Cinema Caramella brings Italian film to the public

Cheri Passell turned a personal passion for Italian language and film into something lasting and public. What began as a self-taught hobby became a full-time effort to make contemporary Italian cinema easier to find and enjoy in the United States.

Passell built Cinema Caramella as a dedicated database that collects interviews, trailers, photos, and streaming links for recent Italian titles. She already ran ILoveItalianMovies.com, but the new project offered a clearer way for viewers to search by the films that mattered most to them. The site has kept that focus while remaining a practical resource for anyone looking to move past the classics.

Her approach earned early support from industry voices. Luce Cinecitta USA PR Manager Sally Fischer called the work helpful for staying connected to cinema italiana. Director Alberto Caviglia described Cinema Caramella as one of the best Italian cinema databases available, and screenwriter Benedetta Grasso noted that it serves as a strong starting point for people outside the usual circles.

Current Status of Cinema Caramella and ILoveItalianMovies.com

Years later, both projects remain active. Passell continues to post regularly on Instagram under @iloveitalianeverything, where she shares film updates alongside Italian culture and food content. Cinema Caramella still appears in external review listings on IMDb for various Italian titles, showing that the database continues to function as a reference point for viewers and writers alike.

Passell's Ongoing Influence and Community

Passell’s presence has grown through consistent social media activity rather than formal events. Hundreds of posts focused on Italian cinema keep her work visible to a steady audience. The informal tone she has always used, one woman working from her kitchen, still shapes how she interacts with readers who reach out with questions or corrections.

Evolution of Streaming Access for Italian Films

Passell once struggled with search tools that failed to surface films by country or language. Streaming services have since expanded their international libraries, yet many platforms still limit how users can filter results. The same frustrations she described remain relevant, which helps explain why a curated database like Cinema Caramella keeps its practical value.

Key New Voices in Italian Cinema Since 2019

The directors Passell highlighted continue to work, and a wider group has joined them. Jonas Carpignano is attached to a 2026 English-language project starring Tessa Thompson. Susanna Nicchiarelli’s new feature Giorni Felici was announced in 2025. The duo Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza released Sicilian Letters in 2024. Festivals such as Open Roads at Film at Lincoln Center continue to showcase both established names like Alice Rohrwacher and newer filmmakers working on social-issue stories.

Impact of Italian Cinema on Language Learning and Cultural Exchange

Passell’s own story began with language study. She taught herself Italian by watching films, and earlier in life she taught English as a second language to refugees. That background connects directly to how many viewers today use Italian cinema for language practice. Social media groups often pair film recommendations with discussion threads aimed at learners, keeping the link between screen and study alive.

Passell has spoken openly about her path into the film world and what keeps her going. In the original interview she described her early influences and the decision to start writing about contemporary titles.

Tell us about your history in the film industry. How did you start your journey?

I love studying languages. I’m a movie lover, so when I started learning Italian I watched Italian movies as a teaching aid. That was almost twenty years ago. In those days, everyone told me that the Italian film industry was dead and that there were no good Italian films.

As I watched more and more of them, I thought, “No it’s not! Some of these movies are really good!” I know this will seem egotistical, but I believe that I am one of the first to recognize the rebirth of Italian cinema.

Who were your early influences?

Not Fellini, that’s for sure! I get a lot of flack for saying this, but I think Fellini is too silly and the Neorealists too depressing. Don’t misunderstand me; I get their greatness, but I have fallen in love with contemporary Italian cinema. The first directors I noticed were Silvio Soldini, Giuseppe Piccioni, and Nanni Moretti. I really loved the films Pane e Tulipani (Bread and Tulips) and La Stanza Del Figlio (The Son’s Room).

What inspired you to start Cinema Caramella?

I started writing about Italian film because I talked about it so much, and my daughter, a magazine editor at the time, said, “Mom, you know a lot about this. You should start a blog.”

Over the years I became increasingly frustrated with the search engines that the streaming platforms made available. In most, it’s not possible to do a complete search by country or language, and if such a search is offered, I recognized that not all of the movies were coming up. My readers were asking for help, so I decided to create my own database.

Tell us about your career before film.

I’ve been a wife, a mom, and somewhat of a career volunteer. I began as a library volunteer in my daughter’s schools, and then worked for Headstart and the Literacy Program. I taught English as a Second Language to refugees for ten years.

Your site is incredibly detailed. How much work did you put into it?

First of all, thank you! Let’s just say “every waking moment”. My house is filthy, my family’s neglected, and my cat is annoyed with me on a daily basis. I wake up in the middle of the night, thinking about it, and I put a pot of coffee on at 3:00 am and start working.

Do you have a team helping you?

As I tell my readers when they find a dead link or an error on my websites, “Remember, I’m just one woman here, in my kitchen, doing my best.”

Tell us about your creative process.

I don’t think of myself as very “creative”. I’m just very interested in Italian cinema, so I read a huge amount of Italian movie news from Italian sources. My Italian has gotten good enough that I can get it straight from the horse’s mouth. My speaking is terrible, but I can read and write in Italian pretty well. I write about what interests me, and I try to let Americans know how to find the films.

What’s your next project?

No specific new project details have surfaced in recent coverage, though Passell’s social media shows continued engagement with Italian film news and events.

Have you worked with mentors in the past. How would you recommend people go about finding them?

I have had so much help! The best way to find people like that is to be friendly and ask for help. It’s amazing how nice people really are when you say something like, “Hi, I’m Cheri and I would love to know you!”

What’s your mission with Cinema Caramella?

I want to help people find Italian films in the USA, but ultimately, I want to show people how great Italian cinema is these days, particularly the younger directors. I am in awe of so many of these young people and their creativity. They are truly changing the face of the Italian film industry.

What’s your five-year plan?

The original five-year window has passed. Passell’s visibility now comes through ongoing social media activity that keeps her recommendations and updates in circulation.

What filmmakers should be on our radar?

How much time do you have? On the top of my list would be Claudio Giovannesi, whose film Piranhas (La Paranza Dei Bambini) is based on the book by Roberto Saviano (Gomorrah), and the cast is full of completely inexperienced but shockingly talented young actors.

I am in love with a directorial duo, Antonio Piazza and Fabio Grassadonia, who most recently made one of my favorite films ever, Sicilian Ghost Story. Another, Jonas Carpignano, a young director who did a really amazing film called A Ciambra. Oh, and please check out Susanna Nicchiarelli. Her English language film called Nico 1988 blew me away.

Since those recommendations, Jonas Carpignano has attached to a 2026 English-language project, Susanna Nicchiarelli announced Giorni Felici in 2025, and the Piazza-Grassadonia duo released Sicilian Letters in 2024.

What’s your favorite film of all time, and what did you learn from it?

People are getting tired of hearing me say this, but Silvio Soldini’s Pane e Tulipani (Bread and Tulips) is the best movie ever. I have watched it 100 times and I am not exaggerating. When I met Soldini a few years ago, I asked him if I could help with the commentary for a director’s cut for the film (he said “no”), because I know all the lines and laugh at all the jokes every single time I see it.

It made me realize that the beauty of contemporary Italian cinema is its simplicity. These directors work with little time and no money and produce an authenticity that big-budget films often fail to do. Italian filmmakers want to tell a story, and they show us that it’s not so hard to do if you have a good one to tell.