Monday 16 June saw filming commence in Rome on 40 secondi, Vincenzo Alfieri’s new movie based on the tragic story of Willy Monteiro Duarte, a young Cape Verdean who was killed in Collferro near Rome on 6 September 2020 after intervening to defend a friend during an argument. The film is being produced by Eagle Pictures, the same production house behind The Boy with Pink Pants [+lire aussi :
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bande-annonce
fiche film] which was a surprise box office hit in 2024, earning 10 million euros overall.

Written by Vincenzo Alfieri (who directed Il corpo [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], selected for the Critics’ Picks section of the Tallinn Black Nights Festival, and Gli uomini d’oro [+lire aussi :
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making of
fiche film]), in collaboration with Giuseppe Stasi, the screenplay is loosely based on the book 40 secondi. Willy Monteiro Duarte. La luce del coraggio and il buio della violenza by journalist Federica Angeli, published by Baldini+Castoldi. It tells the story of an argument over a simple misunderstanding which turns into a shockingly violent beating of which Willy Monteiro Duarte is the victim, resulting in the 21-year-old being killed within the space of 40 seconds. The film covers the 24 hours preceding the tragic event where casual encounters, rivalries and underlying tensions interweave, in a journey into the banality of evil, investigating human nature and its influences. Willy’s death stirred up strong public debate around social difficulties amongst young people and gratuitous violence, drawing attention to pressing issues such as integration, mutual respect and the need to value second generation immigrants in Italian society. Brothers Marco and Gabriele Bianchi were eventually found guilty of Willy’s murder, the former sentenced to life and the latter to 28 years in prison.

The cast stars Francesco Gheghi (awarded the Orizzonti Prize for Best Actor via Familia [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] in Venice 2024, and the newly appointed winner of the Biraghi Prize at this year’s Nastri d’Argento Awards), who’s joined by Enrico Borello (La città proibita [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], Familia, Settembre [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]), Francesco Di Leva (awarded the Best Supporting Actor David di Donatello for Nostalgia [+lire aussi :
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interview : Mario Martone
interview : Pierfrancesco Favino
fiche film] in 2023 and for Familia this year), Beatrice Puccilli (of the series Adoration and My Summer with Irène [+lire aussi :
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interview : Carlo Sironi
fiche film]), Sergio Rubini (recently behind the cameras for the TV series Leopardi. Il poeta dell’infinito and acting in Felicità [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]), and Maurizio Lombardi (of the series Mussolini – Son of the Century [+lire aussi :
interview : Joe Wright
fiche série] and awarded the 2024 Nastro d‘Argento for his part in Romeo è Giulietta). The director and production team opted for attentive street casting to find their protagonists, with the aim of placing professional actors next to a few new faces – including Giordano Giansanti and Luca Petrini – in order to preserve the authenticity of the story.

Filming will unfold over seven weeks in Rome and the surrounding area. 40 secondi will hit Italian cinemas on 20 November 2025 via Eagle Pictures.