The Hand of God Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

In “The Hand of God,” the Italian director Paolo Sorrentino conjures memories of his formative years in picturesque Naples. Capturing both the sun-dappled summer days he passed in the company of his larger-than-life family and the profound tragedy that set him on a path toward filmmaking, this partly autobiographical drama focuses on Fabio Schisa (Filippo Scotti), a teenager growing up in southern Italy during the 1980s.

If you want to get in the International Film Oscar race get your ass to the Cannes Film Festival. This year, eight titles that made the 15 films cut debuted on la Croisette including Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero,” Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s NYFCC and LAFCA Best Film winner, “Drive My Car.” This year’s Palme d’Or winner and the French submission, “Titane,” was snubbed.

Going home has been a common theme for filmmakers over the past few years. Alfonso Cuaron revisited his childhood in Mexico City with “Roma.” Kenneth Branagh has done the same with his appropriately titled Oscar contender “Belfast.” And now, Paolo Sorrentino has given his birthplace, Naples, Italy, the same treatment in “The Hand of God,” Italy’s submission for the International Film Oscar.

After Paulo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God” debuted at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, media and attendees were buzzing about the film’s star, newcommer Filippo Scotti. The 21-year-old actor portrays Sorrentino at a crucial moment in the filmmaker’s life and has a natural charisma that had many referring to him as the “Italian Timothée Chalamet.” Speaking partially through a translator last month, Scotti appreciates the sentiment but is hoping the world takes him on his own merits.

For years now, people have considered Paolo Sorrentino one of the best filmmakers working today. And it would appear by the rave reviews from this year’s Venice Film Festival, “The Hand of God” might just be one of his best films yet.

We won’t get the official list of submissions from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a week or two, but there’s enough intel on the International Film race to start categorizing the contenders. The most important thing to realize is that there is no way a great film isn’t going to get snubbed with just five nominees.

Since his directorial debut in 2001, Paolo Sorrentino has become one of the premier auteurs in Italian cinema. Now, Sorrentino looks to further cement his legacy as his next film, “The Hand Of God,” vies for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival this September.

Exactly twenty years ago, Italian writer-director Paolo Sorrentino shot his directorial debut “One Man Up” in his hometown of Naples. Just four years later, Sorrentino won the Oscar for Best Foreign-Language Film for “The Great Beauty.” In recent years, Sorrentino has had his hand at directing television, with the Jude Law-led “The Young Pope” in 2016 and “The New Pope” in 2019.