L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 4 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS I taly took center stage at this year's edition of the Oscars, thanks to ani- mation cinema. Credit goes to Marco Regina - the head of animation for The Windshield Wiper - who won a more-than-deserved award for the short, which he dedicated to love, the thread connecting all forms of human expression. But we must also thank Enrico Casarosa who, with Luca, was nominated for Best Animated Feature, after having been nominated once already, in 2011, for the animated short La Luna. Regina and Casarosa spearhead a creative sector that, in Italy, has been more and more innovative and lively, and Not as popular, but just as promising: Italy's animation cinema is worth an Oscar From the Editor supported by a growing and passionate public. What's inter- esting is that while Casarosa – who is from Genoa – had to study at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology because there weren't many options to study animation in Italy back in the 1990s, the situation today is very different. Even if they are not as prestigious as the French, the English, or the American, there are very good schools in Italy, if you want to have a career in the world of animation and special effects, w h i c h c o n f i r m s t h e s e c t o r ' s g r o w t h . S o m e e x a m p l e s : the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia di Torino, the most renowned of all animation schools in the country; the Istituto Italiano di Design di Roma e Milano, which focuses on 3-D animation, useful for lighters, riggers, model- ers of movies and TV series, for videogame designers and experts in post-production and special effects. Always in Rome, we must mention the Rainbow Academy, perhaps the most important animation studio in the country, home to Winx (the cartoon debuted in 2004 and reached this year its eighth season), but also to Mia and Me, a series sold in 50 countries. Winx, a series dedicated to Bloom, a young fairy leader of the Winx Club, and her five friends, generated a franchise that includes comics, three CGI movies, four TV movies, two spin-offs, one live-action version, several tours, a magazine, and a large merchandise empire. This is without even taking into account the TV series, incredibly successful in 150 countries. Behind the success of these little fairies, or better, behind the creation of what can be almost considered a cult for many young girls and teens, is the mind of Iginio Staffi, founder of the Gruppo Rainbow, who managed, in the past 25 years, to bring Italian animation into the international arena. If the Winx Club is, today, a classic of the Group, which has been in production for more than 15 years, there are other projects to mention. The Italian global content company has become a world leader in the sector, thanks to its brands and its over 500 international licenses - from pub- lishing to toys, to consumer products in general – which made it one of the top 15 world licensors. The success of Gruppo Rainbow and our animation at the Academy Awards show how far Italian animation has gone, but we shouldn't forget where it all began. Manfredo Manfredi is a historical master of Italian anima- tion, famous for the drawings he made for Carosello, a beloved show that aired for 20 years, from 1957 to 1977. 45 y e a r s a g o , C a r o s e l l o w o n t h e O t t a w a I n t e r n a t i o n a l Animation Festival and was nominated to the Oscars for best short animated feature with Dedalo. But Italy's first anima- tions date back to the beginning of the '900s. In 1914, an ani- mated sequence of puppets recorded in stop-motion was used in Giovanni Pastrone's Cabiria, considered the master- piece of Italian silent cinema. It was also the first Italian movie to be screened at the White House and, in New York, it remained in cinemas for almost a year. A couple of years later, Segundo Chomòn and Giovanni Pastrone' s The War and the Dream of Momi was released. Here, puppet anima- tion takes its first steps, with incredibly fluid and contempo- rary results. We've come a long way from those childish, almost home- crafted, but incredibly poetic attempts. Today, the animation sector in Italy counts 6.000 workers and makes a yearly rev- enue of about 180 million euro. It is a sector supported through the development of technological innovation and the hybridization of animation techniques, but also by the creation of projects that are no longer exclusively targeted at children. Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italiana all'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano 610 West Foothill Blvd. Unit D, Monrovia, CA 91016 - Tel.: (626) 359-7715 PLEASE SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Giudici SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Catherine Accardi Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Paula Reynolds, Nicoletta Curradi, GenerosoD'Agnese, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Alfonso Guerriero Jr., Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 Mail form and check to L'Italo-Americano, P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 Selling Homes Throughout The Bay Area Adele Della Santina "The Right Realtor makes all the di昀erence." 650.400.4747 Adele.DellaSantina@compass.com www.AdeleDS.com DRE# 00911740 Expert in preparation, promotion, and negotiation!

• Cover