Cheer Factor: Showstopper

PIETRA Montecorvino Photo by Jim Guiao Punzalan

Singer-actress Pietra Montecorvino brought the house down at the press conference for the Moviemov Italian Film Festival held at the Salon de Ning of the Peninsula Manila on Friday. With her impromptu rendition of “Lusingame,” a song from her native Naples, she wowed the well-heeled crowd, including Rustan’s Zenaida Tantoco, a supporter of the film fest which wraps up at the Greenbelt 3 today, Sunday.

Montecorvino is part of John Turturro’s documentary, “Passione” which showcases the music of Naples. Actor-turned-director Turturro is “an excellent collaborator,” Montecorvino said. “I hope to work with him again before I die.” She has no problem venturing into the dark side. “Depression is a part of life and drama brings you closer to art,” she quipped. “Passione” is a film about valuing the past. As producer Carlo Macchitella said, “A country with no memory is a country with no future.” Bayani San Diego Jr.