a little staircase to Palermo’s Catacombe dei Cappuccini, where the air-dried corpses of some hundred men and women hang on walls or lie in shelves and show faces...
His impressions of Sicily offer compelling pictures of the island’s locations:
You step out from your Agrigento hotel room to the terrace and there you are in front of the Greek temples. You walk down a little staircase to Palermo’s Catacombe dei Cappuccini, where the air-dried corpses of some hundred men and women hang on walls or lie in shelves and show faces...
- 5/11/2022
- by Eckhart Schmidt
- Variety Film + TV
Co-production funds to support the directorial debuts of the two actresses.
The feature directorial debuts of actresses Charlotte Le Bon and Veerle Baetens and a drama about the Bataclan terrorist attack have secured a share of €4.1m ($5m) from European cultural support fund Eurimages.
The Melting is being directed and co-written by Baetens, who is best known internationally for her performance in Felix van Groeningen’s Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown.
The Belgium-Netherlands co-production has received €310,000 in Eurimages support, adding to a financial boost from Screen Flanders last week and the ARTEKino International Prize at the Berlinale Co-Production Market earlier this year.
The feature directorial debuts of actresses Charlotte Le Bon and Veerle Baetens and a drama about the Bataclan terrorist attack have secured a share of €4.1m ($5m) from European cultural support fund Eurimages.
The Melting is being directed and co-written by Baetens, who is best known internationally for her performance in Felix van Groeningen’s Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown.
The Belgium-Netherlands co-production has received €310,000 in Eurimages support, adding to a financial boost from Screen Flanders last week and the ARTEKino International Prize at the Berlinale Co-Production Market earlier this year.
- 12/15/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
New projects by Isaki Lacuesta, Vesela Kazakova and Mina Mileva, Veerle Baetens and Charlotte Le Bon, among the selection. At its 161st meeting held online, the Board of Management of the Council of Europe's Eurimages Fund agreed to support 17 feature film projects for a total amount of €4,124,000. The share of eligible projects with female directors examined at this Eurimages Board of Management meeting was 44%; 38% of the projects supported were directed by women and €1,354,000 was awarded to these projects, representing 33% of the total amount awarded. The films supported: Anna - Marco Amenta (Italy/France)Copenhagen Doesn’t Exist - Martin Skovbjerg (Denmark/Norway/Sweden)Falcon Lake - Charlotte Le Bon (France/Canada)Inside - Vasilis Katsoupis (Greece/Germany/Belgium)Mediterranean Fever - Maha Haj (Germany/Cyprus/France/Palestine)Men of Deeds - Paul Negoescu (Romania/Bulgaria)Story About Fateme - Vuk Ršumović (Serbia/Italy/Croatia)The Body - Petra Seliškar...
- 12/15/2020
- Cineuropa - The Best of European Cinema
Kevorkian, Shoval, Haq, Fiennes, Sigurðsson, Nikonova and Runarsson heading to Les Arcs European Film Festival with upcoming projects.Scroll down for full list of projects
The UK’s Johnny Kevorkian and Sophie Fiennes, Israeli Tom Shoval, Norwegian Iram Haq and Russia’s Angelina Nikonova will be among the filmmakers presenting their upcoming projects at the Les Arcs Co-Production Village this year.
The event, running Dec 13-16 within the Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 13-20), will present 25 projects in development and a further 10 Works-in-Progress.
“I thinks it’s a good sign that filmmakers whose projects we presented in development are now coming back to show their films in Work-in-Progress, which is the case for Sparrow and Rams,” said Les Arcs industry head Vanja Kaludjercic.
“Conversely, we’ve got directors who presented in Works-in Progress, such as Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, who came with Paris of the North last year, who is back with his new project The Tree...
The UK’s Johnny Kevorkian and Sophie Fiennes, Israeli Tom Shoval, Norwegian Iram Haq and Russia’s Angelina Nikonova will be among the filmmakers presenting their upcoming projects at the Les Arcs Co-Production Village this year.
The event, running Dec 13-16 within the Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 13-20), will present 25 projects in development and a further 10 Works-in-Progress.
“I thinks it’s a good sign that filmmakers whose projects we presented in development are now coming back to show their films in Work-in-Progress, which is the case for Sparrow and Rams,” said Les Arcs industry head Vanja Kaludjercic.
“Conversely, we’ve got directors who presented in Works-in Progress, such as Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, who came with Paris of the North last year, who is back with his new project The Tree...
