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Italian producer Domenico Procacci, after shepherding more than 100 movies and several TV series, including Netflix’s upcoming Elena Ferrante adaptation “The Lying Life of Adults,” via his Fandango shingle, is debuting as a director with six-part documentary series “The Team.” Variety speaks to Procacci exclusively about what prompted him to go behind the camera for what he says is just a one-off experience as a director, and debuts the English-language subtitled version of the trailer, above.

The project is a deeply researched reconstruction of the complex – and sometimes comical – dynamics behind the Italian tennis team that won the 1976 Davis Cup and reached the finals for this trophy three other times between 1976 and 1980.

In “The Team,” which is being presented as a work-in-progress at the Torino Film Festival, the protagonists are the team’s players, Adriano Panatta, Corrado Barazzutti, Paolo Bertolucci, Tonino Zugarelli, and its captain, Italian tennis legend Nicola Pietrangeli.

Weaver, Giuseppe Tornatore and Pierre Bismuth to particpate in ‘Close Encounters’ event in October

Sigourney Weaver, director Giuseppe Tornatore and French artist, filmmaker and Oscar-winning co-writer of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Pierre Bismuth, will participate in the ‘Close Encounters’ talks series of the Rome Film Festival to be held October 18 -28.

They join Martin Scorsese who will be at the festival for two days to receive its lifetime achievement award, as announced earlier this month. Scorsese will also take part in a Close Encounters event, said artistic director Antonio Munda who hosted a press conference to unveil the...

Martin Scorsese will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award and take part in an interview about his career and Italian cinema at this year’s Rome Film Festival (October 18-28).

The iconic director will present the restored version of an as-yet undisclosed Italian classic film and serve as the subject of an in-conversation session with festival director Antonio Monda. His award will be presented to him by Italian director Paolo Taviani.

Also among the festival’s Close Encounters interview program will be Sigourney Weaver, Cinema Paradiso director Giuseppe Tornatore, artist and screenwriter Pierre Bismuth, acclaimed Italian DoP’s Luca Bigazzi and Arnaldo Catinari as well as feted editors Giogiò Franchini and Esmeralda Calabria.

Rome is also revealing snippets of its film lineup today, including Notti Magiche by Paolo Virzì, retrospectives of Peter Sellers and Maurice Pialat, the restoration of Italiani Brava Gente by Giuseppe De Santis and an exhibition on Marcello Mastroianni.

In the 1980s, Italian multi-hyphenate Valeria Golino starred in Hollywood films such as “Rain Man,” ”Big Top Pee-wee,” and “Hot Shots!,” before returning to Italy. She’s now at Cannes in Un Certain Regard as a director for the second time with “Euphoria,” about two brothers with opposite characters unexpectedly brought together after their paths had long split.

“Euphoria” revolves around a charismatic gay man. What inspired you?

A dear friend of mine went through a tough time with his brother who was very sick. A story he told me was the seed for the film.

How would you describe the protagonist?

The hero of the movie is a young man who is very shrewd, promiscuous, a coke-head, a liar, and totally amoral, though I never judge him. It’s not a morality tale.

Unlike your previous film, “Miele,” you explore a male universe this time. Was it harder?

No.