Discoveries from Italy World Cinema

A filmmaker's popular movie about a corrupt judge who is killed by the Mafia seemingly foretells the murder of a magistrate who orders the film's seizure.

Three men with supernatural powers interfere in a tribal warfare to prevent evil Amazons destroying the inhabitants of a village.

An outspoken boy and a gunfighter-pimp save a drifter's life from hanging. The boy's uncle dies, leaving a house and some dry, useless land to the boy. The dying uncle has obtained the drifter's promise to help the boy get what is his. Meanwhile the gunfighter has decided that the drifter should marry his daughter after being with her previously. The two get into a series of brawls and shoot-outs until they arrive in the town and find the boy's inheritance -which turns out not to be as useless as it first appears.

Best-selling author Tyvian Jones has a life of leisure in Venice, Italy, until he has a chance encounter with sultry Frenchwoman Eva Olivier. He falls for her instantly, despite already having wedding plans with Francesca Ferrara. Winning Eva's affection proves elusive; she's more interested in money than in love. But Tyvian remain steadfast in his obsession, going after Eva with a fervor that threatens to destroy his life.

A story set in the 90s and in the outskirts of Rome to Ostia. A world where money, luxury cars, night clubs, cocaine and synthetic drugs are easy to run. A world in which Vittorio and Cesare, in their early twenties, act in search of their success.

When a grandmother falls for a cheeky suitor with dubious intentions, her family devises a secret plan to protect her life — and their inheritance.

A perverse woman "works" on the corruption of a young girl who serves as her maid.

Two devils from Hell are sent to Earth to cause trouble. Belfagor and his faithful sidekick Adramalek must start a war between Rome and Florence in 1478.

Comedy about the flawed Italian healthcare system of the time and a doctor's expeirence with it.

A reformed gangster turns to his old associates for help after his son kills a police officer.

Stefano is a young mechanic who would like to become a discreet boxer by faithfully following the advice of his wise uncle: but in his life Giulia appears, a good girl who happens to be present at a meeting of our hero who immediately falls in love with her

Eva, a mysterious doctor, searches for an answer to her urgent dilemma as she unravels Dr. Anmuth's Book of Vision. Henry gets involved in her life and is forced to confront his own nature, as Eva faces the biggest decision of her life.

"Loro", in two parts, is a period movie that chronicles, as a fiction story, events likely happened in Italy (or even made up) between 2006 and 2010. "Loro" wants to suggest in portraits and glimps, through a composite constellation of characters, a moment in history, now definitively ended, which can be described in a very summary picture of the events as amoral, decadent but extraordinarily alive. Additionally, "Loro" wishes to tell the story of some Italians, fresh and ancient people at the same time: souls from a modern imaginary Purgatory who, moved by heterogeneous intents like ambition, admiration, affection, curiosity, personal interests, establish to try and orbit around the walking Paradise that is the man named Silvio Berlusconi.

During the last days of WW2, several female prisoners arrive at Camp 5 to work as sex slaves for officers and guinea pigs for horrific experiments by Nazi doctors who are trying to find a cure for burns. But these women are not going to die without a fight... Can they stay alive until the closing Red army comes to their rescue?

In autumn of 1526, the Emperor, Charles V, sends his German landsknechts led by Georg von Frundsberg to march towards Rome. The inferior papal armies, commanded by Giovanni de'Medici, try to chase them in the midst of a harsh winter. Nevertheless, the Imperial armies manage to cross the rivers along their march and get cannons thanks to the maneuvers of its Lords. In a skirmish, Giovanni de'Medici is wounded in the leg by a falconet shot. The attempts to cure him fail and he dies. The Imperial armies assault Rome. The film is beautifully but unassumingly set, and shows the hard conditions in which war is waged and its lack of glory. It ends straightforwardly with the declaration made after the death of Giovanni de'Medici by the commanders of the armies in Europe of not using again fire weapons because of their cruelty.

