Two Italian films are in competition for the Palme d’Or best film prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. They are Mario Martone’s Nostalgia and Valeri Bruni Tedechi’s Les Amandiers.
Following Oscar nominations for other Italian films, now it’s the turn of the Palme d’Or at Cannes Gilm Festival.
Nostalgia, adapted from the novel of the same name by Ermanno Rea, was shot in Naples’ Rione Sanità. It stars Pierfrancesco Favino and Francesco Di Leva. IMDB describes the plot as follows: “A boy discovers an object that he doesn’t recognise, a vinyl record. In a world submerged in electronics, this boy tries to learn how to operate past technologies.”
The autobiographical Les Amandiers (The Almond Trees) is about Bruni Tedeschi’s years in Paris in the 1980s at Patrick Chereau’s theatre school. IMDB describes the plot as: “At the end of the 1980s, Stella, Victor, Adèle and Etienne are 20 years old. They take the entrance exam to the famous acting school at the Théâtre des Amandiers in Nanterre. Launched at full speed into life, passion, and love, together they will experience the turning point of their lives, but also their first tragedy.”
TV series by Bellochio up for award
Another Italian production at the 75th edition of the film festival on May 18-29 is by veteran director Marco Bellocchio.
Esterno Notte is a TV series covering the 1978 kidnapping and execution by Red Brigades terrorists of Christian Democrat statesman Aldo Moro. The series is in the Cannes Premiere section.
