Latest news with #TizianaRocca
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Filming Italy Sardegna Plans To Serve As A Bridge Between Italy & The U.S.
Now entering its eighth edition, Filming Italy Sardegna is gearing up for what looks set to be its buzziest event to date. Founded by Tiziana Rocca, the film and television event kicks off June 19, 2025, at Forte Village in Cagliari, Sardinia. The festival will present more than 70 films, many of which are Italian or world premieres. Notable titles in the line-up this year include Steven Soderbergh's Presence, starring Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan; Reflection in a Dead Diamond, the critically acclaimed spy thriller from Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani; and Karate Kid: Legends, directed by Jonathan Entwistle. The festival will open with the film Poveri Noi by Fabrizio Maria Cortese, starring Paolo Ruffini on Thursday. More from Deadline Roastmaster Jeff Ross Lands Venue For Broadway Summer Stand, Sets Opening Date 'Grey's Anatomy' Star Harry Shum Jr Is A Nurse On The Edge In First Trailer For Movie 'Do No Harm' X Games Competition Series In The Works At Bunim/Murray 'The lineup is incredibly rich and diverse, spanning multiple genres, regions and perspectives,' says Rocca, who also returned this year as artistic director of the Taormina Film Festival, which wrapped June 14. She says that Sardegna is different to Taormina in that it is 'more grounded in mentorships and education'. For her, she sees the four-day event serving as 'a powerful platform for introducing cinema to younger generations.' 'Filming in Italy Sardegna was created to give real visibility and opportunities to the next generation,' says Rocca. 'Reaching our eighth edition is a proud milestone and it proves that our efforts are making a difference. Our purpose is to support young talent, foster industry connections, highlight female voices and promote both Italian and international cinema.' She points to the festival's short film competition, which is organized in partnership with the University of Cagliari, as one of the star events of the festival. The short film jury will be presided over by actress and director Macaela Ramazzotti, and she will be joined by Heather Graham, Alec Baldwin, Rocío Muñoz Morales, Riccardo Milani, Aurora Giovinazzo and Giacomo Giorgio. There's also a strong emphasis for the festival to spotlight women in the industry and this year, Sardegna is honoring The Last Showgirl director Gia Coppola with the Women Power Excellence Award. 'Her presence is a source of great pride for our festival and a tangible sign of the increasingly strong link between American cinema and our country,' says Rocca. Other notable guests this year include Simon Baker, who will receive the Filming Italy Excellence Award, and Cuba Gooding Jr., who will be honored with the Filming Italy Creativity Award. French actress Anouchka Delon will also attend, receiving an award in memory of her father Alain. Italian actress Martina Stella will act as the fest's godmother. Television will also play a central role at the event this year. 'Today's audience consumes stories across both film and TV, and we fully embrace that evolution,' Rocca says. In addition to Baker, other major TV stars such as Fran Drescher (The Nanny), Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn), Melissa Roxburgh (Manifest), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Karen Pittman (The Morning Show) and many others are set to touch down on the Italian island. 'Their presence highlights how storytelling has expanded into serialized formats with equal artistic value,' says Rocca, adding that many will be participating in masterclasses, public talks and conversations with students. 'Their insight and experience will inspire dialogue around the future of cinema, storytelling and artistic collaboration.' Promoting the region, in particular Sardinia as a prime filming destination, has also been a core objective for Rocca as she has been steadily building the event across the last eight years. 'I chose Cagliari and southern Sardinia specifically because these locations are breathtaking yet underrepresented in global cinema. Through the festival we are shining a spotlight on the island's landscapes, culture and infrastructure, encouraging international filmmakers to consider Sardinia for their next project.' She adds: 'We're also proud to note that Sardegna is a plastic-free, eco-conscious festival. We highlight films that raise awareness around sustainability and environmental issues, especially for younger audiences.' Filming In Sardegna takes place June 19-22, 2025. Best of Deadline Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Winners Through The Years Deadline Studio At Sundance Film Festival Photo Gallery: Dylan O'Brien, Ayo Edebiri, Jennifer Lopez, Lily Gladstone, Benedict Cumberbatch & More TIFF People's Choice Award Winners Through The Years: Photo Gallery
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Simon Baker cuts a casual figure in Birkenstock slides at Italian festival
