Marco Bellocchio spearheads Italy’s hat trick in the Directors’ Fortnight
- Opening film Sweet Dreams is joined by Like Crazy by Paolo Virzì and Fiore, Claudio Giovannesi’s fourth feature
The opening film of the 48th Directors’ Fortnight at the 69th Cannes Film Festival will be Sweet Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Marco Bellocchio
film profile] by Marco Bellocchio. The Italian hat trick selected in the Cannes sidebar also comprises Like Crazy [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Paolo Virzì
film profile] by Paolo Virzì and Fiore [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Claudio Giovannesi
film profile], the fourth feature by Claudio Giovannesi.
Adapted from the novel Sweet Dreams, Little One by Massimo Gramellini, Sweet Dreams is a co-production between Italy and France, by IBC Movie, Kavac, Rai Cinema and Ad Vitam, with contributions from the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. The Italian distribution will be handled by 01, while Ad Vitam will take care of the French release. The film’s international sales agent is the German company The Match Factory. The cast includes Valerio Mastandrea, Bérénice Bejo, Fabrizio Gifuni, Barbara Ronchi and Emmanuelle Devos.
Another title with a French co-producer is Like Crazy by Paolo Virzì, staged by Marco Belardi for Lotus Production (a Leone Film Group company), Manny Films and Rai Cinema, which is due to hit Italian theatres on Tuesday 17 May, courtesy of 01 Distribution. “It’s a great joy, especially with it being accepted into the most bohemian and least pretentious section,” remarked Virzì when he heard the news. “What’s more, it’s in fantastic company, with a behemoth like Bellocchio and with Giovannesi, who is always up for a fight. On such an important occasion as Cannes, we are thrilled to show off our story looking at madness, disobeying the rules and a healing friendship between two women from complicated backgrounds.” The movie stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Micaela Ramazzotti in the leads, and it has already been sold in various territories by Bac Films.
Fiore by Claudio Giovannesi is a Pupkin Production and IBC Movie production, with Rai Cinema, which will be distributed in Italy by Bim. It tells the story of a teenage girl imprisoned for armed robbery in a youth detention centre. The cast includes Daphne Scoccia, Josciua Algeri and Valerio Mastandrea, who is therefore taking part in the festival with two films.
(Translated from Italian)
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