30/06/2009

As had already happened in the past, at the presentation of Medusa’s summer slate Carlo Rossella let slip that one of his films would be going to the Venice Film Festival, which was immediately “corrected” by Giampaolo Letta. “It’s just one of the possible films,” he said. “But it’s true that what you wish for often comes true.”

The title in question is Il Grande Sogno [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (“The Big Dream”), Michele Placido’s film on the events of 1968, starring Riccardo Scamarcio, Jasmine Trinca and Luca Argentero. If the news is true, it will be the second Italian film confirmed to head to the Lido, with Giuseppe Tornatore’s epic comedy Baaria [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] already announced as the festival’s opening film.

Medusa’s 2009-2010 line-up is one that marks their continuity. “As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we are continuing down the path we’ve taken these years, with both arthouse and commercial films,” said Letta. "As well as numerous Italian films, including first and second films such as Giuseppe Capotondi’s La Doppia Ora, Donatella Maiorca’s Viola di Mare, Riccardo Grandi’s Tutto l’Amore del Mondo and Benvenuti al Sud by Luca Miniero”.

There is no lack of potential box office hits, such as Amore 14 and Scusa Ma Ti Voglio Sposare by Federico Moccia, Carlo Vanzina’s La Vita è una Cosa Meravigliosa, and new titles from Ficarra and Picone, Leonardo Pieraccioni, Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo and Massimo Boldi.

Filmmakers from the Medusa stable include Paolo Virzì (La Prima Cosa Bella), Pupi Avati (Il Figlio Più Piccolo, a drama with Christian De Sica), Gabriele Muccino (with his sequel to The Last Kiss) and Saverio Costanzo with the film adaptation of award-winning novel The Solitude of Prime Numbers. Little is known about the latter, except that it will be co-produced with Les Films des Tournelles and probably go into production this October.

The slate is rounded out by US films (including Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, the Coen Brothers, Joe Dante with a 3D film, and Brüno, starring Sasha Baron Cohen’) and only one European title, Pope Joan, by German director Sönke Wortmann.