VENICE 74: DIVA! CASTA DIVA PICTURES’ FIRST FEATURE IS PRAISED BY BOTH CRITICS AND AUDIENCE
September 5, 2017
DIVA! the film of the life of Valentina Cortese, based on her autobiography “Quanti sono i domani passati”, produced by Casta Diva Pictures (part of Casta Diva Group) and D.O. Production, and directed by Francesco Patierno, won over experts and public alike at the 74th Venice Film Festival, where it was part of the Official Selection, Out of Competition.
At its world premiere, with no seats left in the large auditorium, the cast, namely Barbora Bobulova, Anita Caprioli, Carolina Crescentini, Silvia D’Amico, Isabella Ferrari, Anna Foglietta, Carlotta Natoli, Greta Scarano and Michele Riondino, were greeted enthusiastically and given five minutes of applause and a standing ovation at the end.
The cast of the feature film were also given two prestigious prizes: the actresses received the “Starlight Cinema International Award”, while Michele Riondino was presented with the “Kinéo Anniversary 15 Years Award”.
“We are delighted with the success of DIVA! and honoured to receive these awards for the cast”, say Andrea De Micheli and Luca Oddo, President and CEO respectively of Casta Diva Pictures. “The film is a tribute to Valentina Cortese, one of Italy’s greatest actresses, but it is also a tribute to the art of being an actress, a woman and an artistic personality. For this reason, director Francesco Patierno chose to have Valentina played by eight exceptionally beautiful women, each one very different from the others, by eight artistic personalities, by eight divas of our time. Our co-producer Daniele Orazi, a noted talent agent, helped with his sensitivity to create on the set an atmosphere of harmony and feminine solidarity between our magnificent actresses. A thank you also to the only male in the cast, Michele Riondino, who gave an intense performance.
The “Starlight Cinema International Awards” are prizes given by an association of journalists, comprised of Fulvia Caprara, Alessandra De Luca, Titta Fiore, Alessandra Magliaro, Cristiana Paternò, Marta Perego, Angela Prudenzi, Barbara Righini and Marina Sanna. The prizes were presented to the female cast of Barbora Bobulova, Anita Caprioli, Carolina Crescentini, Silvia D’Amico, Isabella Ferrari, Anna Foglietta, Carlotta Natoli and Greta Scarano, all performing under the sensitive direction of Francesco Patierno.
The “Kinéo Anniversary 15 Years Award”, on the other hand, is the only award voted on by the audience itself, who recognised the artistry and humanity of Michele Riondino, a truly eclectic actor who, with outstanding professsionalism and skill, switches from cinema to television to theatre with memorable performances, as pointed out by Rosetta Sannelli and Tiziana Rocca.
