PRODUCTION / FUNDING Italy / Chile / Switzerland

The final Italian clapperboard slams in Turin on Sergio Castro San Martín’s Il Cileno

12/12/2024 - The Chilean director’s movie starring Camilo Arancibia and Sara Serraiocco, follows young socialist Aldo Marín as he flees Pinochet’s Chile in 1976 to take refuge in Italy

On the shoot of Il Cileno

The Italian portion of filming on the feature film Il Cileno, an Italian-Swiss-Chilean co-production directed by the El Salvador-born filmmaker Sergio Castro San Martín, has now wrapped in Turin. Produced by dispàrte, EQUECO (Chile) and Cinédokké in association with Redibis Film, the movie focuses on the story of Aldo Marín, a young socialist who fled Pinochet’s Chile in 1976 and found refuge in Italy, in the turbulent city of Turin which was marred by the political tensions of that decade. Shooting will continue in Switzerland and then for several days in Chile, until early January.

Penned by Sergio Castro San Martín in league with Simona Nobile, Il Cileno is a story described by the director as a coming-of-age tale with noir undertones, which aims to depict a young survivor’s forced transition to adulthood. It’s set in Turin in 1976. Young socialist Aldo Marín and his best friend El Chapa escape the Chilean army and find refuge in Italy. They arrive in the turbulent city of Turin, which is marred by political and social tensions reminiscent of their homeland. While El Chapa soon adapts to living on his wits, forging relationships with the local underworld, Aldo dreams of a different future. He finds work in a factory, convinced that, over time, he’ll manage to earn enough to bring his wife and son to Italy.

It’s the hot autumn of terrorism in Italy and Aldo’s destiny sees him cross paths with Luciana, a young university lecturer committed to the fight for women’s rights, and with her brother Enrico, a militant with extra-parliamentary powers. Luciana is prepared to risk everything for her ideals, while Aldo must face up to a past which doesn’t seem to leave him in peace. Franco Russo - an unyielding marshal in charge of Turin’s Forensic Science Police, who specialises in explosives and fighting terrorist groups - is keeping an eye on Aldo, because he suspect the two Chileans are involved in the attacks recently rocking the city.

With an eye on the past and a reflection on present-day challenges – the synopsis concludes – the film guides us through the life of a young man torn between two worlds, both of which marred by violence and ideals. It’s a dramatic journey which highlights the wounds left by history, telling the story of an entire generation’s search for identity.

Il Cileno is being made with the support of the Film Commission Torino Piemonte - Piemonte Film Tv Development Fund (December 2020), with backing from the 2021-2027 Piedmont European Regional Development Fund (FESR) - Piedmont Film TV Fund Call (2024) and the Italian Ministry for Culture’s Film and Audiovisual Department, together with Ibermedia, Creative Europe MEDIA, FFA - Coproducción Minoritaria, CORFO, OFC – Minority Co-Productions, Ticino Republic and Canton – Canton Fund for Cinematography, and RSI, with sponsorship from the City of Turin. The film will be distributed abroad and in Italy by Fandango.

(Translated from Italian)