News

Martin Scorsese Lending Name to Gomorra

Famed Italian director Martin Scorsese will lend his weighty name to the domestic release of IFC Films' Italian crime drama, Gomorra. The film is a study of the mafia in Naples and was directed by Matteo Garrone. The film won the Grand Prix prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival. When the film hits theaters on February 13, it will boast a credit that reads, "Martin Scorsese Presents."

The film is "a tough, forceful look at the Neapolitan underworld. I admire the bluntness of this picture and the devotion of Garrone and his actors in their pursuit of the terrible truth," Scorsese has said regarding the film.

In an related note, Italian thespian Giovanni Venosa, who stars as a clan boss in Gomorra, has been arrested on suspicion of taking part in mob activities in real life. He has been taken into police custody in Italy and has been accused of extortion for attempting to collect a Mafia tax, dubbed a "pizzo," from businesses. Venosa has prior convictions for his Mafia dealings and was given a sentence of community service late last year for drug trafficking.

IFC will release the film at New York's Lincoln Plaza and IFC Center and Los Angeles' Laemmie Royal Theater on February 13. It will be followed by a nationwide, VOD release on February 19 and a theatrical rollout in major markets across the country.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
01.07.09