Pietro Mascagni was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music. While it was often held that Mascagni, like Ruggero Leoncavallo, was a "one-opera man" who could never repeat his first success, L'amico Fritz and Iris have remained in the repertoire in Europe since their premieres.
Count Giacomo Taldegardo Francesco di Sales Saverio Pietro Leopardi was an Italian philosopher, poet, essayist, and philologist. He is considered the greatest Italian poet of the nineteenth century and one of the most important figures in the literature of the world, as well as one of the principals of literary romanticism; his constant reflection on existence and on the human condition—of sensuous and materialist inspiration—has also earned him a reputation as a deep philosopher. He is widely seen as one of the most radical and challenging thinkers of the 19th century but routinely compared by Italian critics to his older contemporary Alessandro Manzoni despite expressing "diametrically opposite positions." Although he lived in a secluded town in the conservative Papal States, he came into contact with the main ideas of the Enlightenment, and, through his own literary evolution, created a remarkable and renowned poetic work, related to the Romantic era. The strongly lyrical quality of his poetry made him a central figure on the European and international literary and cultural landscape.
Antonio Napolitano (1928–2014) was an Italian film critic. He was born in Naples.
Elio Germano is an Italian actor. He is the recipient of many accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and a Silver Bear for Best Actor.
Mario Martone is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He has directed more than 30 films since 1985. His film L'amore molesto was entered into the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. His 2010 film Noi credevamo competed for the Golden Lion at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. He was also the stage director for Lorenzo Ferrero's opera Charlotte Corday, which was premiered at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma on 21 February 1989.
Count Monaldo Leopardi was an Italian philosopher, nobleman, politician and writer, notable as one of the main Italian intellectuals of the counter-revolution. His son Giacomo Leopardi was a poet and thinker with completely opposite views, which were probably the root cause of their discord.
"L'infinito" is a poem written by Giacomo Leopardi probably in the autumn of 1819. The poem is a product of Leopardi's yearning to travel beyond his restrictive home town of Recanati and experience more of the world which he had studied. It is widely known within Italy.
Canti is a collection of poems by Giacomo Leopardi written in 1835. The Canti is generally considered one of the most significant works of Italian poetry.
The 71st annual Venice International Film Festival took place in Venice, Italy between 27 August to 6 September 2014. The festival opened with Alejandro G. Iñárritu's film Birdman, and closed with Ann Hui's drama film The Golden Era. Italian actress Luisa Ranieri hosted the opening and closing nights of the festival. The Swedish film A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, directed by Roy Andersson, won the Golden Lion, and Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look of Silence won the Grand Jury Prize.
Hungry Hearts is a 2014 Italian drama film directed by Saverio Costanzo. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. At Venice, Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively. It was also screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.
Black Souls is a 2014 Italian-French crime drama film directed by Francesco Munzi. It was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. It was also selected to be screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.
Francesco Munzi is an Italian film director and writer. His first film Saimir won as Best debut film at Nastri d'argento, at the Venice International Film Festival and was nominated at the European Film Award and at the David di Donatello. He is best known for the 2014 film Black Souls, which won several awards at the Venice Film Festival and the Best Film, Best Director and Best Script awards at the 60th David di Donatello Awards.
The 74th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 30 August to 9 September 2017.
The 75th Venice International Film Festival was held from 29 August to 8 September 2018.
Capri-Revolution is a 2018 Italian-French period drama film co-written and directed by Mario Martone. It was selected to be screened in the main competition section of the 75th Venice International Film Festival.
Antonio Ranieri was an Italian writer, patriot and politician, better known for his juvenile intimate friendship with Giacomo Leopardi, the most renowned 19th-century Italian poet.
The Mayor of Rione Sanità is a 2019 Italian crime drama film directed by Mario Martone, based on the 1960 play of the same name by Eduardo De Filippo. The film is intended as a modern take on the play, inspired by the theatrical adaptation directed by Martone in 2018, with several members of the cast returning. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 76th Venice International Film Festival.
The 77th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 2 to 12 September 2020, albeit in a "more restrained format" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 78th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 1 to 11 September 2021.
The King of Laughter is a 2021 Italian-Spanish biographical drama film directed by Mario Martone about actor and playwright Eduardo Scarpetta's legal battle against Gabriele D'Annunzio over his parody of the latter's The Daughter of Iorio (1904). Toni Servillo stars as Scarpetta.
