KEY POINTS:
Fans of the Matrix trilogy will be familiar with the sultry features of Italian stunner Monica Belluci but not so much with the relative modesty of the costume she's wearing in this photo. It's a still from the 2006 movie Napoleon And Me, directed by Paolo Virzì, in which Belluci played Baronessa Emilia Speziali, and Daniel Auteuil the French Emperor in exile on Elba.
More significantly, the image is by renowned stills photographer Philippe Antonello, who has been in town as the University of Auckland Hood Fellow, introducing an exhibition of his work at the Gus Fisher Gallery, Philippe Antonello: Cinema! (1993-2007) running in conjunction with the Italian Film Festival, which opened last night at the Rialto.
The exhibition covers a range of Italian and international films, including All the Invisible Children, co-directed by Spike Lee. Antonello's career began in 1993 on the set of Italian filmmaker Silvio Soldini, and he has also worked with Mel Gibson, Ridley Scott, Wes Anderson, Emir Kusturica and Franco Zeffirelli. His work has recently been on show at the Trastavere Museum in Rome. The exhibition will accompany the festival as it moves around the country.
* Philippe Antonello: Gus Fisher Gallery, 74 Shortland St, ends Saturday.
The Italian Film Festival runs until October 17 in Auckland.
