AVEMMARIA

Felice lives in two dark rooms of a crumbling building with his father Raffaele, recently laid off, his mother Antonietta, too young and worn down by grief, his grandmother Filomena, always dressed in black and filled with resentment, and three brothers, with another on the way. In that world of poverty and violence, a boy like him can either be crushed or cling to his dreams. His imagination is his refuge, but in Pianura there’s no room for fantasy – being poor and a dreamer is a fault. Yet his teacher, Giulia, recognizes his singing talent and tries to offer him new horizons. When Felice sees Neil Armstrong’s footprint in his textbook, he realizes he too might leave Pianura and reach the moon. The directorial debut of Neapolitan actor Fortunato Cerlino, based on his novel Se vuoi vivere felice.

“Felice’s story is a struggle for survival, an attempt to break free from the poverty and violence that surrounds him. Yet he is just a child, and the only way he can escape that dysfunctional world is to cling tenaciously to his dreams and his ability to imagine an alternative reality. Felice knows that, just like the plastic parachutist he plays with, the gravitational force of a world determined to crush him can be overcome. Flying is possible, but the imaginary wall that surrounds him is hard to scale. Believing that freedom exists beyond that prison is a daunting task for a ten-year-old, when what oppresses him is death, deprivation, violence, fear, and anger. That world devours dreams, weighs down anyone trying to rise, and attacks every sprout of emancipation at birth. Moreover, those who are different are feared, because while going beyond is a personal hero’s journey, the surrounding environment dreads that possibility.”

DIRECTOR: Fortunato Cerlino. SCREENPLAY: Fortunato Cerlino form his own novel Se vuoi vivere felice, Paolo Piccirillo. CINEMATOGRAPHY: Corrado Serri. FILM EDITING: Diego Liguori. PRODUCTION DESIGN: Luca Servino. COSTUME DESIGN: Paola Bonucci. MUSIC: Mariano Bellopede. CAST: Salvatore Esposito, Marianna Fontana, Mario Di Leva, Carmine Borrino, Gennaro Di Colandrea, Franca Abategiovanni, Giulia Coppini, Cecilia Bertozzi. PRODUCTION: Ventottodieci Produzioni, Moving Milano, Europictures, Red Private, in collaboration with Rai Cinema, with the contribution of the Ministry of Culture, and with the support of the Campania Region and Film Commission of the Campania Region.

CONTACT: Ventottodieci Produzioni produzioni@ventottodieciproduzioni.com