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PRODUCTION Italy

Filming on Claudio Giovannesi's Piranhas wraps ahead of its participation in Berlin

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- Six 15-year-olds embark on a quest for power in the Sanità district of Naples. The 40-year-old Roman director's new film is due to compete for the Golden Bear at the forthcoming Berlinale

Filming on Claudio Giovannesi's Piranhas wraps ahead of its participation in Berlin
Piranhas by Claudio Giovannesi

Sixteen-year-old Nicola, Tyson, Biscottino, Lollipop, O'Russ and Briatò want to make money, buy designer clothes and ride about on shiny new scooters. They mess about with guns and whizz about town on a quest for power in the Sanità district of Naples. Based on the eponymous novel by Roberto Saviano, Piranhas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roberto Saviano
film profile
]
is the latest film by Claudio Giovannesi after Fiore [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Claudio Giovannesi
film profile
]
(selected at Cannes Directors' Fortnight in 2016) and Alì Blue Eyes [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claudio Giovannesi
film profile
]
(winner of the Special Jury Prize at Rome Film Fest in 2012), as well as a series of documentaries.

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Filmed in Naples last summer, the feature stars the following amateur young actors from various Neapolitan neighbourhoods: Francesco Di Napoli (Nicola), Artem Tkachuk (Tyson), Alfredo Turitto (Biscottino), Ciro Vecchione (O'Russ), Ciro Pellecchia (Lollipop) and Mattia Piano Del Balzo (Briatò). Under the illusion of bringing justice to their neighbourhood, the small gang pursues good through evil. As close as brothers, they don't fear prison or death, in full knowledge that their only option is to play everything they’ve got. Wrapped up in the recklessness of adolescence, warfare and criminality will lead them to make irreversible decisions and to sacrifice love and friendship.

Produced by Carlo Degli Esposti and Nicola Serra for Palomar and Vision Distribution, Piranhas was written by Maurizio Braucci with Giovannesi and Saviano. Daniele Ciprì was in charge of the film’s photography after collaborating with the director on two previous features, while Giuseppe Trepiccione edited the film, Andrea Moscianese composed the soundtrack and Olivia Bellini handled costume design. International sales are being managed by the French company Elle Driver, which is also handling sales for The Man Who Stole Banksy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Marco Proserpio.

Selected in competition at the upcoming Berlinale, the film will be released in Italian cinemas on 13 February with Vision Distribution.

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(Translated from Italian)

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