L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano C i n e m a h a s t h e p o w e r t o b r i n g us back in time and carry us to other places: it's n o t s u r p r i s i n g t h a t , f o r many, watching a movie is the best way to relax. And if you have a connection with Italy, it's nice to know that, today, you can find the best I t a l i a n m o v i e s a l l o n t h e same platform, Movieitaly, a streaming service entirely dedicated to Italian cinema. L'Italo-Americano sat down for a chat with the cre- ator of Movieitaly, Gianlu- ca Curti. Curti is the CEO o f M i n e r v a P i c t u r e s , a n independent Italian produc- tion and distribution film a n d t e l e v i s i o n c o m p a n y based in Rome, active in the film and audiovisual indus- try – at a national and inter- national level – since 1953; he is also President of the CNA Cinema e Audiovisivo, o n e o f t h e m o s t r e l e v a n t confederations in the coun- try of the audiovisual indus- t r y . W i t h h i m , w e s p o k e about Movieitaly, its mission and the beauty of Italian cin- ema. M o v i e i t a l y o f f e r s Italophiles and cinema l o v e r s i n t h e U S a n d Canada a great opportu- nity: finding in one place the best of Italian cine- ma in streaming. How was the project born and how did it develop? In 2019, the Minerva Dig- ital team and I had the idea of creating a hub of "italian- ità," a platform to promote the authentic treasures of Italian culture through the moving image. Movieitaly is the first on-demand stream- ing platform for the US and C a n a d i a n m a r k e t s t h a t offers exclusively the best of Italian cinema of all times and genres: that makes us t h e f i r s t E u r o p e a n s t o launch a SVOD dedicated to a s i n g l e c o u n t r y ' s c i n e - matography in North Ameri- ca. There are 19 million first- and second-generation Ital- ians across the United States and Canada but also many lovers of our lifestyle and culture, who dream of and travel to Italy's incredible locations, and appreciate our cuisine and art while learn- ing our language. Movieitaly was created for them, as an o p p o r t u n i t y t o a c c e s s a 100% Italian, vertical offer. We officially presented and launched Movieitaly on M a y 2 0 t h d u r i n g t h e M a r c h é d u F i l m a t t h e Cannes Film Festival with the auspice of Santo Ver- sace, Minerva's President, and the introduction of Piera Detassis, renowned Italian journalist and President and A r t i s t i c D i r e c t o r o f t h e Accademia del Cinema Ital- iano - David di Donatello Awards. Now we are in our launch and business devel- o p m e n t p h a s e , w e a r e i n contact with the main insti- tutional entities responsible f o r f a c i l i t a t i n g c u l t u r a l exchanges with Italian oper- ators such as the IIC and the I T A L o s A n g e l e s . W e a r e also establishing partner- s h i p s a n d s y n e r g i e s w i t h some of the most important Italian Film Festivals and promotional events dedicat- ed to Italy and the celebra- tion of its culture, cuisine, and lifestyle in the United States and Canada. Through cinema, peo- ple can learn about Italy as a country, about its culture, and also learn the language. Are these all aspects you believe in? Not only do we believe in the cultural and linguistic aspects of the project, they are crucial to us. Movieitaly has the ambition of shining a light and showing to the world a country defined by its passions, authenticity, art, and innate taste; a coun- try represented in all the masterpieces of Italian cine- ma. This is why Movieitaly is more than a platform: it's a mouthful of the Dolce Vita lifestyle, it's a journey across the varied landscapes of the B e l P a e s e , t h e c o l l e c t i v e voice of timeless stories. Italian is the fourth most studied language across the globe, and we are the only ones to bring the best of Ital- ian cinema exclusively in its original language with Eng- l i s h s u b t i t l e s , p e r f e c t f o r strengthening the use of the language and better absorb- ing the culture. Additionally, w e a r e w o r k i n g t o w a r d s adding French subtitles for our users in