News

The “Trains of Happiness,” or Treni della Felicità, emerged as a moving symbol of postwar perseverance in Italy. The Italian Communist Party launched this effort in the late 1940s to rescue children from the devastation of a war-torn society.

Over 70,000 children from impoverished Southern Italy were given the chance for a better life in the more opulent North due to the program’s humanitarian and practical goals. It’s a survival story with Dickensian overtones, where the promise of warmth, food, and education is called like a siren song. However, irony abounds; many families were originally dubious, believing their children might be pawns in a political game or worse.

The film depicts a civilization dealing with the memories of war against the backdrop of Naples in 1946. Poverty and disease are pervasive, casting long shadows over the lives of its residents. The significance of this milieu cannot be emphasized; it captures...

The Children’s Train is a one-of-a-kind story set in Italy post the Second World War. The entirety of Europe was in shambles, and Italy was one of the many countries that was facing rampant poverty as there was a lack of jobs and food in several parts of the country. Southern Italy was massively hit by these difficulties, and it’s this scenario The Children’s Train is based on. The children and their mothers play a major role in the film. These are the characters that make the film interesting and emotional at the same time.

Spoilers Ahead

Amerigo

Christian Cervone, the child actor, portrays the role of an eight-year-old Amerigo, who was born in Naples to Antoinette. From childhood he and his mother have had a complicated relationship. He is aware his father is in America seeking fortune while Amerigo and his mother are barely scraping by because of...

“The Children’s Train” is an Italian movie directed by Cristina Comencini. With Barbara Ronchi and Serena Rossi.

“The Children’s Train,” a film set in post-World War II Italy, has made its way to Netflix. The story unfolds across two regions of Italy: a small town near Modena in the north and Naples in the south, highlighting the stark contrasts between these areas in the aftermath of the conflict.

The narrative centers on Amerigo, a young boy from Naples who is sent north to live with a communist family for a period. During his stay, Amerigo experiences a joyful time with the local community and forms a bond with his foster mother, Denna. However, his eventual return to Naples forces him to confront the harsh realities of his hometown and his relationship with his birth mother, Antonietta.

Based on Viola Ardone’s novel, this Netflix offering presents a simple yet touching...

Set in 1940s Italy, “The Children’s Train” (Original title: Il treno dei bambini) is a tragic tearjerker now streaming on Netflix. Co-written by director Cristina Comencini, the film is based on Viola Ardone’s eponymous book. The story follows seven-year-old Amerigo, a boy from a struggling family in war-torn Naples, navigating life amidst poverty and conflict. Subsequently, his single mother makes a difficult decision to send him to the greener pastures in the North to protect his life. Christian Cervone stars as the young kid while Serena Rossi plays his mother. Barbara Ronchi plays the woman whose family adopts him.

Spoilers Ahead

The Children’s Train Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

Set in the 1940s, Cristina Comencini’s “The Children’s Train” (Il treno dei bambini) follows a young boy from Naples being sent to the Northern part of the country to lead a better life, growing up to be an accomplished musician.

Netflix presented its first international showcase yesterday with a look at what is coming down down the pike. Below is a preview of what’s on deck for feature films. Of note, was the title announcement and treatment of the Japanese movie Bullet Train Explosion. Also made a official was Troll 2, the sequel to the streamer’s most watched non-English language film from Norway. Roar Uthaug returns to the director’s chair.

Also of note, the streamer dated the Mexican movie Los Dos Hemisferios de Lucca from Marina Chenillo for Jan. 31 next year.

Not made official by the streamer was a part two to their widely watched shark movie of 102.3M viewers, Under Paris, from director Xavier Gens and starring Oscar nominated The Artist actress, Bérénice Bejo.

Related: Shah Rukh Khan & Netflix Ready Series Set In Bollywood Film Industry

Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria announced the slate at...

"He forgot everything up North, even his mom." Netflix has unveiled the official trailer for The Children's Train, a story set in Italy right after World War II about kids being sent to the north of the country. Based on Viola Ardone's bestselling novel "Il Treno dei Bambini" being turned into a grand feature film. Set in the the cities of Naples and Modena just after WWII, The Children's Train follows the life of Amerigo Speranza, a seven-year-old boy who sets off on an extraordinary journey. It explore themes such as poverty, resilience, and humanity, offering an insight exciting and profound of an Italy marked by war but full of hope. With a star-studded cast featuring Serena Rossi, Barbara Ronchi, Stefano Accorsi, & Christian Cervone, and directed by the celebrated filmmaker Cristina Comencini, the film promises a poignant & emotional journey. We posted the teaser trailer earlier in 2024, now the official...