At the end of 1918 while civil war is raging on in Russia, antagonism is slowly spreading to the East, between the Oral mountains and Shanghai. Stuck between a desire to save what's left of the great Imperial Russia, and starting from a clean slate, old generals, secret organizations, and mercenaries attracted by gold, struggle to take advantage of the events. As Corto Maltese returns to Shanghai, he barely gets time to cross paths with his old friend/nemesis Rasputin, and escape a murder attempt before being contacted by members of a Chinese secret organization called "The Red Lanterns". In the heart of violent Manchurian horizons, Corto and Rasputin launch themselves into a fabulous treasure hunt, following the tracks of the mysterious armor-plated train of Kolchak. A steel monster spiked with canons and machine guns, this trains protects the counter-revolutionaries gold...

After a French prostitute is found dead, one of her regular clients is tried and convicted for her murder. He is eventually sentenced to death but dies in a high speed pursuit after attempting to escape custody. Soon, the witnesses that testified against him end up being systematically murdered by a mysterious killer wearing black gloves.

The amorous adventures of Andrea Rossi-Colombotti, an army officer who finds pleasure with beautiful women in life-threatening situations.

A group of high fashion models have been invited to an isolated house to attend a party. As the night wears on, one of the models falls victim to a deadly 'accident,' which sets into motion a series of brutal murders, all traced back to a shocking secret...

Italian Gothic horror that tells the tale of a man who stops at a remote castle hoping to get medical help for an injured woman, only to find the inhabitants mirror the darker sides of the woman and himself.

Lena is seven months pregnant and she's ready to sell the baby in her belly. Ermanno agrees to pretend to be the father. Fabio, the uncle of Ermanno, will pay them to buy the child that he and his wife Bianca cannot have. A fake adoption between relatives, a loophole to bypass the law in Italy. A world in which money is the only standard of value, the only thing that matters. Ermanno and Lena are two strangers that must pretend in public to be a couple and live together until the delivery. They are used to only thinking about themselves and they fight all the time. But living side by side they start becoming what they were only pretending to be.

The quirky story of a young boy's adventures growing up with his stunningly beautiful mother and the two very different men who love her.

In a sunny district of Naples where everyone knows each other, Mario and Lino, two inseparable friends, live day by day in the monotony of neighborhood life until their fraternal friendship is put to the test.

An evening at an Italian restaurant. Hosted by tolerant and relaxed Flora, various parties of middle-class people come in -- large and small, young and old, regulars and tourists, married and single -- to dine, converse, argue, celebrate, make confessions; to overhear other people's discussions, to interrupt them, to sing, listen to music, and enjoy life.

Greta is a beautiful young woman abused by her brother Franz and left to die in childbirth by her illicit lover, the aristocrat Dr. von Ravensbrück. Bereft with grief, Franz reanimates his dead sister using a formula engraved on an ancient Incan medallion. Greta then returns as an undead avenging angel, reaping revenge on the Ravensbrück family and her manically possessive brother.

Muscle-bound Ator and his mute Asian sidekick travel from the ends of the Earth to save his aged mentor from the evil mustachioed Zor.

A thief takes the job as a town sheriff in order to rob a silver shipment before his ex-partner can grab it.

Accio and Manrico are siblings from a working-class family in 1960s Italy: older Manrico is handsome, charismatic, and loved by all, while younger Accio is sulky, hot-headed, and treats life as a battleground — much to his parents' chagrin. After the former is drawn into left-wing politics, Accio joins the fascists out of spite, but his flimsy beliefs are put to test when he falls for Manrico's like-minded girlfriend.

A judge on crusade to take down the Italian Mafia uses a gangster turned state's witness (a so-called "repenter") and a New York banker to do it. But things aren't quite what they seem.

