Italy confirms itself as one of the countries in the world that most attracts international productions and stars. In this period, given the loosening of Covid-19 restrictions for both traveling and filming, numerous crews have started new film projects in various territories of the “Belpaese” (the “beautiful country”, as Italy is often addressed).

In Puglia, for example, the Apulia Film Commission Foundation has approved funding for 9 new projects that will be realized in whole or in part in the sunny, culturally rich southern region, aimed at giving a boost to domestic production. On the other hand, Puglia is attracting international projects as well. The filming of In the Fire has recently begun. Directed by Conor Allyn, with Amber Head and Eduardo Noriega, and produced by Italian Dinamo Film, the film, thanks to its all-star cast, aims to strike in the global market. In the Fire tells the story of an American psychiatrist, dealing with a complicated case: an autistic child who is believed to be possessed by the devil.

Among the new projects in the works, rumors about Valeria Golino’s return behind the camera have been confirmed. After Miele and Euforia, the Roman actress will direct a TV series (6 episodes for SkyTV), an adaptation of the book “The Art of Joy” by Goliarda Sapienza.

As for the box office top ten, The Batman immediately conquered the number one position, grossing € 3.684246 in just 4 days on the big screen. The rest of the ranking does not show great novelties but rather confirmations, as from the second to the fifth position stand, in order: Uncharted (€ 911,736 for a total of € 5,137,909), Belfast (€ 485,309 for a total of € 935,997), Death on the Nile (€ 464,039 for a total of € 4,925,109) and Ennio (€ 367,534 for a total of € 2,010,873).

Moving down in the list, from sixth to the tenth position appear the first new entries: The Duke (€ 276,679), the animated film Lizzy and Red – Friends Forever (Even Mice Belong Together), which grossed € 112,587, The Godfather 50th Anniversary (€ 105,643), L’ombra del giorno (€ 99,432 for a total of € 240,659) and finally Cyrano (€ 84,038).

This week, two actors starring in L’ombra del giorno by Giuseppe Piccioni, Benedetta Porcaioli and Riccardo Scamarcio, will be awarded the Excellence Award at the 17th edition of the Los Angeles, Italy – Fashion and Film Arts Festival. The award will be presented on March 20 at the TLC Theatre in Los Angeles, on the occasion of the U.S. premiere of the film.

Sky is offering the first on-demand viewing of Francesco Marioni’s first film, Va Bene Così, an ensemble comedy that tells the stories of three generations during a 15-year time span. While on Netflix The Invisible Thread stands among the top 5 most viewed shows. Written and directed by Marco Simone Puccioni, the film tells the story of 16-year-old Leone (Francesco Gheghi) and the relationship with his two fathers (Filippo Timi and Francesco Scianna), analyzing the difficulties that the boy faces in modern, yet bigot, Italy.