Italian American Girl - Garden State Film Festival 2014

I'm on the board for the Garden State Film Festival and we had another great year this time in Atlantic City, NJ. The venues and parties were larger and lived up to the expectations.  Throughout the weekend there were over 184 films to see and Q & A sessions with industry leaders and actors from film. Overall, this year was amazing - looking forward to 2015. Here are some pictures with Laura Dern, Bebe Neuwirth and Ed Asner.

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ITALIAN SUPERSTAR ZUCCHERO RELEASES NEW ALBUM AND DVD — LA SESIÓN CUBANA — ON MANHATTAN RECORDS

Hollywood, CA — Zucchero "Sugar" Fornaciari http://www.zucchero.it/eng/  the Grammy-nominated Italian blues-rock singer, and one of Europe's best-selling artists, will release his latest album, La Sesión Cubana,  via Manhattan Records. Known as a musical wanderer, Zucchero achieves a long-held dream of recording in Cuba with the best native musicians in Havana, and exploring the roots of American music along the way.

"My music comes from blues, from soul, and from gospel," Zucchero says. "This project is a trip from New Orleans to Cuba via Mexicali. Latin, Cuban, and Tex-Mex sounds and rhythms melt together dancing. Hasta l'asta siempre."

Produced by Zucchero and Don Was, and mixed by Michael Brauer, La Sesión Cubana features seven brand-new songs, as well as six newly arranged versions of Zucchero's European hits: "Baila," "Un Kilo," "Così Celeste," "Cuba Libre," "Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime," and "L'Urlo." The new recordings consist "Guantanamera (Guajira), original compositions "Love Is All Around" and "Sabor a ti," and the covers "Never Is a Moment," "Nena," "Pana"(a duet with Spanish singer Bebe), and "Ave Maria No Morro" — a duet with Brazilian star Djavan. Each song was recorded virtually live in the studio to ensure the thrill of improvisation.

In addition to the studio album, Manhattan is releasing a deluxe CD/DVD version with the La Sesión Cubana studio CD with a two hour "Live in Havana DVD. A one hour version of The Live in Havana concert program will be featured in March, 2014 by Public Television stations as part of their pledge programs. The program is being presented by WLIW.

April 1st           San Francisco, CA       Great American Music Hall           
April 2nd           Los Angeles, CA         Club Nokia
April 4th           Phoenix, AZ             Wild Horse Pass Casino
April 5th           San Diego, CA           Balboa Theater
April 8th           Dallas, TX              House of Blues           
April 10th          Houston, TX             House of Blues
April 11th          Lafeyette, LA           Vermillionville PAC
April 12th          New Orleans, LA         HOB Parish
April 13th          Nashville, TN           Exit In
April 16th          Chicago, IL             Park West           
April 18th          Boston, MA              Berklee PAC           
April 22nd          New York, NY            The Theater at Madison Square Garden
April 26th          Atlantic City, NJ       Taj Mahal
April 27th          Ledyard, CT             Foxwoods Casino
May 1st             Atlanta, GA             Center Stage
May 3rd             Miami, FL               Gusman Center
May 4th             Tampa, FL               Capitol Theater

Catch Zucchero on tour in the U.S. and Canada this spring

For more about Zucchero:

 http://www.zucchero.it/eng/

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Cinema Made in Italy Presents 'HONEY' (MIELE) A film by Valeria Golino

HONEY

(MIELE)

A film by Valeria Golino

Starring Jasmine Trinca and Carlo Cecchi

Buena Onda Presents A Buena Onda and RAI Cinema Production

In Co-Production with Les Films Des Tournelles and CitéFilms

THE STORY 

Irene lives alone on the coastline outside Rome. To her father and her married lover, she’s a student. In reality, she often travels to Mexico where she can legally buy a powerful barbiturate. Working under the name of Miele ("Honey"), her clandestine job is to help terminally-ill people to die with dignity by giving them the drug. One day she supplies a new “client”with a fatal dose, only to find out he’s perfectly healthy but tired of life. Irene is determined not to be responsible for his suicide. From this point on, Irene and Grimaldi are unwillingly locked in an intense and moving relationship which will change Irene’s life forever.

Q & A WITH VALERIA GOLINO

How did you come across the novel?
Almost three years ago I read a very interesting review of the novel, the theme attracted me enormously. The writer was hiding under the pseudonym Angela del Fabbrowhich made me think that she might be shrouding her identity because she was the same character as Miele, and doing an illegal job. Also, the book was written in first person and was very detailed, which intrigued me even more. It made me feel that I was dealing with a very authentic story. It was only a year later, while we were already way deep into the script, that we found out that the author was Mauro Covachic, a well known novelist.

What was it about the novel that made you want to make it the subject of your first feature film as a director?   First of all, the subject of mercy killing is taboo in Italy, much more so than in any other European country, because of the Vatican influence and of our catholic imprint. But I feel that whereas the Italian people are ready to address this and other ethical issues, the politicians are not. Also, I wanted to make the film because the novel had a very cinematic material. Despite the gravity of the subject, the book had a lot of visual potential. The protagonist, Miele, has a powerful vitality, even more pronounced because of her dealing with pain and death. That contrast attracted me.

The subject of "mercy killing" is certainly a very current one. While the film is as much about a young woman's growth as an examination of the morals of "mercy killing", what are your thoughts on the subject?

I believe every human being should have the right to choose over their body, their life, and how to end it. Having said that, I don't mean the film to be a manifesto. In fact it doesn't give answers, it only poses questions. I would like to think that the film is about shifting convictions, prejudices and the fears that we all have.


Have you wanted to direct for a long time?
Vaguely so. I love cinema and photography, and having made so many movies as an actress I learned a lot of things without even realizing it. I never consciously thought to become a director until three years ago when I was asked to direct a short movie (Armandino e il madre). During the shoot I had my private epiphany: probably I had a calling I never knew was there...:-)
Does your experience as an actress make it easier to direct actors?
I suppose it does. I have a lot of empathy with actors, and gratitude.

Was casting a relatively straightforward process?
I did a lot of auditions, but actually the two main roles (Jasmine Trinca as Irene /Miele and Carlo Cecchi as Grimaldi) invaded my imagination and my co-writers’ since day one.

What did you look for when selecting the key crew?
I wanted to have a crew of friends, of people I had worked with, that knew me well and would be patient with a beginner. At the same time, people that were inspiring and inspired. The only new addition was GergelyPoharnok, an Hungarian DP, whose work I ran into by chance and immediately felt connected to.


Release Information 

New York City March 7-13
Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center at Lincoln Center
Tickets:   http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/honey-miele


Los Angeles, March 14-20
Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills, Laemmle.com
Laemmle Playhouse 7, Pasadena, Laemmle.com

Miami, March 28-30, April 2-3
Miami Beach Cinematheque, Miami Beach, mbcinema.com

Miami, March 28-30
Cosford Cinema, Miami, cosfordcinema.com

Washington, DC, March 28 – April 3
West End Cinema, westendcinema.com

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Cannes Film Festival - Un Certain Regard
Venice Film Festival - Venice Days
Chicago International Film Festival

WINNER
Special Mention - Ecumenical Jury - Cannes Film Festival
Nominee - Discovery Award - European Film Awards



NY & LA PRESS CONTACT:
Ryan Werner
ryan@cineticmedia.com
Office:  212.627.9898
Mobile:  917.254.7653



ABOUT CINEMA MADE IN ITALY
Cinema Made in Italy is a major new initiative between Instituto Luce-Cinecittà, the Italian Trade Commission and Emerging Pictures that will provide distribution and marketing support to five major Italian films with the goal of broadening the audience for Italian cinema in the United States.  Instituto Luce-Cinecittà (with funds from the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Culture) and the Italian Trade Commission (Agenzia ICE) have created a fund that will provide marketing and distribution support for 5 films.  The first film to receive support was Paolo Sorrentino’s THE GREAT BEAUTY (distributed by Janus Films) which is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film as well as the Film Independent Spirit Award and the César.  It is the first Italian film to win the Golden Globe in 25 years and also won the Best Film at the European Film Awards and Best Foreign Film from BAFTA.  The remaining 4 films will be distributed by Emerging Pictures and include Valeria Golino’s HONEY, Bernardo Bertolucci’s ME AND YOU, Gianni Amelio’s L’INTREPIDO:  A SELF MADE HERO and Marco Bellochio’s DORMANT BEAUTY.

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GIGI D'ALESSIO Announces February North American Album Release and Tour

New York, NY — 2014 kicks off on a North American note for Gigi D'Alessio.  The Italian superstar will release his 18th studio set Ora via Sony Music on February 4th, followed by the kick off of his world tour.

One of Italy's most popular recording artists, the Naples-born D'Alessio has sold 12 million copies and achieved 100 platinum awards during a 20 year career.  Ora features D'Alessio in collaboration with Neopolitan musician Enzo Avitabile on the track Notte di lune storte.  Avitabile recently came to the attention of American audiences through a documentary by Jonathan Demme; D’Alessio and Avitalile were childhood conservatory classmates.   Serpente e sonagli features words penned by the legendary Italian lyricist Mogoland includes the voice of Anna Tatangelo, D'Alessio's life partner who will be joining him on stage in the US and Canada.

For more information: http://gigiworldtour.com Tweet

Have You Ever Had Pasta Chips? Italian Version of the American Potato Chip?

Here is the latest food product you have to try and no it's on the grown out of garden type, but it's pretty amazing.  So Superbowl Sunday just passed and we eat tons of party food and including chips.  Well,  about a week ago I received a package from the team over at Pasta Chips and they sent a few bags of their latest creation literally called Pasta Chips.  OK, so to an Italian American, I thought wow, they made pasta into a type of potato chip, but then when I tasted it I was so shocked at how light and crispy they were. 

I entertained with a bag of Alfredo, Marinara, and Garlic-Olive Oil flavors.    I served a side of spinach yogurt dip on the side, which was a-mazing.  The great thing about the chips, as you know I am a bit of a health aficionado, - the chips are actually baked, taking that guilt off right away. 

Pasta Chips are:

-all natural

-low in cholesterol 

-low in saturated fat 

-only 120 calories per serving 

-oven baked 

-60% less fat

       
Here's a bit of history from the creator of the Pasta Chips -- 

Pasta Chips

I would like to take you on a journey through Italy with our delicious Pasta Chips, an idea born in the hills of Tuscany at a small, authentic Osteria, where food comes alive with the passion associated with Italy. This Tuscan inspired chip is made with semolina flour and Italian herbs, married with different seasonings based on regional Italian favorites, is steeped in hundreds of years of Italian culture and living. Pasta Chips come in 5 flavor packed varieties: Spicy Tomato Herb, Sea Salt, Marinara, Alfredo and Garlic Olive Oil. 

The thing is it's not about being Italian, or Italian American, but rather the notion that this is a type of chip made from pasta and if you're a foodie, this type of variation on a pasta chip can be an interesting accent to your dishes.  The idea threw me off, but the taste and concept are amazing.  I would recommend and most likely buy these again for my next party.  It really allows for creativity if you want to accompany the chip with a side dish of either dips or antipasto.

Check out their site and you can actually buy Pasta Chips in most grocery stores.

http://pastachips.com/

                                                                 

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New Lavazza Drip Coffee With Traditional Christmas Cookies & My Family Italian Cookie Recipe

Tis' the season for eating and baking, especially in any Italian American household. This year, I got together with my sister Maria, my niece and my mother for some holiday baking. Mostly, my sister is more the aficionado on baking, I like to document with photos and video and lastly decorate the cookies. We tend to make more  traditional Italian cookies, along with my mother's variations, where she usually bakes up a honey biscotto.  As you can see to the left. 

This year my sister incorporated her variation of the cookie which we worked on together and was actually not so time consuming, a great traditional Italian cookie. 

Here is the recipe :

Biscotti de Natale

1 lb butter
1 cup sugar
Six eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 cups flour
6 teaspoons of baking soda

-Bake at 375° 10–12 minutes until light golden
-Combine butter sugar vanilla and eggs. 
-Add flour and baking soda
-Should be fluffy and not stiff drop by rounded teaspoon onto nonstick cookie sheet bake and allow this thoroughly cool.

Icing
-One box of confectioners sugar
-2 1/2 teaspoons of lemon extract
-Combine and ice cookies for the traditional decorated look.

Lavazza Drip Coffee

To accompany a traditional holiday cookie, is a great coffee, as you know we are truly lovers of coffee from our traditional espresso to our cafe Americano, as you know Lavazza is our staple for espresso, so when I was introduced to the newly available concept of drip coffees for Lavazza I was so HAPPY!  My favorite coffee is now in drip varieties!  This is truly Christmas!  

I received a wonderful package from the Lavazza team, which included a variety of the new drip coffees and gift cards to make this wonderful batch of Italian Christmas cookies. 

My family enjoyed these amazing coffees this holiday and I will be using for the rest of the year to make my daily coffee.   I hope you enjoy the cookie recipe and Buon Natale! 

You can shop the new line of drip coffees here http://www.shoplavazza.com/  and it maybe available at your local grocery stores.  Don't forget to follow www.twitter.com/LavazzaUSA on Twitter for coffee inspiration, recipes and more.

~Buon Natale!

*This post was sponsored by Lavazza.





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Happy Columbus Day 2013 - Controversial Holiday for Italian Americans or Hype?

Post by Italian American Girl.

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