Quebec in the fall. Consequently, we inter- cept the interest of language schools and Italian Studies departments at the best uni- v e r s i t i e s a l l o v e r N o r t h America. The dedicated dis- c o u n t s o n t h e E d u c a t i o n Subscription we offer to cul- tural institutions, universi- ties, language schools, stu- dent societies, and social c l u b s a r e e s s e n t i a l t o M o v i e i t a l y ' s m i s s i o n o f bringing an authentic Italian experience in and outside of the classroom. T e l l u s s o m e t h i n g about what we can find on the MovieItaly plat- form and how it works… Y o u c a n w a t c h Movieitaly's content on your SmartTV, Chromecast, or Airplay from the comforts of y o u r h o m e t o s h a r e t h e experience with friends and family on movie nights, but also on your daily commute on your phone by download- ing the app both for iOS and Android, or you can simply t y p e w w w . m o v i e i t a l y . n e t and access the desktop ver- sion. We offer three subscrip- t i o n o p t i o n s - m o n t h l y , quarterly and annual – that will allow our audience to access a vast selection of I t a l i a n c i n e m a f r o m t h e masterpieces that have made history to more contempo- rary films of all genres, from n e o r e a l i s m t o s p a g h e t t i westerns, from commedia all'italiana to auteur docu- mentaries and contempo- rary voices. With over 200 titles at l a u n c h f o l l o w e d u p b y 1 5 monthly new releases, our library features the works of l e g e n d a r y d i r e c t o r s l i k e M i c h e l a n g e l o A n t o n i o n i , Bernardo Bertolucci, Lina W e r t m u l l e r , V i t t o r i o D e Sica, Claudio Caligari, Fer- zan Ozpetek, and Marco Tul- lio Giordana and the iconic performances of global stars like Alberto Sordi, Sophia Loren, Anna Magnani, Mon- i c a V i t t i , M a r c e l l o M a s - t r o i a n n i , V a l e r i a G o l i n o , V a l e r i o M a s t a n d r e a , Alessandro Borghi, Salva- tore Esposito and many oth- ers. The films are all pre- s e n t e d i n c a t e g o r i e s a n d curated collections dedicat- ed to specific genres or cities l i k e R o m e , N a p l e s , a n d Milan. W e w i l l b e c a t e r i n g t o Italian cinema cinephiles who love art movies and the classics but also to second- and third-generation Ital- ians who have a craving for genre, comedies and more lowbrow popular cinema: swords&sandals, giallos, 70s and 80s light horrors, and of course Adriano Celentano! One last thing: if you h a d t o s u g g e s t s o m e f i l m s t o s t a r t a f u l l immersion into Italian c i n e m a f r o m , w h a t w o u l d y o u p i c k a n d why? A l l o w m e t o h o n o r t h e recent loss of Jean-Louis Trintignant, an international f i l m s t a r t h a t h a s c o n - tributed enormously to Ital- ian cinema, by warmly invit- ing everyone - whether you have already seen it or not - to watch Il Conformista, one o f B e r n a r d o B e r t o l u c c i ' s most visually elegant works. We are proud to feature t h i s m a s t e r p i e c e i n o u r library in its most recent 4K restoration, realized with the Cineteca di Bologna for the opening of the 36th edition of the Cinema Ritrovato fes- tival, which was presented by the incomparable Stefa- nia Sandrelli herself. A per- sonal favorite I wish every- one would rediscover thanks to Movieitaly, especially on t h e o c c a s i o n o f i t s 5 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y t h i s y e a r , i s Milano Calibro 9 and all the other incredible thrillers and Milanoirs by the brilliant director Fernando di Leo. I am forever emotionally con- n e c t e d w i t h t h e s e w o r k s , p r o d u c e d b y m y f a t h e r Ermanno Curti, especially for their iconic representa- tion of Milan in the 70s, a city that doesn't exist any- more and that has become a cult classic. Movieitaly brings the best of Italian cinema to our homes! FRANCESCA BEZZONE Ugo Tognazzi in Venga a Prendere il Caffé da Noi, one of the many movies of the Movieitaly catalogue (Photo courtesy of Minerva Pictures) LIFE PEOPLE REVIEWS ADVICE TRADITIONS

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