Italian cinema has, in the last 10 years or so, experienced something of a Renaissance; Italian films have one better at the box office, Italian television has begun to gain an international foothold (the hit film Gomorra spawned a TV series that—along with the original series Suburra—is on Netflix) and a number of individual talents have emerged that are attracting increasing attention and scrutiny. In this course, we will focus on four "contemporary auteurs,"  directors who (like Hitchcock, Nolan, Lee, Ackerman) have evolved a recognizable style and set of interests—or perhaps obsessions. Sorrentino, Rohrwacher, Crialese and Garrone are new champions of Italian film in a decidedly transational age of cinema.