Simon Baker has stepped out on the world stage in true Australian fashion - in open toed footwear. The acclaimed TV actor, 55, attended the opening night of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival in a crisp shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of Birkenstock slides. He is among the Hollywood talent attending the 8th edition of the unique festival designed to promote Italian and international cinema and support young talent. Simon looked every inch the laidback A-lister as he posed with Twilight star Ashley Greene and General Director of the festival Tiziana Rocca at a press conference on Thursday. Simon, who returned to Australia last year to star as Gus and Eli's alcoholic father in the acclaimed Netflix hit Boys Swallows Universe, will receive the Filming Italy Excellence Award. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Simon will engage in masterclasses with young students from schools and universities of the Academy Cinema, alongside actors Alec Baldwin, Heather Graham, Jane Seymour, and Fran Drescher. In 2016, the Emmy-winning star traded the Hollywood studios of Los Angeles for his childhood home in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, and 'indie' projects far from the world of The Mentalist. 'Once you start to assimilate back into our culture, you also realise there's a beautiful frankness to Australians that is priceless,' he told Esquire Australia in April. 'There's no flowery way of putting things, it's just direct. And that level of authenticity is grounding. It's like a cosy blanket. It's very comfortable and familiar for me.' Simon, who played the elusive Christian Thompson in The Devil Wears Prada, recently broke his silence on whether he will appear in the long-awaited sequel alongside his old co-stars Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. 'I haven't got the call up yet,' he told SkyNews. 'So I don't know- probably not, no.' The actor, who landed the career-changing role in 2006, went on to reveal that his very blonde eyebrows have put him off ever watching the movie. His friend's wife had pointed out his bizarre look in the popular film. 'What the f*** is going on with your eyebrows in that movie?' she asked him. When he probed her for more details about his appearance in the movie, she told him: 'They just had like their own f***ing thing going on. When asking another friend about his eyebrows in the flick, they told him they were just 'surfy', sun-bleached and needed a bit of a 'trim'. The comments have left a lasting impression on actor, who decided to never watch the film as a result. 'It's gotten to the point now where The Devil Wears Prada is such a beloved movie that it's literally like baiting the hook and throwing it overboard and getting a bite straight away, whenever I say that I've never seen it,' he said.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Da'Vine Joy Randolph to Preside Over Jury at Italy's Taormina Film Festival That Will Open With ‘John Wick' Spinoff ‘Ballerina'
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who won an Oscar for her role in 'The Holdovers,' will preside over the jury of Italy's upcoming Taormina Film Festival that will run June 10-14 in the Sicilian sea resort. This year's other Taormina jurors are Rupert Everett, multiple Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell, former Variety editor Steven Gaydos and Italian actors Ilenia Pastorelli ('They Call Me Jeeg') and Alessandra Mastronardi ('Medici'). More from Variety Cannes Critics' Week: Thai Director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke on Possessed Vacuum Cleaners and Dust Pollution in 'A Useful Ghost' 'Miroirs No. 3' Review: Christian Petzold and Paula Beer Team Up Once More for an Elegant Sliver of a Psychodrama 'Thank You for Banking With Us!' Wins Best Film at Critics Awards for Arab Films The Sicilian cinema event, being headed once again by marketing guru Tiziana Rocca, has also announced John Wick' spinoff 'Ballerina' as its out-of-competition opening film with director Len Wiseman and actor Norman Reedus in tow. 'I am very enthusiastic about returning to Taormina,' Rocca said at a Cannes press conference. 'This year's biggest challenge will be to relaunch it and place it once again in the international festival sphere,' she added. Taormina starting this year will be divided into four sections: international feature film competition; out of competition; special events at the ancient Greek theatre, and a new section dedicated to short flms. The first Taormina title announced in competition is Alex Garland's 'Civil War' follow-up 'Warfare.' Italy's I Wonder Pictures, which has a partnership with A24, will release the film in Italy on Aug. 21. As previously announced, Taormina this year will honor Martin Scorsese with a career award. The storied Sicilian event will host a screening of a restored copy of Scorsese's 1976 classic 'Taxi Driver' in the fest's 8,000-seat open-air ancient Greek amphitheater in the shadow of Sicily's active Mount Etna volcano. Fest guests over the past decades have included Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Steven Spielberg, Federico Fellini, Pedro Almodóvar and Tom Cruise. The 71st edition of Taormina will run June 10-14. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