Elena is a beautiful, 35-year-old accomplished woman who has an unhealthy obsession with perfection. Elena's well-ordered life is thrown into chaos, however, when she meets Adriana, an 18-year-old seductive young woman who offers passion and excitement, and Hector, an older man who offers Elena stability and security. Elena quickly realizes though that Adriana is too immature and too young for her, so she tries to end their romance, but for Adriana the rejection is just another game to play

Following the death of celebrated scientist Susan Carter, her son Brian is surprised to inherit her controversial experimental addiction treatment center. When he and some friends visit the property, they uncover a terrifying and deadly secret.

Five comedic episodes, all starring Alberto Sordi and Silvana Mangano.

Didi, a Hungarian noblewoman who survived war and communism, has lived in Salento for years, cared for by Vita, a young woman from Puglia. She spends her final days amidst memories, guilt, and friendship, searching for peace.

Caustic satire on bureaucracy of the Vatican authority and a simple Italian who wants to achieve the audience with the Pope.

Tony, a mob loan collector, is dissatisfied with his station in life. Though he dreams of one day being rich, he is stuck with the dead-end job of beating up borrowers who fall behind in their payments. After meeting up with Napoli, another mob enforcer who's just been fired from his job, the two hatch a plan. Together, they will con mob boss Manzari out of a fortune, after which they can retire and live in luxury. Manzari, however, is not about to let them go so easily.

A former astronaut helps a government agent and a police detective track the source of mysterious alien pod spores, filled with lethal flesh-dissolving acid, to a South American coffee plantation controlled by alien pod clones.

A group of former high school classmates meets for a reunion 15 years after graduation, only to discover that any innocence or friendship is long lost.

A young copywriter moves to Rome in the wake of his screenwriter father's death, where he meets a publisher who wants to release his dad's autobiography.

An aspiring singer from southern Italy who's just been dumped moves north to Milan, where he falls in love and enters a TV singing competition show.

Alena Johnston is Antione, the War Goddess of the Amazons, who must mate with the Greek king Theseus to propogate her race. Traditionally this is done only out of duty, but this time she falls in love with her "boy toy"... a definite no-no for an Amazon queen. Helmed by James Bond director Terence Young and based on a story co-authored by Robert Graves, this sexy and spectacular entry in the sword-and-sandal genre features an incredible bevy of Euro-cult starlets including Rosanna Yanni, Helga Line and Luciana Paluzzi, plus a lyrical score by Academy Award-winner Riz Ortolani.

An innovative approach in retelling the tale of Judas Iscariot, known for his biblical betrayal of Jesus when he disclosed his whereabouts for 30 pieces of silver. About to die, Judas reflects on his life and his relationship with Jesus and the disciples.

All her life, an overweight girl has been ignored by her rich and attractive mother. But when the ugly duckling becomes a swan, she turns into a world-class tease, exacting her revenge by seducing her mother's boyfriend...

Italy in the early 1930s. To the elderly aristocrat Gerard, all that is left of Leonora, the love of his life, are a number of erotic tape recordings. She led a double life as respectable wife and mother of two, and as a whore at the local brothel. Now, after her death, her children Ursula and Edmund pass under the tutelage of Gerard. Having not seen them for many years, he is utterly bewildered by Ursula's uncanny likeness to her mother. While Gerard's mistress Fiorella takes care of Edmund's sexual needs, Ursula follows the last instructions of her mother. In the process, she uses the legacy of her mother's recordings to get into the mindset of her relationship with Gerard. Is Gerard ready to find his lost love Leonora again... in the likeness of her very daughter?

Plot of Fear tells the story of a decadent weekend party full of orgies and drugs on the outskirts of Milan. Inspector Lomenzo investigates a series of bizarre murders, each linked by the fact that pages from the German children’s book "Shock-Headed Peter" have been left at the scene of the crime. As the bodies pile up, Lomenzo is guided by a model and a surveillance expert to a decadent club frequented by the rich and powerful.

