Il Nastro d’argento, The Silver Ribbon the winners list 2011

Il Nastro d’argento, The Silver Ribbon here are the nominations and winners list for 2011, there are no surprises sadly all a little predictable, although Alba and Alice Rohrwacher both getting a Ribbon must see the boat being kicked out with a few glasses of prosecco in that house hold. The Silver Ribbon awards started in 1947 set up by Steno and Anton Majano together with Michelangelo Antonioni and Antonio Pietrageli, there have been few changes since the original awards, it is the oldest European Film Award decided by Journalists and Film critics, based on the year the films were released, usually presented after the Taormina Film Festival .

The Nominations for 2011 are:

Best Director

Nanni Moretti for Habemus Papam, We have a Pope WON

Saverio Costanzo for La Solitudine dei Numeri Primi, The Solitude of Prime Numbers

Pasquale Scimeca for Malavoglia, The House of the Medlar Tree

Marco Bellocchio for Sorelle Mai, Sisters Mai

Cladio Cupellini for Una vita tranquilla, A Quiet Life

Best Director Newcomer

Edoardo Leo for 18 Anni dopo, 18 years later

Alberto Amadei for 10 Sigarette, 20 Cigarettes

Alice Rohrwacher for Corpo Celeste, Heavenly Body  WON

Ascanio  Celestini for La Pecora Nera, The Black Sheep

Massimiliano Bruno for Nessuno mi puo giudicare, No One Can Judge Me (Possible English title)

Best Comedy

Benvenuti al Sud, Welcome to the South

Boris il Film, Boris the Film

Che Bella Giornata, What a beautiful Day (Possible English Title)

Femmine contro maschi, Women versus Men (Possible English Title)

Gianni e le donne, The Salt of Life

Immaturi, The Juveniles (Possible English Title)

La Banda dei Babbi Natale,The Gang of Santa’s (Possible English Title)

La vita facile, An Easy Life

Maschi contra femmine, Men versus Women (Possible English Title)

Nessuno mi puo giudicare, No One Can Judge Me (Possible English Title) WON

Qualunquemente, Whatsoeverly

Senza arte ne parte, Make a Fake

Best Actor

Alessandro Siani in Benvenuti al Sud, Welcome to the South

Cladio Bisio in Benvenuti al Sud, Welcome to the South

Toni Servillo in Il Gioiellino, The Little Germ

Raul Bova in Nessuno me puo giudicare, No One Can Judge Me (Possible English Title)

Emilio Solfrizzi in Se sei cosi, ti dico si , If You Are Like that , Then I say yes (Possible English Title)

Toni Servilla in Una vita tranquilla, A Quiet life

Kim Rossi Stuart in Vallanzasca- Gli angeli del male, Angles of Evil  WON

Best Supporting  Actor

Rocco Papaleo for Che bella giornata, What a beautiful Day (Possible English Title)

Giuseppe Battiston for Figli delle stelle, Children of the Stars (Possible English Title)

Giuseppe Battiston for La Passione, The Passion  WON

Giuseppe Battiston for Senza arte ne parte, Make a fake

Geppy Gleijeses for Gorbaciof

Ricky Memphis for Immaturi 2, The Juveniles 2 (Possible English Title)

Maurizio Mattioli for Immaturi, The Juveniles (Possible English Title)

Giorgio Colangeli for La donna della mia vita, The Women in my Life (Possible English Title)

Giorgio Colangeli for Tatanka

Best Actress

Angela Finocchiaro in Benvinuti al Sud, Welcome to the South

Isabella Ragones for Il Primo Incarico, The First Assignment (Possible English Title)

Angela Finocchiaro for La banda dei Babbi Natale, The Gang of Santa’s (Possible English Title)

Alba Rohrwacher for La solitudine dei numeri primi, The Solitude of Prime Numbers WON

Donatell Finocchiaro for Manuale d’amore 2, Stages of Love 2

Paola Cortellesi for Maschi contro femmine, Men versus Women

Paola Cortellesi for Nessuno mi puo giudicare, No One Can Judge Me  (Possible English Title)

