«An interesting story of Italy cannot ignore its contradictions and paradoxes; in Calabria, we found a perfect combination between the beauty of the sea and the anxieties of some of its places, of some glimpses, of remote beaches, of villas on beaten roads; an ideal environment for our thriller.” Thus Roan Johnson, director of “Monterossi”, enters the heart of the TV series written by Roan Johnson, Davide Lantieri and Alessandro Robecchi which, for this second edition, was largely filmed in our city. And at the same time, a consideration emerges: «You don’t come to Calabria just to make a postcard».
The Hotel Torrione, in the presence of Johnson himself, the interpreter Diego Ribon, the vice president of the Calabria Region Giusi Princi, Giampiero Calabrese, project manager of Film Commission, the delegated producer of Palomar Antonio Badalamenti, hosted the presentation of the series produced by Palomar in collaboration with Prime video, MIC and made with the support of the Calabria Film Commission. Four weeks (from 20 February to 17 March 2023 in Reggio Calabria, and 28 February in San Gregorio), involved 20 local workers and technicians and numerous extras for a total of 100 people involved. An important starting point for Vice President Princi also recalled how «with the last notice of September 2022, 22 films and fiction, 13 documentaries and 12 short films were financed.
A Calabria that through film production wants to tell and narrate a different story, enhance its historical and anthropological heritage and does so by becoming a film set and relying on qualified productions to achieve this objective – underlines Giusy Princi -. Obviously, the presence of a crew in the area means support for the economic industry, accommodation facilities and a whole series of service activities.” The TV series based on the novels by Alessandro Robecchi for Sellerio editore stars Fabrizio Bentivoglio in the role of Carlo Monterossi, a television author of a program from which he finds himself, against his will, investigating murder cases. «We chose Reggio Calabria knowing it last year with Semidei (docufilm, ed.). From here the intuition to shoot here was born. Our production gradually tries to get to know the territories and how to make the most of them in terms of resources and locations”, relaunches the Palomar delegate producer Antonio Badalamenti. Four weeks that you won’t forget. It is the feeling that accompanies the actor Diego Ribon now that our places will be less usual. «I already know Reggio Calabria for other reasons, I’ve been there other times for the theater and for a friend from here. I feel great, like all seaside cities it is very pleasant and the people are kind and friendly and this is not at all obvious. It was a wonderful feeling to feel at home.”