- 11/24/2014
- ScreenDaily
Reviewer: Jeffrey M. Anderson
Rating (out of 5): ***
Two years ago, Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah re-invented the Italian gangster film for the 21st century, and now Marco Amenta's The Sicilian Girl sends it back again. Like many movies based on true stories, it's hamstrung by a need to stay faithful and respectful to the original players, and never completely comes alive.
Ironically, the best scenes are the early ones set in 1984. They ooze a traditional kind of gangster movie, with slick mafia dons in pinstripe suits strolling around the town square, and the loyal peons kissing their rings. There's also more sheer movement here; the rest of the film gets rather stuck. It's in these early scenes that we first meet little Rita (Miriana Faja), who idolizes her father, and who witnesses his violent death.
Rating (out of 5): ***
Two years ago, Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah re-invented the Italian gangster film for the 21st century, and now Marco Amenta's The Sicilian Girl sends it back again. Like many movies based on true stories, it's hamstrung by a need to stay faithful and respectful to the original players, and never completely comes alive.
Ironically, the best scenes are the early ones set in 1984. They ooze a traditional kind of gangster movie, with slick mafia dons in pinstripe suits strolling around the town square, and the loyal peons kissing their rings. There's also more sheer movement here; the rest of the film gets rather stuck. It's in these early scenes that we first meet little Rita (Miriana Faja), who idolizes her father, and who witnesses his violent death.
- 12/10/2010
- by GreenCineStaff
- GreenCine
A look at what's new on DVD today:
"The Fantasia Collection"
Released by Disney Home Entertainment
While the headliner of Disney's incredible group of releases on November 30th will be the four-disc Blu-ray double feature of "Fantasia" and "Fantasia 2000," it's what's less publicized that should be exciting to both Disneyphiles and film fans in general. Starting with the hi-def debut of the two "Fantasias," Disney will finally include amongst the films' copious special features (many ported over from the out-of-print DVD set) the 1946 Salvador Dali-Walt Disney collaboration "Destino," along with an 82-minute making-of documentary. And incidentally, Disney is also releasing three standalone documentaries that shouldn't be overlooked in "The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story" about the songsmiths behind the studio's most famous musicals like "Mary Poppins," "Walt & El Grupo," which details the company-shifting trip Walt Disney took with his animators to Latin America as part of the Good...
"The Fantasia Collection"
Released by Disney Home Entertainment
While the headliner of Disney's incredible group of releases on November 30th will be the four-disc Blu-ray double feature of "Fantasia" and "Fantasia 2000," it's what's less publicized that should be exciting to both Disneyphiles and film fans in general. Starting with the hi-def debut of the two "Fantasias," Disney will finally include amongst the films' copious special features (many ported over from the out-of-print DVD set) the 1946 Salvador Dali-Walt Disney collaboration "Destino," along with an 82-minute making-of documentary. And incidentally, Disney is also releasing three standalone documentaries that shouldn't be overlooked in "The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story" about the songsmiths behind the studio's most famous musicals like "Mary Poppins," "Walt & El Grupo," which details the company-shifting trip Walt Disney took with his animators to Latin America as part of the Good...
- 11/29/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
The Sicilian Girl, La siciliana ribelle, is a Foreign Language film in Italian. It was directed by Marco Amenta and it has a running time of 115 minutes. The film is based on true events that brought about the arrest and conviction of members of the Sicilian Mafia.
The film starts out with a seventeen year old Sicilian girl, Rita (played by Veronica DAgostino) handing over a gun, which is the only memento she has from her deceased father. Jump back seven years and the story starts to unfold. It is 1985 and the church bells are tolling. Rita is a precocious 10 year old, whose mother does not like her but whose father adores her. They have a special relationship that excludes the mother. Her father takes her out on what appears to be an innocent motorcycle ride that turns ominous with a plume of black smoke rising in the distance. They...
The film starts out with a seventeen year old Sicilian girl, Rita (played by Veronica DAgostino) handing over a gun, which is the only memento she has from her deceased father. Jump back seven years and the story starts to unfold. It is 1985 and the church bells are tolling. Rita is a precocious 10 year old, whose mother does not like her but whose father adores her. They have a special relationship that excludes the mother. Her father takes her out on what appears to be an innocent motorcycle ride that turns ominous with a plume of black smoke rising in the distance. They...