Donatella Finocchiaro for Sorelle Mai, Sisters Mai

Best Supporting Actress

Carolina Crescentini for 20 Sigarette, 20 Cigarettes

Valentina Loidovini in Benvenuti al sud, Welcome to the South

Carolina Crescentini for Boris il Film, Boris The Film WON

Pasqualina Scuncia for Corpo Celeste, Heavenly Body

Anita Caprioli for Corpo Celeste, Heavenly Body

Anna Foglietta for Nessuno mi puo giudicare, No One Can Judge Me  (Possible English Title)

Best Screenplay

Massimo Gaudioso for Benvenuti al sud, Welcome to the South  WON

Antonio Capuano for L’amore Buio, Love in the Dark  (Possible English Title)

Daniele Gaglianone for Mala tempora currunt.Pietro e gli eremiti Abruzzesi

Nennella Buonaiuto for Malavoglia, The House of the Medlar Tree

Tonino Guerra for Malavoglia, The House of the Medlar Tree

Pasquale Scimeca for Malavoglia, The House of the Medlar Tree

Eldorado Falcone for Nessuno mi puo giudicare, No One Can Judge Me  (Possible English Title)

Fausto Brizzi for Nessuno mi puo giudicare, No One Can Judge Me  (Possible English Title)

Massimiliano Bruno for Nessuno mi puo giudicare, No One Can Judge Me  (Possible English Title)

Best European Film  

Another Year directed by Mike Leigh

The Kings Speech directed by Tom Hooper WON

In a Better World Susanne Bier

Potiche directed by Francois Ozon

Men of God directed by Xavier Beauvois

Best Foreign Film out of Europe      

Hereafter directed by Clint Eastwood WON

Black Swan  directed by Darren Aronofsky

Inception directed by Christopher Nolan

The Social Network directed by  David Fincher

Winter’s Bones directed by Debra Granik

Other winners are :

Pupi Avati will be this years recipient of Il Nastro d’agento speciale, The Special Silver Ribbon for his film Sconfinata giovinezza, Endless Youth (possible English title).

Mario Martone will pick up Il Nastro d’argento collettivo, The Collective Silver Ribbon for Noi credevamo, We Believed.

Il comandante e la cicogna, The Commander and the Stork – Soldini

Il comandante e la cicogna, The Commander and the Stork is Silvio Soldini’s latest project, the filming of this comedy is to start in September 2011. Alba Rohrwacher will be playing Diana a poor budding artist with great ideas, she will share the limelight with another great Italian actor the charming Valerio Mastandrea (Bruno in La prima cosa bella, The First Beautiful Thing) who will play Leo a Plumber and single parent. There will as you would expect from a comedy be a lot of humor as the two fall in love. The official storyline is: Diana is painting a wall in the waiting room of  a dishonest lawyer, he is not paying her enough so she is grumpy. Leo arrive in the office seeking advice as his daughter has been caught up in a sexy video that is currently being distributed on the Internet; love blossoms. Giueseppe Battiston will have a role as always in Soldini’s films I suspect he will play the lawyer. I am still willing him the Best Supporting Actor statuette in the David di Donnatello awards 2011 for his role in La Passione, The Passion he was truly awesome. 

Sorelle Mai, Sisters Mai

Director: Marco Bellocchino, it is his first feature film and nothing more than a family affair featuring Elena Bellocchino, Letizia Bellocchino, Maria Luisa Bellocchino, Pier Giorgio Bellocchino. Ahhh no IMDB informs me that Marco Bellocchino has directed 37 films ? OK folks there are two Marco Bellocchinos, who do I report this imposter to ?

I was so looking forward to this film, Italy is currently going through its comic phase so a drama, a thriller even a romance would be cool. I had seen Sorelle Mai, Sisters Mai appearing at International Film Festivals so my expectations were right up there. I was thinking Vincere – Buongiorno,notte, Good Morning, Night  - Il registra di matrimoni, The Wedding Director – La balia , The Nanny- I pugni in tasca, Fist in the pocket , I had every reason to be just a bit over excited;  Bellocchino, you are messing with my head !

