Michelle Danner talks new movie, The Italians

Film director Michelle Danner is releasing “The Italians,” a quirky dramedy about family, love, and tantalizing Italian cooking. “The Italians” shows the Vitali Family, an Italian-American family, as they meet their son's new fiance who is decidedly not Italian. 

Director Michelle Danner says: “This is a deeply touching story about loving family, forgiving family and irresistible Italian food.” “The Italians” is Danner’s eighth directorial project following on the heels of her latest success, “Miranda’s Victim,” which was released last fall and told the incredible true story about the creation of the Miranda Warning after the brutal assault on 18-year-old Patricia Weir. 

A renowned acting teacher and co-founder of the Creative Center for the Arts (formerly known as Edgemar Center for the Arts) and the Los Angeles Acting Conservatory, Danner’s list of students has included Christian Slater, Salma Hayek, Gerard Butler, Seth MacFarlane, Penelope Cruz, Chris Rock, Gabrielle Union and Zooey Deschanel.

"The Italians" premiered at the ITALIA Los Angeles Fashion and Art Festival in March where Danner was awarded Best Director, and has since screened at the Cinequest Film Festival, the San Luis Obispo Film Festival, and the prestigious Ischia Global Film Festival where it had its international premiere. Its other accolades include Best Actress for Kazan at the Nevada Women’s Film Festival, Best Actress for Breslin and Best Director at the Seattle Film Festival, Best Film at the Berlin Indie Film Festival, Best Film at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the Paris Play Film Festival, and the Award of Excellence and Outstanding Achievement at the Accolade Film Festival. The film released on April 10th, 2025 on Amazon Prime Video, Apple, Google Play, and Vudu.

Watch my interview with Michelle Danner here: