Publisher's Synopsis
The book is the first to examine contemporary Italian cinema from a socio-political perspective, drawing on the expertise of film scholars, political activists, and directors, including the Oscar-winning film-maker Giuseppe Tornatore. This innovative volume examines the nature of filmic representations of social, economic and political issues in Italian cinema over the past fifteen years. The book adopts a unique, cross-disciplinary approach, featuring essays not only by film scholars but also by political activists and trade unionists. Its aim is to reconnect Italian film scholarship with the concrete realities of issues such as immigrant welfare, workers' rights and grass roots political activism in contemporary Italy. The volume's sections focus on the following themes: Workers and the Workplace; Gender, Sexuality and Social Identity; Migration, Multiculturalism and Integration. Each section is preceded by a detailed introduction examining key films, and the fifteen individual essays in the volume analyse influential films including Giuseppe Tornatore's La sconosciuta, Paolo Virzi's Tutta la vita davanti, Cristina Comencini's Bianco e nero, Ferzan Ozpetek's Saturno contro, Carlo Mazzacurati's La giusta distanza and Roberta Torre's Angela. The book also features an exclusive 6,000 word interview with the Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore, who discusses the socio-political influences that have emerged in his cinema. Contributors to the volume include William Hope, Flavia Laviosa, Luciana d'Arcangeli, Susanna Scarparo and Bernadette Luciano.
