Without exception, young Gelsomina obeys her father, who keeps his wife and four daughters far from the wiles of the modern world and considers beekeeping the only meaningful activity. The shooting of the television show contest "Countryside Wonders,” which has the entire area buzzing, shakes the confidence of the idealistic man, who thinks the reins of family life are slipping from his grasp. Alice Rohrwacher’s second film brought the young Italian director the Grand Prix at Cannes.
Gelsomina lives with her parents and three younger sisters on a remote farm somewhere in Umbria. Her father keeps the family far from the wiles of the modern world, subscribing to a return to nature as the only safe path. A vegetable patch and, primarily, beekeeping for honey as a source of income keep the adults and children a close-knit group – that is until their strong bonds begin to erode with the arrival of Martin, a juvenile delinquent they take on as part of a reeducation program. He represents interference from the outside, as does the shooting of the TV show contest "Countryside Wonders,” which has the whole region all abuzz. The idealistic and rather despotic father’s confidence is shaken by the realization that his beloved eldest daughter may take a different path than the one he has chosen for himself and those closest to him. Alice Rohrwacher, like her sister Alba who plays the mother, grew up not far from the locations of her "family story.” The picture enchanted Cannes audiences and the international jury, which honored The Wonders with the Grand Prix, the award second only to the Palme d’Or.
111 min / Color, DCP
Director Alice Rohrwacher
/ Screenplay Alice Rohrwacher
/ Dir. of Photography Hélène Louvart
/ Music Piero Crucitti
/ Editor Marco Spoletini
/ Producer Carlo Cresto-Dina, Karl Baumgartner, Tiziana Soudani, Michael Weber
/ Production Tempesta, Rai Cinema
/ Coproduction Amka Films Productions, Pola Pandora Filmproduktion
/ Cast Maria Alexandra Lungu, Sam Louwyck, Alba Rohrwacher
/ Contact The Match Factory, Aerofilms
/ Distributor Aerofilms
Alice Rohrwacher (b. 1981, Fiesole, Italy), younger sister of Alba Rohrwacher – one of the most successful Italian actresses of the young generation, focused on music and theater after studying literature and philosophy at university in Torino. In 2004 she penned the story and script for the documentary Un piccolo spettacolo (dir. Pierpaolo Giarolo), and between 2006 and 2009 she worked on another five documentaries, writing the story, editing, and assistant directing. Her first feature Corpo Celeste (2011), for which she wrote the script and which was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2011, was also presented to Karlovy Vary audiences in Another View. She represented Italian cinema to great acclaim this year at the Cannes IFF with The Wonders.
The Match Factory
Domstrasse 60, 50668, Cologne
Germany
Phone: +49 221 539 7090
E-mail: [email protected]
Aerofilms
Milady Horákové 383/79, 170 00, Praha 7
Czech Republic
Phone: +420 224 947 566
E-mail: [email protected]
Alice Rohrwacher
Film Director
Ivo Andrle
Distributor
Zuzana Pudilová
Distributor
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