Showing posts with label Rome Film Festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rome Film Festival. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Posted by at
Labels: ,

Saturday, October 18, 2025


























Posted by at
Labels: ,

Sunday, October 24, 2021






ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 24: Angelina Jolie and Rome Film Fest Artistic Director Antonio Monda arrive on the red carpet ahead of the "Eternals" screening during the 16th Rome Film Fest on October 24, 2021 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Ernesto S. Ruscio/Getty Images for Lexus)

ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 24: Angelina Jolie and Victoria Alonso attend the red carpet of the movie "Eternals" during the 16th Rome Film Fest 2021 on October 24, 2021 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images for RFF)





















Posted by at
Labels: , ,



"Eternals" Photocall - 16th Rome Film Fest 2021
ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 24: Actress Angelina Jolie attends the photocall of the movie "Eternals" during the 16th Rome Film Fest 2021 on October 24, 2021 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Stefania D'Alessandro/Getty Images)















Hotel di Inghilterra, A Starhotels

getty
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , ,

Thursday, October 24, 2019







When you created the backstory for Maleficent and you wrote the first film, did you think, even then, that there was a chance you’d be able to return to this character and explore her and her world further for a sequel, or were you surprised when Disney actually came back to you for another film?
WOOLVERTON: Well, we were just trying to get that one accomplished and successful. We had no idea how it would be accepted because with the change-up, making Maleficent the protagonist, it was just insane. When they came to me with that, I said, “That can’t be done. She kills a baby. Can’t happen! Cannot!” And then, I went away and thought about it, and I came up with a way to make us understand where she was, at that point in time. We changed it from dying to just sleeping forever because dying was just too much.

Was there a moment when you realized they were serious about wanting a sequel?
WOOLVERTON: It took awhile to decide to do the sequel, and then it took awhile to find what that would be. We went down three paths that didn’t play out, so it took awhile to get this. It took a bit.

What was it that finally led you here? Did it help knowing what the story wasn’t to find what the story would be?
WOOLVERTON: That’s interesting. For me, I thought, “Okay, what happened? To me, the most significant thing about the movie is the relationship with Maleficent and Aurora, and how that changes as Aurora matures and becomes her own person. It’s really about motherhood, and mothers and daughters, and even the slant of the adopted child, which was very much Angelina Jolie’s feelings about it. That, to me, was the most significant thing, and that was always played up, through all of the various versions that we did. But it was also the concept of her discovering herself and where she came from because she was always different than everybody else. She was so big. Why was she so big? It was also about the discovery of others like her, and that theme of the destruction of nature.

I really appreciated that the prince also gets his own story, and is more than just the prince who rides in to save the princess.
WOOLVERTON: Yeah. It was too bad we didn’t get the original guy (Brenton Thwaites), but this current fellow (Harris Dickinson) is fantastic. I actually talked to my daughter about modern relationships with young people, especially strong women, and how that has changed, and how we could depict that, in a really positive way. I feel really happy about the fact that you really, really feel that they love each other.

There are so many fun side characters in this. Were there any of the supporting characters that you found most fun or entertaining to write for?
WOOLVERTON: They were all fun. My favorite character of all, who really didn’t get that much to do in this one is Diaval. I love him. He’s the one who says no to power. He’s her conscience. She torments him. And I love the actor. Sam Riley is really great. But all of the little supporting characters are really fun, too. We got more personality for the different fairies this time. We actually got to make personalities for them, which was wonderful.

Did any scenes or characters get cut from the film, that you were bummed not to get to see in the finished product?
WOOLVERTON: No. Nobody got cut. Everybody hung in there. They were all in. Everybody had their moment in the sun.

Did already knowing who Maleficent is make it easier to write for her, this time around?
WOOLVERTON: Yes. It took a long time to find her, in the first movie. I would write a version and Angie would say, “We lost her.” And then, I would go back and rewrite it again. So, finding that balance for Maleficent was hard because she isn’t mushy and she’s not prone to sentiment. So, to find that character and see within her, her deep feelings and her caring for her daughter, was a fine balance. But then, we knew that and we had that, so we could move forward. And then, the new thing, with this one, was to make her vulnerable. How do you make that strong character vulnerable, when she enters into her new world?

