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INDUSTRY / MARKET France / Italy

Nine Italian films to screen in De Rome à Paris’ Work In Progress line-up

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- New works by Ferzan Ozpetek and Alessandro Rak are among the titles set to be presented on 12 December, with a co-production market featuring 13 projects

Nine Italian films to screen in De Rome à Paris’ Work In Progress line-up
Director Ferzan Ozpetek

The 12th edition of the Italian Film Meetings – “De Rome à Paris” (read our news) will open with two professional days held on 12 and 13 December in Paris. The programme includes a Work In Progress session for French distributers, with 9 feature films set to screen on Thursday 12 December at the l’Arlequin cinema.

Standing out among them is the Belgian co-production Caliber 9 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Toni D’Angelo, a work presented as a sequel to Milan Caliber 9 by Fernando Di Leo (1972). The story, which unfolds in the Lombardian city in the present-day, revolves around a brilliant criminal defence lawyer, raised by his mother in order that his destiny might be different to that of his criminal father. But the prime suspect in a telematics scam to the tune of 100 million euros is a client of his, behind whom there hides the ‘ndrangheta, one of the most powerful mafia groups on the planet. From Milan to Anvers, by way of Calabria, Moscow and Frankfurt, the lawyer will put his life on the line in a real-life chess game… Starring in the cast are Marco Bocci, Barbara Bouchet, Ksenia Rappoport, Michele Placido, Alessio Boni and Andrea Arru. The film is produced by Minerva Pictures (who are also heading up international sales), alongside Belgian group Gapbusters and Rai Cinema, with the support of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism (MiBACT) and the Calabria Film Commission.

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Also set to be showcased is the Italian-Polish co-production Thou Shall Not Hate [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mauro Mancini
film profile
]
by Mauro Mancini, starring Alessandro Gassmann in the role of a Jewish doctor living comfortably in Trieste, who has distanced himself from his father, a former deportee from the Second World War. But, following his decision to leave the victim of a road traffic accident to die after discovering a Nazi tattoo on the latter’s body, the doctor enters into a vicious cycle of guilt which pushes him to look for the family of the deceased… Produced by Movimento Film with Polish firm Agresywna Banda alongside Notorious Pictures and Rai Cinema, this title is sold by Intramovies.

Similarly worth a mention is the animated film Yaya e Lennie - The Walking Liberty [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Alessandro Rak (The Art of Happiness [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alessandro Rak
film profile
]
, Cinderella the Cat [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alessandro Rak
film profile
]
), which is produced by Mad Entertainment, as well as two titles which are on the verge of release in Italy: The Fortune Goddess by Ferzan Ozpetek (read our article), starring Stefano Accorsi, Edoardo Leo and Jasmine Trinca (produced by R&C Produzioni alongside Faros Film and Warner Italie, sold by True Colours and set to be distributed on 19 December), and 18 Presents [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Francesco Amato.

Likewise of interest in this Work In Progress line-up is The Predators, Pietro Castellitto’s first feature film which centres on two very different Roman families who are brought together by a minor accident and who will subsequently collide as a result of a 25-year-old woman’s folly, unearthing many secrets in the process… A film produced and sold by Fandango.

Last but not least and rounding off the Work In Progress programme are Marco Amenta’s Through the Waves [+see also:
interview: Marco Amenta
film profile
]
, starring Vincenzo Amato, Sveva Alviti and Gianfranco Cudrano (produced by Eurofilm alongside Oberon Media and Achab Film), the comedy You Only Live Once [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, directed by and starring Carlo Verdone and the documentary Climbing Iran [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Francesca Borghetti (a work homing in on Nasim Eshqi, the only professional, female, Iranian rock-climber; a Nanof and Hirya Lab production).

These Parisian professional meetings will also include a co-production market featuring 13 titles (of Italian provenance) taking place on the afternoon of Friday 13 December. Of particular interest amongst these projects is La bella estate by Laura Luchetti (steered by Kino Produzioni), Audrey la mer by Sebastiano Riso (Indiana Production), Mammut by Andrea Pallaoro (Ascent Film), La scuola cattolica [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stefano Mordini
film profile
]
by Stefano Mordini (Picomedia), Miss Dick by Annarita Zambrano (Mad Entertainment) and Pace sulla collina by Kim Rossi Stuart (Palomar). Other films in search of partners are Il sentiero di Austina by Marco Amenta (Eurofilm), Il momento perfetto by Sophie Chiarello (Josei), La passione di Camilla by Giorgio Amato (Europictures), Tutta la mia vita by Diego Botta (Malia Film), Come Prima by Tommy Weber (Mad Entertainment) and two projects yet to find themselves a director: Il Cileno (produced by Disparte) and The Serpent Queen (produced by Filmexport).

The morning of Friday 13 December, meanwhile, will be devoted to a round table set in the premises of the CNC and tackling various topics; namely, the new Italy-France co-production fund and the impact of the present development fund (involving speakers such as the director general of MiBACT’s Film and Audiovisual department Mario Turetta, and Michel Plazanet of the CNC), the funding available in Italy for co-productions, and French and Italian films abroad (involving Gilles Renouard from UniFrance and Roberto Stabile from the National Association of Film, Audiovisual and Multimedia Industries (ANICA)), distribution subsidies and release windows (involving Simone Gialdini of ANEM/ANEC, Eric Lagesse of Pyramide, Marie Masmonteil of Elzevir Films, Daniele Mazzocca of Notorious Pictures and Davide Novelli of Vision Distribution).

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(Translated from French)

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