When I was preparing for Open Roads: New Italian Cinema in New York I made a little notebook and my friends and family were alarmed. In it, I had pictures of the actors and directors I expected to find there, and information about them that would make it easier to ask them questions if I got the chance. When my friend Terry saw this picture of me with my notebook he said:
That notebook looks like the sort of thing that will someday be marked “Exhibit A.”
And it very well might be the case, but I’m not worrying about it right now; right now I’m too busy working on my Venice Film Festival notebook. God as my witness I WILL be tracking down and talking to at least one Italian actor so, “See you soon! Ci vediamo fra poco!”.(This is when they should be thinking, “not if I see you first”.)
There will be Hollywood stars: Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Samantha Morton, Isabelle Huppert, Wynona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Noomi Rapace, Kristin Scott Thomas, Robert Redford,James Franco – and what about Javier Bardem and Ben Affleck, there for their film “To The Wonder? Will their wives, Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Garner come with?
There are more, but I will be looking for the Italians. Pierfrancesco Favino, for example, will chair the Orizzonti International jury, so he’ll be there. I’m hoping for my absolute favorite, Luigi Lo Cascio, who is bringing his new, La Città Ideale, in competition for the International Critics Award.
Toni Servillo has got to be there – he’s in not one but two films that are in competition for the Golden Lion Award: Bella Addormentata and E’ Stato il Figlio. There will be as well, hopefully, for Bella Addormentata, Alba Rohrwacher, Michele Riondino, and Maya Sansa, and director Marco Bellocchio.
Will I see Valerio Mastandrea and Barbora Bobulova, there for the new Ivano De Matteo movie, Gli Equilibristi?
You’ll only find out if you follow my adventures in Venice this week and next.
I Love Italian Everything 