Talents from the South in stories that portray everyday life in its truest, even painful, aspects at Alice nella Città, section of the Festa of the Cinema of Rome dedicated to children. Among these, the Calabrian actors Swamy Roll And Francesco Colella in works of pressing relevance.
David di Donatello 2022 for “A Chiara”, the actress from Gioia is in the coming of age “Io e il Secco” by Gianluca Santoni, the only Italian film in the main competition. A buddy movie about witnessed violence, centered on the story of little Denni (Francesco Lombardo), who to defend his mother (Barbara Ronchi) from his violent father (Andrea Sartoretti), decides to turn to Secco (Andrea Lattanzi), an alleged killer, but in make yourself a drifter in need of money.
In the film Swamy Rotolo plays Marta, Secco’s great love. «She is an 18 year old girl who decides to raise the child she had from Secco on her own. Even though the love between them is over, when the man turns to her in a moment of difficulty with Denni, Marta manages to understand the little one’s suffering and acts as a parent to her together with Secco during the days when they stay in Denni’s house. she “. Colella from Catanzaro is instead the protagonist of “Suspicious Minds” by Emiliano Corapi, presented on 28 October, in competition in the “Panorama Italia” section. A sentimental noir where the actor is Fabrizio, who returns from Holland to Italy, to Rome, with his wife Emilie (Thekla Reuten) for a holiday. The man gets stuck in the hotel elevator with the young Giulia (Amanda Campana), who is staying in the same hotel with her boyfriend Daniele (Matteo Oscar Giuggioli). The suspicion of betrayal falls on the relationship of both couples. «Fabrizio, despite apparently being a fulfilled man, tries to find himself with Emilie on this holiday where he will experience a moment of crisis due to this particular circumstance. This will lead to a sort of “traumatic” mutual knowledge, perhaps decisive for their relationship, since in some way they will discover each other.” Colella is also present at the Film Festival with the short film “Corpo unico” by Mia Benedetta (“Onde Corte” section of Alice nella Città) and “Volare” by Margherita Buy (“Grand Public” section of the official event). The first addresses the theme of femicide through a narrative close to the dystopian genre. The protagonists are three men (Colella, Andrea Lattanzi and Francesco Bolo Rossini), who in a world where the female population has become extinct, recall the harm done to as many women (Iaia Forte, Linda Caridi and Vittoria Puccini), condemned to become their victims.
«The other dimension into which Mia Benedetta has brought the news represents a powerful way of talking about it and contributes to promoting a different culture on the topic of violence which up to now has not been treated in the best possible way. There is a lot of talk about it, but when it happens the facts do not match the words and many women are left alone in the face of abuse and a male community that does not take their requests for help seriously.”
In “Volare” Colella plays Eugenio, an air force commander who holds a course in Fiumicino to overcome the fear of flying, attended by the protagonist Anna Bi (Buy herself). «Every character in the film has his own story and Eugenio also has his torments, especially love affairs, despite being a point of reference for those who attend the course. In the film this phobia is a ploy to talk about various human frailties. Thanks to Margherita’s direction, these characters make you smile while showing their pain points at the same time.” “Volare” will be in theaters from February 2024.