“The White Lotus” star Sabrina Impacciatore and Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera play alternate versions of themselves on the final episode of the Italian adaptation of “Call My Agent,” which was released this weekend on pay-tv Sky Italia.

Shot in September 2023, during the real Venice event, the show sees Impacciatore play the fest’s master of ceremonies who, wearing a red gown, disembarks with her agent from a motorboat on the Lido at the Excelsior Hotel dock, greeted by throngs of fans and paparazzi. She then starts acting a bit strange, speaking to Barbera in English instead of Italian and almost falling into the lagoon, as seen in the above exclusive subtitled clip.

Impacciatore, who played Valentina, the hotel manager in the Sicily-set second season of “White Lotus,” was mostly unknown outside of Italy before appearing in the hit HBO show which also gave her domestic career a nice boost.

"Sometimes those who let you go love you more... than those who hold you back." Netflix has revealed a quick teaser trailer for The Children's Train, an upcoming adaptation set in Italy right after World War II about kids being sent away. Based on Viola Ardone's bestselling novel "Il Treno dei Bambini" turned into a grand feature film. Set in the the city of Naples just after WWII, The Children's Train follows the life of Amerigo Speranza, a seven-year-old boy who sets off on an extraordinary journey. It explore themes such as poverty, resilience, and humanity, offering an insight exciting and profound of an Italy marked by war but full of hope. With a star-studded cast featuring Serena Rossi, Barbara Ronchi, Stefano Accorsi, and Christian Cervone, and directed by the celebrated filmmaker Cristina Comencini, the film promises a poignant & emotional journey. The story is about a group of children...

Comencini’s feature credits include Venice competition titles ’Don’t Tell’ (2005) and ’When The Night’ (2011).

Netflix has added two original features and two scripted series to its Italian slate.

The slate includes the latest film from Italian director and screenwriter Cristina Comencini, whose feature credits include Venice competition titles Don’t Tell (2005) and When The Night (2011). Produced by Palomar, Il Treno Dei Bambini, is based on the book by Viola Ardone and is billed as a journey through the misery but also the generosity witnessed in postwar Italy, as seen through the eyes of a child torn between two mothers.

The feature is written by Furio Andreotti,...

Netflix’s next Italian originals will be pairs of series and feature films from the likes of Stefano Mordini, Alessandro Genovesi and Cristina Comencini.

The projects were unveiled at a See What’s Next event in Rome today, in front of several stars, directors and stars.

Tinny Andreatta, Vice President of Italian Content at Netflix, said the orders showed the streamer remains “committed to our investment in Italy and Italian stories with conviction, continuing our long-term commitment to the country and its creative community.” Netflix opened an Italian office in May last year.

Namely, pics are Cristina Comencini’s Il Treno dei Bambini and Fabbricante di Lacrime from director Alessandro Genovesi. TV shows comprise Storia della mia Famiglia and Adorazione.

Il Treno dei Bambini is based on Viola Ardone’s bestselling novel pf the same name and is billed as as an “epic and poignant film” set in post-war Italy...

Emmy-nominated “The White Lotus” star Sabrina Impacciatore will play the Venice Film Festival’s master of ceremonies in the upcoming second season of the Italian version of “Call My Agent,” which will also feature a cameo by Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera.

Impacciatore, wearing a red gown, disembarked from a water taxi at the Excelsior Hotel pier on the Venice Lido on Saturday welcomed by Barbera, as cameras rolled for a key scene in the show. Actors playing photographers for the scene and also real paparazzi snapped away upon her arrival.

“’Call My Agent – ​​Italia’ is a true love letter to cinema, its rituals and its protagonists,” Nils Hartmann, EVP of Sky Studios for Italy and Germany, said in a statement. “It is therefore a truly great emotion, and at the same time a great motive of pride for us, to be able to shoot the second season of such...

Serena Rossi as Maria, the bride in the Italian TV mini-series drama “The Bride” (“La Sposa”). Courtesy of MHz Choice

Italian TV gives us “The Bride” (“La Sposa”), a dramatic miniseries about a woman enduring many types of hardship for an emotionally intense quartet of hour-long episodes. It could be marginalized as a “chick flick” or soap opera without much of a sexy side but it turns out to be a fairly compelling character study of the eponymous bride, Maria (Serena Rossi), and the culture surrounding her in 1960 rural Italy.

Maria’s family was dirt poor, about to lose their humble home in a village in the southern region. Desperate to save her mother and two younger siblings from being homeless, she agrees to marry grumpy old farmer Vittorio (Maurizio Donadoni) from far to the north in exchange for his promise to clear their debts and send a monthly stipend to them.

