1) Riccardo Scamarcio
He’s one of Italy’s most well-known, prolific, and handsome actors, and now he’s fighting for Italian films by producing them.
His production company, Buena Onda (with his long-time companion Valeria Golino) has had four films in four major film festivals in the past four years, the latest, Stefano Mordini’s Pericles The Black, at Cannes right now in the Un Certain Regard section.
“I decided to start working as a producer because nobody wanted to produce Miele and that seemed incredible to me and Valeria” says Scamarcio. “Our company was born as a response to the fear of the Italian industry.”
2) Open Roads: New Italian Cinema
For 16 years, The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s amazing Open Roads: New Italian Cinema has been giving North American audiences a unique opportunity to see the best of contemporary Italian film.
CHECK OUT MY GUIDE TO THE FESTIVAL
3) Checco’s Coming
If you don’t know Checco Zalone (film name of Luca Medici), you’re for sure not from Italy, because he’s HOT, HOT, HOT there. He’s been saying he’d like to break into the North American market, and North American audiences will soon get a chance to see what this comic is all about at Canada’s ICFF.
He’ll be there, in person, with his director Gennaro Nunziante; these two have made more money making Italian films than anybody in the history of Italian cinema.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE ICFF
CHECK OUT MY GUIDE TO THE FESTIVAL
READ MY REVIEW OF CHECCO’S LATEST, QUO VADO
4) Paolo Virzì, La Pazza Gioia
Though Virzì’s latest, La Pazza Gioia (Like Crazy) isn’t in the running for the Palme D’Or, it’s safe to say that it’s killing it at Cannes anyway, and at the box office as well.
La Pazza Gioia stars Mrs.Virzì, Micaela Ramazzotti,and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as two women who form a friendship while residents of a mental institution.
5) There are so Many Great Contemporary Films To Stream In The USA Right Now
CHECK OUT THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STREAMING ITALIAN FILMS
BONUS: Alessandro Borghi
Young and talented and with a career on the fast track, Alessandro Borghi is an actor you are going to want to know.
I Love Italian Everything 