- 10/15/2010
- by Joan Rapp
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Miriana Faja When we think of the Sicilian Mafia, archetypes immediately jump to mind of Robert De Niro in The Godfather: Part II, as a young Vito Corleone shot in gauzy summer light in the idyllic countryside. Through films that glorify the Cosa Nostra, we have been taught to idolize and root for these dangerous and unforgiving men. As an honorable, honest Sicilian, director Marco Amenta wants you to see the other side of the story. The Sicilian Girl is the dramatized (but true-to-life) tale of Rita Atria [note: link contains spoilers], the daughter of a Sicilian 'Don' whose picture-perfect childhood was shattered by the murder of her father (and later her brother) by a rival Mafioso. A preteen when her father was killed, Atria kept journals throughout her adolescence, as she became aware of the criminal underbelly of her small village. When she was 17 and her brother was murdered, Atria ...
- 8/11/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
When he was a photojournalist, Marco Amenta once surreptitiously took photos of two young Mafiosi who were in hiding. When they heard he was snooping around, they called him and asked to meet at a pizzeria in Corleone, Sicily. "What do you do?" asked Amenta, recalling the story with some reticence. "They could find me if they wanted to. Better to go and talk." At the pizzeria, they made it clear, ...
- 8/5/2010
- Indiewire
Based on a true story which director Marco Amenta explored 12 years ago in documentary form, The Sicilian Girl feels powered by unfocused preoccupation, rather than by a more compelling creative ambition. Something about the story of Rita Atria -- a young woman who turned against her family and the mafia culture that defined them and helped the police gather a high profile case in 1985 -- has clearly struck fellow Sicilian Amenta deeply. Fictionalizing the story might have served as an occasion to inscribe that connection more personally (something Werner Herzog achieved with Rescue Dawn, his feature revamp of Little Dieter Needs to Fly); instead the story is translated, in Amenta's first feature, into the heavy meter of gangster melodrama.
- 8/3/2010
- Movieline
Peter Fonda will star in the independent film "Banker to the Poor." The film will be based on the true-life story of Muhammad Yunus, who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for creating the microcredit loan concept that helped people in third world countries too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans.Indian actor Irrfan Khan ("Slumdog Millionaire") is in advanced talks to star as Yunus while Fonda will play an American businessman against Yunus' economic approach.According to Variety, Italian director Marco Amenta ("The Sicilian Girl") will direct from a script he wrote with Italian writers Sergio Donati and Massimo Gaudioso with assistance from Yunus. Shooting begins in Sri Lanka in October.
- 3/31/2010
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Chicago – We have now reached the fourth and final week of the 13th Annual European Union Film Festival at the Siskel Film Center, and what a fantastic festival it has been. From international sensations to critically acclaimed gems rarely available in the Us, the EU annual line-up is consistently one of the finest offered by any festival in the Windy City.
The first three weeks were loaded with highlights that just seemed to get better as the days progressed. Some of the selections, such as Austria’s diabolical delight “The Bone Man” and the Netherlands’ beguiling documentary “Rembrandt’s J’Accuse,” were more entertaining than the majority of mainstream Hollywood releases. Both France and Italy had several exceptional entries this year, including Amos Gitai’s spellbinding “Disengagement” and Luca Guadagnino’s ravishing “I Am Love.” Read more here, here and here.
The final week is somewhat of a letdown in comparison,...
The first three weeks were loaded with highlights that just seemed to get better as the days progressed. Some of the selections, such as Austria’s diabolical delight “The Bone Man” and the Netherlands’ beguiling documentary “Rembrandt’s J’Accuse,” were more entertaining than the majority of mainstream Hollywood releases. Both France and Italy had several exceptional entries this year, including Amos Gitai’s spellbinding “Disengagement” and Luca Guadagnino’s ravishing “I Am Love.” Read more here, here and here.
The final week is somewhat of a letdown in comparison,...
- 3/25/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, New York's Film Forum has announced its summer 2010 slate, which includes Dover Kosashvili's "Anton Chekov's The Duel," Jessica Oreck's "Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo," Emmanuel Laurent's "Two In The Wave," Johan Grimonprez's "Double Take," Kate Davis & David Heilbroner's "Stonewall Uprising," Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio's "Alamar," Vikram Jayanti's "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector," Tamra Davis's "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child," Marco Amenta's "The Sicilian Girl," and ...
- 3/11/2010
- Indiewire
The 33rd Portland International Film Festival announces the Oregonian Audience Award winners. This year’s Festival wrapped up its 18 day run Sunday, February 28th after 195 total screenings at multiple theater locations in the downtown cultural district of Portland. This year’s Festival was attended by over 30,000 attendees and included 77 features and 39 shorts from over 40 countries.
Complete coverage of Piff 2010
Don’t forget to vote for the 8th Annual Tsr Movie Awards
Audience winners include Best Narrative Feature The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Sweden) and Best Documentary Feature The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (New Zealand). The winner of the Best New Director Award is Hernán A. Goldfrid with Music On Hold (Argentina).
