The ‘Capri Visionary Award’ of the 27th edition of Capri – Hollywood – The International Film Festival (26 December – 2 January) was awarded to Luca Barbareschi, actor, director, producer and artistic director of the Teatro Eliseo. To award him on the blue island on December 28th will be the most visionary of the masters of cinema, the brilliant Terry Gilliam. “There couldn’t have been a better meeting – announces Tony Renis, honorary president of the Festival – for this award dedicated to those who experience art as a continuous creative challenge. An idea that was very much appreciated by Terry Gilliam, who has always been on our board, as well as the decision to celebrate an important figure for Italian culture in the world like Luca Barbareschi’
From 26 December, the kermesse that opens the season of international awards will see the protagonists of world showbiz and great Italian cinema return to the Gulf of Naples, with previews and reviews open to the public and awards to excellence such as Liliana Cavani, Michele Placido, Mario Martone and the cast of ‘Nostalgia’ and many other protagonists of the season. With the support of the Mic (Dg Cinema and Audiovisual) and the Campania Region together with Intesa Sanpaolo, Terna, Givova, Rs Productions and other sponsors.
Barbareschi, the last great production effort ‘The Palace’ by Roman Polanski with Mickey Rourke, Fanny Ardant, John Cleese and Fortunato Cerlino (expected at Cannes 2023), where he plays the funny character of Bongo, is the founder of Èliseo Entertainment. From an adventure that began in 1992 with the proposal of popular products that have become famous, we read in the motivation of the award promoted by the Capri Institute in the world, it reached its peak in 2019 with the film Roman Polanski ‘The officer and the spy’ , winner of the Silver Lion in Venice.
The Capri Visionary Award thus celebrates almost fifty years of intense and uninterrupted activity as an actor, producer, director, screenwriter and presenter. In particular, his theatrical career includes over thirty shows and boasts the great merit of having represented authors such as Mamet, Bogosian, Hare, Elton, Williams for the first time in Italy. His crowning achievement came with ‘Amadeus’ by Peter Shaffer, directed by Polanski, but we remember him in the role of Billy Flinn in the Italian version of the famous musical ‘Chicago’ and for ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’.
His cinematic interpretations often have an international character such as for ‘The International’, in which he alongside actors such as Meryl Streep, Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. As a producer, he chooses great stories for the small screen combining emotions, dreams, ideals and courage by telling characters such as Mia Martini, Rocco Chinnici, Pietro Mennea, Adriano Olivetti, Walter Chiari, Edda Ciano or unknown heroes such as ‘On tiptoe ‘ or ‘Fino all’ultimo battito’ or the very latest success on Sky dedicated to the world of football agents ‘Il Grande Gioco’ starring Francesco Montanari, Elena Radonicich and Giancarlo Giannini.