What’s it been like to have someone like Angelina Jolie to work directly with, throughout the process of all of this?
WOOLVERTON: She was so much a part of creating it, and we worked very closely together creating this version of Maleficent, as opposed to the original animated movie. So, my relationship with her was really founded in that. We discovered the character together. And the thing about Angie is that she’s a writer, as well. She’s a really multi-talented individual. She isn’t just all about being an actress. She really brings so much to the table. If it would have just been me, the character would have been softer because I’m a little softer than Angelina. So, finding that middle ground was the key.

Since you were taking the antagonist of the story and making them the protagonist, was it challenging to then find an adversary for her that was someone she could actually fear a bit?
WOOLVERTON: Yeah. That was one of the bumps, along the way. She has to have a worthy opponent because she’s so powerful. The question was always, “Well, why doesn’t she just turn everybody into frogs and be done with it?” As with the first movie, we had to limit her power somehow. In the first movie, we had the iron. In this one, we wounded her, which limited her powers, and then found a way to destroy her and her kind, with Ingrith. And then, the casting was also important, with these two very powerful, equal stars. Ingrith had to be bad enough to make her a worthy opponent to Maleficent. Plus, there was the emotional connection of the threat to Maleficent, of taking her daughter away.

A lot of writers include pieces of themselves in their characters. Do you feel like there are aspects of you in Maleficent?
WOOLVERTON: Yes, I do. I don’t think you can write a character of that nature without finding yourself in it somehow. Also, with my agenda of moving the needle forward, every time out, I really wanted to depict women, in all of our different colors, and not just being nice or heroic, all the time. We can be bitches, and I wanted to show us all, in all of our colors. She embodies all of that.

You’ve written movies, you’ve written for television, you’ve written animated projects, and you’ve worked with Disney for a number of years. Have you had any conversations about writing anything for Marvel or for Lucasfilm? Do you have interest in doing a superhero movie or a Star Wars movie, if those opportunities were to arise?
WOOLVERTON: I really don’t. I think there are people that are better at that than I am. They’re done so well that I really couldn’t even bring anything new to what they already have. I put a lot of emotion into my work. I can write an action, but I get bored if there isn’t something in its heart and it isn’t going to move the audience, in some way. Those movies do, no question about it, but the way that we connect to characters and the way that they stand the test of time is how we see ourselves in them, in our common humanity.

Is there a type of character that you would still love to write for, to explore, and to get to know deeper?
WOOLVERTON: There are so many characters that are not even necessarily Disney characters. There are certainly women characters, and they don’t always have to automatically be the strong woman either. We can watch them get there. Also, I really want to look at all of the different ethnicities and indigenous cultures. There are a lot of stories that actually need to be told and a lot of voices that haven’t been heard, so if I can help find a way to shine a light there, I’d like to do that, too. 



Random

As Disney has been proudly trumpeting, MMoE is entering its 2nd weekend with a 95% audience score based on an already sizeable 8.6K ratings.  It has only gone down 1% from its peak and may thus be close to its equilibrium level.  For comparison, fan boy faves Zombieland is at 89% based on 5.6K ratings from an initial high of 95%, and Joker is at 89% based on 52K from a high of 98%.  Maleficent does not have a fanatical base so the initial ratings were always closer to the general public's.  Since RT only shows ratings from verified ticket buyers, it is reflective of true audience sentiment.

-- Fussy

=======


The Rome Film Festival’s independently run Alice in the City sidebar, which is dedicated to films for children and youth, has scored several coups recently, including the European premiere of Disney’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” attended by stars Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfeiffer. The sidebar also managed to get Casey Affleck to fly over for the Italian launch of his directorial debut, “Light of My Life.”
Variety spoke to co-founder and artistic director Fabia Bettini about how the event has managed to gain prominence on the international children’s festival circuit and maintain a distinctive identity.
At the recent MIA market in Rome, there was lots of talk about Alice making a quantum leap this year. How did you score the “Maleficent” premiere?
Alice’s strength has always been, paradoxically, not to chase after stars. When we see a film we fall in love with it, regardless of its star power. I adore “Maleficent 2.” In speaking to Disney months ago, we saw that we could have a premiere close to our festival dates. So…we gambled on it and we got lucky.

Initially, it was just meant to be Michelle Pfeiffer [attending]. But then Angelina Jolie decided to come, which obviously became a game changer, and so it became the European premiere, ahead of London. This is because Disney has been aware of what we’ve been doing for the past 17 years…Maybe “Maleficent” didn’t need us to help it compete with “Joker,” though we are happy that it’s now ahead of “Joker” [at the Italian box office]. But maybe they did benefit from us in terms of our know-how in turning out a really appealing premiere.







Posted by at
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)