Cast :  Irene Baratta, Elena Bellocchino, Letizia Bellocchino, Maria Luisa Bellocchino, Pier Giorgio Bellocchino, Valentina Bardi, Anna Bianchi, Donatella Finocchiaro, Alba Rohrwacher, Gianni Schicchi.

The film was shot over a period of 10 years by students Bellocchio tought “film making” to in Bobbio a small town in the province of  Piacenz. Sorelle Mai, Sisters Mai has been shot in 6 fragments, 1999,  2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and last but not least  2008 which will explain the Bellocchino family’s heavy presents, not many actors would sign a 10 year contract.

Synobsis : Sara May (Donatella Finocchiaro) is a budding actress with few maternal instincts for her daughter Elena (Elena Bellocchino), she has left her in the family home in Bobbio, while she herself is pursuing a career in acting in Milan. Elena is being raised by her two aunts Letizia (Letzia Bellocchino) and Mariuccia (Maria Luisa Bellocchino) together with their grandson Giorgio (Pier Giorgio Bellocchio) who also plays a major part in her upbringing (ever so slightly uneasy about the sexual tension between the two). We follow Elena as she matures over the decade, which is the most interesting part of this film, Elenas acting is excellent throughout, cannot wait to see her in other films ; other characters appear and disappear without any explanation. The final scene was beautiful, we see Gianni Schicchi, dressed in a tuxedo emerging himself into a lake, while being filmed.

The plot line is weak and the lighting throughout had issues, many shots were out of focus and the black and white flashbacks did nothing but confuse, should have gone straight to DVD.

 

The family connection is as followes Letzia and Maria Luisa Bellocchino are Marco’s sisters in real life Elena and Giorgio are their children, a tallented famely.

 

 

 

 

 

Academy Awards 2011 , time for an Oscar !

OK, it is Friday and it is time to get in the party stuff for Sunday nights Oscar bash, here in Italy we are all in fancy dress already as we are mid Carnival so no need for a costume or design . We do need food for this fest though and let’s not forget the Prosecco it is a must, we have the possibility of 3 Oscars so there surely must be one Oscar coming this way, three golden Oscars for Italy…..really ? Yes, THREE, I have had to push the boundaries a little to get that many but yes I am claiming 3 Oscars for Italy Sunday night.

Oscar Number one goes to : Io sono l’amore, I am love Directed by Luca Guadagnino it is one of our hopes still alive and kicking for Costume and Design , responsible for those beautiful sumptuous ensembles is costume designer Antonella Cannarozzi, who first worked with the director on Melissa P back in 2005 , you have seen Io sono l’amore, I am love and will agree that Tilda Switon never looked better even Alba Rohrwacher looked positively stunning . Who are we up against for this elegant Oscar  ? :

Alice in Wonderland, C & D Colleen Atwood ( They took the BAFTA give us the Oscar)

Il Grinto , True Grit,  C & D Mary Zophres

The Tempest, C & D Sandy Powell

Il discorso de re , The Kings Speech, C & D Jenny Powell

Second Oscar goes to: La versione di Barneby, Barnaby’s Version, it is a production shared by Canada and Italy so any Oscar will be 50% Italian that is good enough for me. We are looking for an Oscar in the Makeup Department here, always an important Oscar if you ask me. The team working on this lovely film was: Natalie Garon, Rick Gassman, Magoli Metiveir, Adrien Morot, Valli O’Reilly and Alessandra Venzi, many good Italian names so let’s run with this Oscar. We are up against some heavy makeup I agree ,The Wolfman directed by Joe Johnston and The Way Back directed by Peter Weir, our best change.

The third and final Oscar goes to : Francis Ford Coppola the 71-year-old was born in Detroit USA ,I do not want a deep and meaningful discussion on genealogy here, just listen up for a second , when your father is Carmine Coppola and your mum is named Italia and they both came from Bernalda , Basilicata, we have some claim on him here in Italy, enough titter tatter, he is getting a lifetime achievement award , Premio alla carriera and we here in Italy will be celebrating …right ?.

 

We are in for a great evening on Sunday and a few Oscars too. So get the pasta ready, the Prosecco chilled and lets party.