This year’s Short Film Award goes to Portland filmmaker Kyle Bell with the film The Mouse That Soared.
This year’s Piff presenting sponsors include The Oregonian and Regal Cinemas Major sponsors include the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation,...
Complete coverage of Piff 2010
Don’t forget to vote for the 8th Annual Tsr Movie Awards
Audience winners include Best Narrative Feature The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Sweden) and Best Documentary Feature The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (New Zealand). The winner of the Best New Director Award is Hernán A. Goldfrid with Music On Hold (Argentina).
This year’s Short Film Award goes to Portland filmmaker Kyle Bell with the film The Mouse That Soared.
This year’s Piff presenting sponsors include The Oregonian and Regal Cinemas Major sponsors include the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation,...
- 3/1/2010
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
With the Il Divo deal last year, and now the purchase Marco Amenta’s The Sicilian Girl this week, you can say that the acquisitions people over at Music Box Films (the 4 to 6 film title per year label) might have an inclination towards Italian films with a mafia-related, true story narrative. For those who've never heard of the pic (myself included), the true drama received territory releases in Italy in February and in France in May (French actor Gérard Jugnot stars in the film). It recently had an American Film Market showcase, but no noteworthy festival play dates. - With the Il Divo deal last year, and now the purchase Marco Amenta’s The Sicilian Girl this week, you can say that the acquisitions people over at Music Box Films (the 4 to 6 film title per year label) might have an inclination towards Italian films with a mafia-related, true story narrative.
- 12/13/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
More Cannes coverage
Cannes -- Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is proving to be rich inspiration for filmmakers, with plans for a second film about the economist -- this one based on his autobiography "Banker to the Poor" -- being finalized by Italian production banner Eurofilm.
Director Marco Amenta will shoot the adaptation of Yunus' book after Eurofilm secured the film rights from French publisher Lattes. The option lasts until 2012.
Eurofilm producer Simonetta Amenta is setting up the project, with a tapestry of Euro backers having developed the script with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture, EC Media Plus, Atelier du Cinema European and the Tribeca Film Institute.
Amenta plans to shoot the tale beginning later this year in India, Bangladesh and the U.S. using a mix of professional actors and nonprofessional newcomers, with an eye on a 2010 release.
The movie will mark the second film from director Amenta,...
Cannes -- Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is proving to be rich inspiration for filmmakers, with plans for a second film about the economist -- this one based on his autobiography "Banker to the Poor" -- being finalized by Italian production banner Eurofilm.
Director Marco Amenta will shoot the adaptation of Yunus' book after Eurofilm secured the film rights from French publisher Lattes. The option lasts until 2012.
Eurofilm producer Simonetta Amenta is setting up the project, with a tapestry of Euro backers having developed the script with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture, EC Media Plus, Atelier du Cinema European and the Tribeca Film Institute.
Amenta plans to shoot the tale beginning later this year in India, Bangladesh and the U.S. using a mix of professional actors and nonprofessional newcomers, with an eye on a 2010 release.
The movie will mark the second film from director Amenta,...
- 5/16/2009
- by By Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marco Amenta is ready to develop "Banker to the Poor," the big-screen adaptation of Nobel prize-winner Muhammad Yunus' novel.
Vareity says the film is expected to shoot in Bangladesh in early 2010. Yunus is known best for developing the concept of microcredit loans given to poor entrepreneurs.
Yunus, who founded the Grameen Bank, will serve as a consultant and go over the final script, which Amenta is writing with Sergio Donati.
"Banker" will be an international co-production produced on a budget of a little more than $6 million. The trade says the film "will topline two Indian leads with international cachet as well as a Western star and local talent."
The recent success of "Slumdog Millionaire" has apparently become an inspiration for Amenta, who claims the film will promote a similar inspirational story.
Amenta's credits also include "The Sicilian Girl" and "One Girl Against the Mafia."...
Vareity says the film is expected to shoot in Bangladesh in early 2010. Yunus is known best for developing the concept of microcredit loans given to poor entrepreneurs.
Yunus, who founded the Grameen Bank, will serve as a consultant and go over the final script, which Amenta is writing with Sergio Donati.
"Banker" will be an international co-production produced on a budget of a little more than $6 million. The trade says the film "will topline two Indian leads with international cachet as well as a Western star and local talent."
The recent success of "Slumdog Millionaire" has apparently become an inspiration for Amenta, who claims the film will promote a similar inspirational story.
Amenta's credits also include "The Sicilian Girl" and "One Girl Against the Mafia."...
- 2/26/2009
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
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