TORONTO – In 1992, the son of Francis Ford Coppola, Roman Coppola, implored his father to cast a then-unknown Monica Bellucci in his film Dracula. Mostly a model at the time, Bellucci was a photographer’s dream, and her appearance in Italy’s Zoom Magazine caught the eye of young Coppola. So impressed was Francis with her look that he cast the inexperienced actress as one of the three brides of Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Thirty years later, yet another Italian actress is set to explode – internationally – after being cast in the next iteration of Dracula.
HAMILTON – The Hamilton Italian Heritage Festival is the city’s inaugural celebration of Italian culture and traditions, set to take place in June 21,22, 2025.
This exciting new event will be a free festival, bringing the vibrant Italian heritage of Hamilton to the forefront with a diverse range of activities, performances, and exhibits. The festival will feature live Italian music, delicious food vendors, art displays, cultural performances, and family-friendly activities.
Located on James Street North, in Hamilton’s Little Italy, beside LiUNA Station—the very area where many Italian immigrants first arrived in Hamilton—this event will offer a unique opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in Italian culture, history, and traditions. With its focus on community, celebration, and cultural exchange, the Hamilton Italian Heritage Festival promises to be a memorable event, creating a space for all to enjoy the richness of Italian heritage in the heart of the city.
For more information visit the website www.hamiltonitalianfest.ca or write an e-mail to hamiltonitalianfestival.@gmail.com
TORONTO – More than 200 fires are still burning across Canada, making the situation extremely urgent and a source of political controversy in Ontario. As flames rage across several areas of the province, the official NDP opposition is indeed calling on the government led by Doug Ford “to reverse cuts to forest firefighting efforts and acknowledge the crisis in the province’s wildfire program…”. →
TORONTO – Wildfires in Canada: extreme emergency in several provinces, so that Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to call in the Canadian Armed Forces. In particular, the military will help evacuate a First Nations community in northwestern Ontario, as forest fires spread rapidly in the region as well as in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. →
DALLAS – More connections between Texas and Italy: the first direct American Airlines flight 130 departing from Dallas/Ft Worth (DFW) airport has arrived in Venice. At the inauguration, Jim Moses (Senior VP American Airlines DFW Airport Operation) highlighted that the airline has strengthened connections with new routes, especially to Europe, and that the partnership with the management of DFW airport is fundamental: 88 million passengers passed through there in 2024. →
