A week before meeting Italy’s most famous contemporary film director Ferzan Özpetek, I wrote my review of Diamanti and I gave it a rating of ten out of ten stars.
For me, it is the most beautiful film of the past decade. It moved me deeply. On impulse, I wrote to him on Instagram. And he replied with a humility you do not expect from someone of his stature. With gratitude. With…
As a film enthusiast and an Italian mother raising a family in London, I am constantly searching for stories that resonate with the complex tapestry of modern womanhood. Between the school run, the pasta boil, and the bedtime stories, there is little time for the cinema. But every so often, a film comes along that doesn’t just deserve a babysitter and a night off – it demands one.
Few films…
Right now Marco Giallini is in Aosta shooting the new season of Rocco Schiavone / Ice Cold Murders. In the meantime, he broke his leg – but after just a few days and an operation, he was already back on set, doing physiotherapy as he goes. A true phenomenon, as professional as they come. After meeting him in person, my admiration for him has grown even more (if that’s possible, given how much…
Some films you watch. Others you sit with. And then there are films like Elisa – the kind that follow you home, settle into your bones, and refuse to leave.
I had the privilege of watching Leonardo Di Costanzo’s latest film at the BFI Southbank on 7 March 2026, as part of the glorious Cinema Made in Italy festival. But here’s the thing that still makes me the day after: I didn’t just…
If Fuori left me thinking about Valeria Golino’s extraordinary range, then La Gioia – which I also caught during the Cinema Made in Italy festival – confirmed something I’ve long suspected: this woman is incapable of playing it safe.
Directed by Nicolangelo Gelormini and released in Italy on 12 February 2026, La Gioia (which translates to “The Joy”) is a very different beast…
Sometimes, the universe sends you little signs. And for me, one of those signs arrived in Piazza del Popolo, Rome,von 16th July 2024.
It was scorching. I’m talking melt-your-gelato-in-seconds, seek-shade-or-perish, Roman summer at its most glorious and most unforgiving. My son Diego and I were doing what any sensible people do in such heat – wandering through one of Rome’s most beautiful…
There’s something magical about watching a film on the big screen. Now imagine watching it alongside the very people who brought it to life – directors, screenwriters, and actors who can answer your questions the moment the credits roll.
That’s the gift of Cinema Made in Italy, and it’s returning to London for its 16th edition.
From Wednesday 4 March, the BFI Southbank will transform…
Sergio Caputo, the Roman singer?songwriter with a singular blend of jazz, pop, bossa nova and poetic wit, brought his charismatic show to the Istituto di Cultura Italiana last Thursday. While the venue was far from intimate – and occasional technical sound problems briefly disturbed the show – Caputo’s musicality and storytelling still carried the evening with delightfully off?kilter…
I went to see Moulin Rouge! Il Musical at the Sistina Chapiteau in Rome on 1 February 2026 with my dear friend Donatella, and let me tell you, it was pure, unadulterated magic from start to finish. Goosebumps. Hair-on-end. The kind of night where you can’t stop smiling, singing along (yes, we were those people), and feeling completely transported.
First of all, the venue itself is a…
I landed in Rome on 31 January with barely enough time to swap airport mode for theatre mode. A few hours earlier I’d been in London; by that evening I was dashing through the streets of the Eternal City towards Teatro Sistina, heart racing, coat flapping, thinking: this is either madness… or magic.
Tootsie at Teatro Sistina, Rome – Monica Costa with Paolo Conticini and Mauro…