A conversation with director Paolo Strippoli on his new film The Holy Boy (La valle dei sorrisi), in selection at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival. In our discussion, Strippoli discusses the initial concept for the story, developing the narrative lore, and exploring complex themes within the horror genre.

This interview was conducted on October 24, 2025.

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The post #54: Interview with Paolo Strippoli (The Holy Boy) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

A conversation with director Carolina Cavalli on her new film The Kidnapping of Arabella (Il rapimento di Arabella), in selection at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival. In our discussion, Cavalli describes the inspiration for the original story, collaborating with lead actress Benedetta Porcaroli, and the intent behind the Veneto & Emilia-Romagna setting.

This interview was conducted on October 23, 2025.

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The post #53: Interview with Carolina Cavalli (The Kidnapping of Arabella) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

A conversation with director Damiano Michieletto on his new film Primavera, part of the selection at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival. In our discussion, Michieletto describes how he found his way to the source material, the role of Vivaldi’s music on the film’s soundtrack, and the symbolic role faces and masks play, within the theme of identity.

This interview was conducted on October 19, 2025.

This episode contains the following music excerpts:

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The post #52: Interview with Damiano Michieletto (Primavera) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

Recap and reviews of the Italian films featured at the 51st Annual Seattle International Film Festival:

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This episode features the following music excerpts:

The post #51: The 51st Annual Seattle International Film Festival first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

A conversation with director Gabriele Fabbro on his new film Trifole, following its international premiere at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival. In our discussion, Fabbro describes writing the story inspired by real-life truffle hunters, planning the visual look with his cinematographer, developing the musical and sonic soundscape, and more.

This interview was conducted on January 12, 2025.

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The post #50: Interview with Gabriele Fabbro (Trifole) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

A conversation with director Maura Delpero on her new film Vermiglio, Italy’s submission for Best International Feature Film and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. In our discussion, Delpero describes the inspiration for the film, her visual references and cinematographic choices, and how the film depicts the paths available to women during the World War II era.

This interview was conducted on December 4, 2024.

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The post #49: Interview with Maura Delpero (Vermiglio) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

A conversation with director Valeria Golino on her new television series The Art of Joy (L’arte della gioia), part of the selection at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival. In our discussion, Golino describes her experience with the source material and meeting its author Goliarda Sapienza, the storytelling choices for television vs film, and the symbolic meaning behind key moments in the story.

This interview was conducted on October 17, 2024.

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The post #48: Interview with Valeria Golino (The Art of Joy) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

Wrapping up summer 2024 with a beachside visit Under the Riccione Sun! In the directorial debut by the duo YouNuts!, a group of college-age friends fall in and out of love and back again at a beach club along the Adriatic Sea, all set to a memorable soundtrack by pop-rock group Thegiornalisti.

Plus: new programs coming to the Criterion Channel, celebrating actor Marcello Mastroianni’s centenary and the iconic giallo crime genre.

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This episode features the following music excerpts from the film’s soundtrack by Thegiornalisti:

The post #47: Under the Riccione Sun (2020) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

Recapping the winners and nominees from the 69th annual David di Donatello awards, celebrating the best in Italian film from 2023.

Plus: the Cannes Film Festival, upcoming programs from Film at Lincoln Center, and a new restoration of a Vittorio de Sica classic.

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This episode features the following music excerpts:

The post #46: The 69th Annual David di Donatello Awards Winners & Nominees first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

Set in central Italy, a young man navigates worlds both agrarian and metropolitan, past and future, just out of place in any setting. Director Alice Rohrwacher explores religious parallels, including the figures of Lazarus and St. Francis of Assisi, as well as the isolating experience of adolescence, bridging different stages of life layered with distinct worlds and contexts, in this imaginative, award-winning film.

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This episode features the following music excerpts:

The post #45: Happy as Lazzaro (Alice Rohrwacher, 2018) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.