L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 6 S pecial guest and recipient of the namesake award, at t h e T a o r m i n a F i l m F e s t @LA first edition (January 20- 21), was Italian actress/filmmak- e r , V a l e r i a G o l i n o ( b o r n i n Naples, Italy, on October 22, 1965). Golino's talent for acting was recognized internationally early on, when, in 1986, at the 43 rd Venice Film Festival, she won h e r f i r s t p r e s t i g i o u s " B e s t A c t r e s s " a w a r d ( n o w c a l l e d "Volpi Cup"), for her leading r o l e i n F . M a s e l l i ' s , S t o r i a d'amore (A Tale of Love). Last September, in occasion o f t h e 7 2 n d V e n i c e F i l m Festival, Valeria was able to repeat the feat, as she received her second "Volpi Cup" for her intense leading performance in P e r A m o r V o s t r o ( F o r Y o u r Love, by Neapolitan director, Giuseppe Mario Gaudino). T h e a c t r e s s p l a y s A n n a Ruotolo, a Neapolitan wife and mother, who passively accepts to be abused by her rogue hus- band, because she is too scared to stand up for herself. Gaudino's early formation in f i g u r a t i v e a r t a n d h i s b a c k - ground in art direction, take a whimsical shape in his last artis- tic effort, in which the black and white - intermixed with flashes of doughy pigments and water- colors - mirrors the protago- nist's inner life. The "Baroque" portray of Naples, teeming with explicit l i t e r a r y r e f e r e n c e s t o D a n t e Alighieri's Divine Comedy and De Filippo's plays, seems to be r e m i n i s c e n t o f C u r z i o Malaparte's lesson. As in the latter's novel, La Pelle (The Skin, 1949), and the namesake Liliana Cavani's film (1981), Per Amor Vostro repre- sents a fresco of Neapolitan humanity, especially its corrup- tion and superstitions. However, amidst the dark- ness, Anna's redeeming charac- t e r b r i n g s u s a b r i g h t r a y o f hope. Congratulations for your second "Volpi Cup", received d u r i n g l a s t V e n i c e F i l m Festival, for your leading role in Per Amor Vostro (2015). And now you were just award- e d w i t h t h e v e r y f i r s t " T a o r m i n a F i l m F e s t @ L A " prize. Did you feel you were going back to your roots, as y o u w e r e p la y in g a w o m a n from Naples? Regardless of the fact that Naples is my home town, the city is highly inspirational. It is a "treasure chest", filled with significance and pathos. Being from Naples made my task a lot easier, since I could relate with the reality, portrayed in the movie. Although, the pro- tagonist, Anna, comes from a very difficult background, while I was raised in a middle-class, bourgeois household. B e s i d e s , I h a d t o s p e a k Neapolitan for a major portion of the movie, and, even if in my family we didn't use dialect, growing up in Naples allowed me to absorb that vernacular. I a c c e p t e d t h e r o l e , w i t h longstanding awareness of the problematics raised in the film. Since an early age, despite never being involved directly, I was surrounded by similar trouble- some situations. To conclude, I approached Naples, both with the familiari- ty, typical of someone who grew up there, and the natural detach- ment, typical of someone who d o e s n ' t l i v e t h e r e a n y longer. How was debuting as direc- t o r / s c r e e n w r i t e r w i t h t h e short, Armandino e il Madre (2010), and, then, the transi- tion to a feature, with Honey ( 2 0 1 3 ) ? A r e y o u g o i n g t o repeat the experience? Again I conceived my first directorial work – the short film, Armandino e il Madre - as a story set in Naples. A city which is characterized by a diverse humanity, intense contradic- tions, a mix of beauty and mis- ery. T h e c a p i t a l o f t h e I t a l i a n region, Campania, is a real "fac- tory" of ideas, so that the dra- maturgical task is easier there, than any other place. My first feature as filmmaker, Honey, doesn't deal with Naples at all, although I was tempted to set some scenes there. Euthanasia and other ethical issues, discussed in that movie, were already intense. Naples would have surely grabbed the spotlight. I c h o s e t o s e t t h e f i l m i n Rome's more neutral areas, to prevent the risk that locations might overshadow the plot. Right now, I'm in the process of writing the screenplay for my second feature film. It took me a while to find a story, whom I really wanted to tell. I can only anticipate that it deals with two brothers and it's set in Rome. In conclusion, you lived in L o s A n g e l e s , f r o m 1 9 8 8 t o 2000. Were you in touch with the Italian-American commu- nity, back then? What do you like about the city? No, I wasn't in touch with the Italian-American community. That was not due to an active c h o i c e , b u t m o r e c a u s e d b y chance circumstances. However, I did have contacts with lots of Italian actors, writers, directors. I ' m f o n d o f L o s A n g e l e s . Here, I befriended lots of people and those strong friendships last- ed over the years. It's almost as if, since L.A. lacks a real center o f a g g r e g a t i o n , i t c a n o n l y become alive through the rela- tionships that you establish. Whenever I come here, I feel a s e n s e o f f r e e d o m a n d a promise of something, that is not necessarily met. In L.A., I'm revitalized with new inspiration and willing to stay active. Tiziana Rocca, Consul General Antonio Verde, Valeria Golino and IIC director, Valeria Rumori. Photo Courtesy of T. Rocca LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY Valeria Golino talks about her last role under the spell of Naples VALERIO VIALE

• Cover