TUSCANY/The Inferno of Ron Howard  and Tom Hanks
Hollywood returned to Florence in the first two weeks of May which was transformed by Ron Howard into Dan Brown’s “Inferno”.
The latest chapter of the successful theatrical saga is set in Italy, in Florence and Venice (with an interval in Istanbul), and places Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy right at the center of the story.
Producing the movie alongside Sony is Imagine Entertainment, owned by Howard himself and his business partner Brian Grazer.
Professor Robert Langdon, the protagonist of the novels, is played by Tom Hanks, who is joined by Felicity Jones, Ben Foster, Omar Sy, Irrfan and Sidse Babett Knudsen. The executive production is by Toro Media, with Scena 1 in charge of casting the extras.
The locations used in Florence were: Palazzo Vecchio, the Vasari Corridor, the Boboli Gardens, the Courtyard of Palazzo Pitti, and the Baptistery.
Castiglione della Pescaia, Castagneto Carducci and Florence will be the sets for four weeks, from the second half of May, for the feature “Maremma” (working title), directed by Ursula Grisham, produced by Filmatique and Revolver Srl (executive production), a love story that unfolds against the backdrop of an aristocracy in decline.

There is more talk of love, albeit in a lighter tone, in “Florenza with love”, a low budget American movie which has just been shot in Florence, and the enchanting little village of San Cresci in Greve in Chianti, about two young Europeans who meet and fall in love during a bicycle trip around the Chianti district. The director is Matteo Piccinini, and it stars Veronica Neuhard and Michael Curylo, who is also the producer.

PUGLIA/The Apulia Film Fund’s new Call
A new call has been announced by the Apulia Film Fund, which totals 1.4 million Euros and includes the possibility of increasing the resources available, with the deadline for presenting applications set at May 29th 2015.
The profitable cash rebate mechanism is confirmed and one of the most important new features is the raising to 50% of the reimbursement for personnel costs sustained in Puglia.
In the first week of June filming will start in in Salento on “La guerra dei cafoni”, a feature-length movie by Davide Barletti and Lorenzo Conte produced by Minimum Fax Media, whilst Bari and Brindisi will provide the locations, again in June, for “Io non mi arrendo”, a TV film produced by Picomedia and Rai Fiction, directed by Enzo Monteleone and starring Beppe Fiorello for which five weeks of filming are scheduled.
Two documentaries for TV will soon be broadcast on Sky Arte, both produced by Ballandi Multimedia: “Sette meraviglie”, filmed on May 11,12 and 13 in Lecce, Castel del Monte, Gioia del Colle and Barletta, and “Sei in un paese meraviglioso”, shooting on which is scheduled for May 21,22 and 23 in Trani, the salt mines of Margherita di Savoia and in the Alta Murgia National Park.

MADE IN ITALY/Traveling with Charlie
Promoting “Made in Italy” with wine. To construct a story about this subject and tell it through a film. This is basically the premise for “Duel of wine”.
The star of the movie is the American (of Uruguayan origin) Charlie Arturaola, a world famous wine expert (considered one of the top 10 palates by the American Sommelier Association) and a great communicator for wine around the world (he recently won the prestigious IWSC International Wine & Spirit Communicator’s Award sponsored by Vinitaly) .
The director is Nicolas Carreras, who also directed “The Ways of Wine” the docu-film presented at the Berlinale 2011 of which “Duel” is the sequel.
The story is about a wine expert, a famous taster, who temporarily loses his palate but wants to show his wife and the world that he still possesses his extraordinary skills, and is forced to challenge the people he meets on his travels, holding regular duels around Italy.
Italy is at the heart of the story (even though the movie passes through various cities around the world: Milan, Florence, Paris, New York, Mi- ami) proposing, through the locations, an original itinerary of places that talk about wine but, above all, about the Bel Paese: from Umbria to Sardinia, from Veneto to Tuscany, meeting sommeliers and celebrated chefs, wine producers and great Italian wines.
Charlie Arturaola is very attached to Italy: “I started my career as a wine enthusiast in Venice, when I worked on cruise ships”.
“Duel of wine” is an Italo-Argentinean co-production produced by Lino Pujia of Indepindiefilms. It is currently in the post-production phase.

FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA/ Cotroneo, a Kiss for Udine
Three important productions will be filmed in Friuli Venezia Giulia between May and June, with the support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Commission.
Gorizia and Trieste will be the locations for the mini-series (2 x 100 minute episodes) “Il Confine” (working title) by Carlo Carlei, produced by Paypermoon, for which 7 weeks of filming are planned.
At the same time, Udine and its province will provide the set for “Un bacio”, the new movie by Ivan Cotroneo, produced by Indigo (7 weeks of filming).
Udine again, Trieste and Cormons are the places chosen by Ruth Borgobello for “The Space Between”, which will be filmed over 5 weeks (produced by Idea Cinema).