Stars: Luca Marinelli, Miriam Leone, Valerio Mastandrea, Alessandro Roja, Serena Rossi, Luca Di Giovanni, Claudia Gerini, Vanessa Scalera, Roberto Citran, Guglielmo Favilla | Written by The Manetti Bros., Michelangelo Le Neve | Directed by Antonio and Marco Manetti

I’ve been a fan of the Manetti Brothers – Antonio and Marco – since the first time I saw their fantastic sci-fi horror The Arrival of Wang way back in 2012. Since then the pair have directed numerous films, including Paura 3D and the action ‘Mafia musical’ Love and Bullets. The pair also produced Daniele Misischia’s fantastic zombie film The End?, which screened at Frightfest in 2017… Why mention those films? Because all of those films have – unfortunately – faded into obscurity on these shores since debuting at films festivals here in the UK. Hopefully Diabolik, the duo’s latest film based on the classic Italian comic book anti-hero of the same name will not suffer the same fate,...

Where is the next Squid Game, Line of Duty or The Bridge coming from? These are questions we frequently pose at Deadline and, hopefully, we’ve identified some key contenders below.

From World War Two epics, to Boris Johnson biopics, to the first ever original from the Faroe Islands, here are seven dramas we think are going to make waves in 2022.

Sas: Rogue Heroes (UK)

Everything Steven Knight touches of late turns to gold, with Peaky Blinders going from strength to strength and Spencer set to sweep up at awards season, so it’s no surprise to see a great deal of hype surrounding his latest offering for BBC1, produced by Humans indie Kudos and Nebulastar. Starring Jack O’Connell, Dominic West and Sex Education‘s Connor Swindells, Rogue Heroes, which tells the story of the creation of the famed undercover unit in World War Two, has already sold to North...

Italian broadcaster Rai has commissioned The Bride, a six-part 1960s-set drama series from Banijay-owned Endemol Shine Italy.

Described as a “touching tale of redemption and liberation,” by Banijay, the series centers on Maria, a young woman who marries Italo by proxy, a widespread practice in Italy at the time.

Set amidst significant social change, Maria adjusts to a controversial rural life as a stepmother with the disdain of a husband who is still traumatized by his first wife’s disappearance. Despite the adversity, her unwavering resilience and positivity see bonds begin to form, until the appearance of her ex-boyfriend threatens to change everything.

Airing next year on Rai1, the series is directed by Giacomo Campiotti and stars Serena Rossi (Ammore e Malavita, Io sono Mia, Mina Settembre) as lead.

“It is fantastic to work with Rai Fiction on a project which shines...

The Venice Film Festival unveiled its award winners on Saturday night, and Jane Campion, Penélope Cruz and Maggie Gyllenhaal are among the award winners for the top prizes.

“Happening,” a French abortion drama from director Audrey Diwan, won the Golden Lion, and Paolo Sorrentino’s film “The Hand of God” won the second place prize, or the Silver Lion.

In the acting categories, Penélope Cruz won Best Actress for Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers,” and John Arcilla won Best Actor for “On the Job: The Missing 8.” Jane Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Director for her film “The Power of the Dog.”

Among some of the other winners, Maggie Gyllenhaal won Best Screenplay for her adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel “The Lost Daughter.” Gyllenhaal praised Campion and spoke about how watching “The Piano” inspired her as a storyteller. “The Hand of God” star Filippo Scotti also won the...

The 78th Venice Film Festival opened on Wednesday with the world premiere of Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers,” starring Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit, who strutted down the walled-in red carpet alongside other top talent, and Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella.

Venice has been forced to place a wall-like outer barrier shielding the long catwalk entirely, in order to avoid close-knit crowds. But that did not diminish the balmy evening’s glamorous mood, pervaded with a spirit of restart.

Jury president Bong Joon Ho, after taking the stage, said, “We all believe the Corona Covid [crisis] will be over soon, yet the cinema will remain with us forever.”

The ceremony was hosted by Italian actor and singer Serena Rossi, who in her opening speech paid tribute to the crisis in Afghanistan.

“My thoughts to Afghan mothers, to those skinny arms on the barbed wire; to mothers ready with an extreme gesture to separate from their children,...

Bong Joon-ho was emotional and Jane Campion was touching but the evening belonged to Roberto Benigni.

The 78th Venice International Film Festival got off to an emotional start Wednesday night with host, Italian actor Serena Rossi, dedicating opening night to Afghan mothers forced to separate from their children in an attempt to save them from the Taliban. “We want to say to them: you are not alone,” said Rossi.

Initially, the scene at the Sala Grande, Venice’s gala theater, seemed oddly somber, a mood that wasn’t helped by images of a half-empty gallery —Covid-19 social distancing regulations meant ...

