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PRODUCTION / FUNDING Italy

Pantafa by Emanuele Scaringi completes filming

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- The second feature from the Italian director is a sophisticated horror film starring Kasia Smutniak, produced by Fandango with RAI Cinema

Pantafa by Emanuele Scaringi completes filming
Kasia Smutniak in Pantafa (© Christian Nosel)

Filming has ended on Pantafa [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, the second feature from Emanuele Scaringi, produced by Domenico Procacci for Fandango with RAI Cinema. The director and writer, who made his first steps in the world of feature films with The Armadillo's Prophecy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
– adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Zerocalcare and presented in Venice in 2018 – this time tackles the genre of the horror film in his new film.

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Written by Tiziana Triana, Vanessa Picciarelli and Emanuele Scaringi, Pantafa promises to be a sophisticated horror film, with a profoundly evocative atmosphere, in which distressing sleep disturbances are paired with obscure folk legends to tell the disturbing story of a mother who tries to do the best thing for the good of her little girl. Heading the cast is Kasia Smutniak (Perfect Strangers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Loro [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, and soon in the Sky TV series Domina), with the young Greta Santi, Mario Sgueglia, Mauro Marino, Giuseppe Cederna, Betti Pedrazzi, and with the participation of Francesco Colella.

Synopsis: Marta and her daughter Nina move to Malanotte, a small mountain village. The little girl has been suffering from hypnagogic paralysis for some time, a sleep disorder which can lead to hallucinatory states, and Marta thought that a bit of mountain air and distance from the frenetic rhythm of city life might benefit the little girl. However, the house they move into is anything but welcoming, and children are never seen playing in the streets of Malanotte. Nina’s symptoms begin to worsen from the very first night in the new house, and the little girl has more and more vivid nightmares in which a ghostly figure sits on her chest, immobilises her and steals her breath. For Marta, a single mother in a place she finds increasingly sinister, it will become harder every day to know what is best for her child.

The costumes in Pantafa are created by Oscar-winner Gabriella Pescucci (The Age of Innocence, Once Upon a Time in America, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory); the cinematography is handled by Simone D’Onofrio (Bangla [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), and the editing by Gianluca Scarpa (The Predators [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pietro Castellitto
film profile
]
). International sales are handled by Fandango Sales.

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(Translated from Italian)

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