An old, dried-up well is situated not far from an abandoned house somewhere in a deserted region of the south Italian countryside. The well hides a terrible secret which is discovered by nine-year-old Michele one hot afternoon. This story of the loss of a child’s innocence and reluctant initiation into the world of adults was screened in competition at the Berlin IFF.
It is 1978. The south Italian village of Acque Traverse is in the middle of a hot summer. While adults overcome by the oppressive heat keep indoors in the cool of their dilapidated houses, a handful of children run about in the rolling fields of golden corn. Their attention is drawn to a lonely, half-demolished house on a hill where, one afternoon, nine-year-old Michele discovers an old, dried-up well. What begins as an adventure turns out to be more dangerous than the boy’s fertile imagination had conceded. A terrible crime is committed in the deathly silence of this forgotten corner of the world. Michele is faced with the most important decision of his young life. How can he prevent the wrong-doing in which even those closest to him are involved? This latest film by Gabriele Salvatores, based on the novel of the same name by Niccolo Ammaniti, takes the form of a thriller whose story tells of the loss of a child’s innocence and his reluctant initiation into the world of adults. The film, screened in competition at this year’s Berlin IFF, was extremely well received, particularly for the superb performances from both child and adult actors.
110 min / Color, 35 mm
Director Gabriele Salvatores
/ Screenplay Niccolo Ammaniti, Francesca Marciano
/ Dir. of Photography Italo Petriccione
/ Music Ezio Bosso, Pepo Scherman
/ Editor Massimo Fiocchi
/ Producer Marco Chimenz
/ Production Cattleya
/ Cast Aitana Sanchez-Gijón, Diego Abatantuono, Dino Abbrescia, Giuseppe Cristano, Mattia Di Pierro
/ Contact Capitol Films, Cattleya
www: www.iononhopaura.it
Gabriele Salvatores (1950, Naples) has lived in Milan since his youth. After graduating from the Academy of Dramatic Arts, he co-founded the Teatro dell’Elfo in 1972 which became a popular venue for young theatre-goers. In 1981 he produced the rock musical A Midsummer Night’s Dream and turned it into a film the following year. He achieved his greatest success to date with the film Mediterraneo, which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Filmography: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sogno di una notte d’estate, 1983), Kamikazen-Ultima notte a Milano (1987), Marrakech Express (1989), Turnè, (1989), Mediterraneo (1991), Puerto Escondido (1992), Sud (1993), Nirvana (1996), Denti (2000), Amnèsia (2002), I´m Not Scared (Io non ho paura, 2002).
Capitol Films
, W2 1LA, London
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 207 298 6200
Fax: +44 207 298 6201
E-mail: [email protected]
Cattleya
Piazzale Valerio Massimo 7/8, 00162, Rome
Italy
Phone: +39 06 3672 01
E-mail: [email protected]
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