Bong Joon-ho was emotional and Jane Campion was touching but the evening belonged to Roberto Benigni.

The 78th Venice International Film Festival got off to an emotional start Wednesday night with host, Italian actor Serena Rossi, dedicating opening night to Afghan mothers forced to separate from their children in an attempt to save them from the Taliban. “We want to say to them: you are not alone,” said Rossi.

Initially, the scene at the Sala Grande, Venice’s gala theater, seemed oddly somber, a mood that wasn’t helped by images of a half-empty gallery —Covid-19 social distancing regulations meant ...

A film festival is about more than just the films and the festival center. It is about the location, the journey, the experience. Here on Deadline we’ll be bringing you updates on what it’s like to be on the ground at the Venice Film Festival, which continues on schedule for the second year in a row despite the pandemic disrupting other events.

Tuesday August 31. Day 0 of the festival.

Call it the calm before the storm, but the Venice Lido was a sedate place to arrive yesterday, with two days to go until the kick-off of this year’s Venice Film Festival. Most hotels, bars and restaurants seemed not to bother opening during the daytime for the smattering of festival folk arriving early. But the Biennale branding going up at the Palazzo del Cinema, and the barriers being erected on the streets adjacent, made it clear the festival was on its way.

The Venice Film Festival is gearing up to take place as a full-fledged physical event in September with a back-to-normal atmosphere and what could be a high-profile selection of films.

While the Toronto Film Festival, which runs Sept. 9-18, is sticking with a combination of digital and in-person screenings, as is Sundance 2022, Venice’s upcoming Sept. 1-11 edition is on track, barring complications, to run as a completely in-person celebration of cinema with hundreds of journalists and dozens of film delegations expected to make the trek to the Lido from all over the world.

That’s the scenario the fest’s parent org, the Venice Biennale, is looking to pull off for its upcoming Architecture Biennale which has the timely theme of “How Will We Live Together?” and opens in Venice on May 22.

Delegations representing more than 100 Architecture Biennale projects are expected to soon arrive in Venice from 46 countries, along with more than 400 international journalists.

Nent Orders Icelandic Crime Drama

Nordic streamer Nordic Entertainment Group has ordered psychological crime drama Sisterhood. The six-episode series stars Lilja Nótt Þórarinsdóttir (The Midnight Sky), Jóhanna Friðrika Sæmundsdóttir (Happily Never After) and Eddan Award winners Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir (Trapped) and Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir (Woman at War). The drama will premiere on Nent Group’s Viaplay streaming service in 2022. The series will ask who was really responsible for a young girl’s disappearance in Iceland 25 years ago. Ambitious police detective Vera (Geirharðsdóttir), dissatisfied with the original investigation, investigates an unlikely trio of successful and respectable women. Tony Todd Thriller Gets Domestic Deal Exclusive: Sp Releasing has acquired domestic rights to Andy Stapp’s directorial debut Destination Marfa starring Candy Man actor Tony Todd and Stelio Savante. ​​The film follows four lifelong friends who decide to veer off the road and venture into a small West Texas town known as Marfa, where they...

Lasciami andare by Stefano Mordini will be Venice’s closing film; the special events include the series 30 Coins, directed by Álex de la Iglesia. Eight fiction films and 11 non-fiction titles, plus three special screenings, comprise the jam-packed Out of Competition programme of the 77th Venice Film Festival (2-12 September), as announced by artistic director Alberto Barbera this morning during a live-streamed press conference (see the news on the Venice 77 and Orizzonti competitions). Among the works of fiction on this list, besides the previously announced opening film (The Ties by Daniele Luchetti – see the news), is also the movie that will have the honour of closing this year’s Mostra: it will be another Italian title, Lasciami andare by Stefano Mordini, a psychological thriller filmed during the period of high water levels in Venice, starring Valeria Golino, Stefano Accorsi, Maya Sansa and Serena Rossi. In the same section is...

The authors of Love and Bullets are adapting the adventures of the character created by the Giussani sisters for the big screen, with Luca Marinelli leading the cast. Filming began on 30 September for Diabolik, the new film by the Manetti Bros. who are bringing the adventures of the famous Italian comic book hero to the big screen, a fascinating, steely-eyed thief in black tights, created in the 60s by Angela and Luciana Giussani. “The King of Terror” (already adapted for the cinema by Mario Bava back in 1968) will borrow the face of Luca Marinelli and the beautiful Eva Kant that of Miriam Leone, while Valerio Mastandrea will slip into the shoes of Inspector Ginko. The cast also includes a handful of the Manettis’ favoured actors, such as Alessandro Roia (Song’e Napule), Claudia Gerini (Love and Bullets) and Serena Rossi. Written by Michelangelo La...