The world of dance can be brutal. The rehearsals are grueling. The competition is fierce. At the Arts for Living Centre in New York City, the best of the best are dying for a part in a major production. But only a select few will be chosen. The selection process seems to be at the hands of mysterious killer who pierces women's bare breasts with a hatpin, puncturing their hearts. Ambition and jealousy appear to be the motive, which makes everybody a suspect!

Czech immigrant Vesna arrives in Italy and is forced into casual prostitution by poverty. The encounter with a kind construction worker could help change her situation.

This short film by Jacques Demy was based on his memories of growing up in Nantes, France. While it was initially made for the omnibus film THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS (as the segment on "Lust"), it has also been distributed and exhibited separately.

In the future the struggle for space superiority has forced humanity to search the cosmos for a rare element called Antallum that is the key ingredient for the construction of neutron bombs. Starship captain Larry Madison and his crew are assigned to retrieve Antallum from the remote planet Lorigon. However, Madison and crew find themselves under the control of a powerful computer on Lorigon that incites everyone to have sex. Some versions feature brief adult scenes shot with body doubles.

A day at an Italian trial court, where a magistrate judges a full array of peculiar petty crimes and characters.

On the streets of a damp metropolis lie the corpses of hundreds and hundreds of boys and girls. No one can give them a resting place because of a law enacted by a repressive State. But the young Antigone, with the help of a foreigner, Tiresias, violates this rule in the name of pietas, undermining the established order.

When peasant girl Nives is deserted by smuggler Gino Lodi, she betrays him to the police. Police officer Enzo Cinti, who loves Nives, traces her to the Po River cane-fields, where she is working as a cutter to support herself and an infant son, and warns her that Gino has escaped from prison and is seeking revenge. She rejects his offer to protect her. Gino finds Nives, mourning the drowning death of their son. He surrenders himself to the police and then walks at Nives' side in the funeral procession.

Baron Luigi Fontana is a rich and stinging producer of fine wines, as well as president of the amateur football team of Cerignola who, to crown a triumphant championship, is about to be promoted to Serie C.

Marco, a television journalist, reads "red lies" on his teletext system in order to gather material on the homosexual world for a story he's working on. Unfortunately, he is implicated in a series of murders in which the victims are all gay. Marco becomes a suspect and is forced to investigate the crimes himself in order to prove his innocence.

A psychic finds herself tapping into the "energy" of a deceased phone operator. She also finds that her friends soon begin dying mysteriously. An investigator determines to track down the cause.

Giancarlo Mangiapane is thirty years old and has one single dream: to become a great actor. However, the important roles aren't coming, so Giancarlo ends up acting in his everyday life. One day, his agent tells him he's about to get the opportunity of a lifetime: the lead audition for Clochard, a biopic about the life of Gustavo Noradin, a 1950s tap dance champion who fell from grace due to his addictions. When he discovers that his roommate is also preparing for the same role, a rivalry is born that begins to obsess him. Between exhausting rehearsals, a mother who keeps trying to reach him, and a fearsome casting director, Giancarlo's identification with the character becomes total, to the point of jeopardizing his true identity.

With a jazzy band featuring brass instruments, Mick Hucknall, the lead singer of Simply Red, performs his hits in the magical setting of the ancient amphitheater in Taormina. Recorded on July 23, 2003, at the ancient theater in Taormina, Sicily.

A rude Roman policeman Nico Giraldi and an English detective team up in search of a gang that has carried out an enormous fraud against the Lloyd's of London.

In the years between WWI and the rise of Fascism, legendary thespian Eleonora Duse shocks everyone by getting back onstage at over 60 years of age. Struggling with the brutality of historical events unfolding and clinging to the possibility of utopia, she makes her art a revolutionary act, even at the cost of sacrificing health and affection—facing her final journey aware she could give up life itself, but not her own true nature.

The life story of an 18th century womanizer who's arrested, not so much for his crimes, but because he's viewed as an undesirable by the husbands and families of the women he seduces.