Festivals FILM

Minerva Pictures closes Venice81 with a standing ovation for L’orto americano by Pupi Avati!

8 September 2024

Minerva Pictures concluded the 81st Venice Film Festival with The American Backyard, Pupi Avati’s new gothic film based on his namesake novel. Presented as the closing film, it received a 10-minute standing ovation at the Sala Grande, marking the return of the acclaimed director with an exceptional cast. Alongside leads Filippo Scotti and Rita Tushingham, the film stars Armando De Ceccon, Roberto De Francesco, Chiara Caselli, and Romano Reggiani. This extraordinary performance, combined with Avati’s direction, captivated the audience.

The plot of The American Backyard is set in 1950s America and blends gothic atmospheres, intertwining themes of remorse, memory, and the supernatural, characteristic of Avati’s cinema. With ten films presented at the Lido, Avati confirms his status as the Italian director with the most official selections.

Produced by Minerva Pictures and Duea Film, in collaboration with Rai Cinema, the film will be distributed in Italian cinemas in 2025 by 01 Distribution, generating high expectations among critics and art-house cinema fans.

This work marks the culmination of a rich lineup from Minerva Pictures, which also presented other significant titles such as Cloud by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and the documentary Twst – Things We Said Today by Andrei Ujică, along with the restoration of Lina Wertmüller’s classic Swept Away.

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Filming begins on “La versione di Giuda,” the new film by Giulio Base!

2 August 2024

Filming has officially begun on La versione di Giuda, the new film written and directed by Giulio Base!

Featuring an international cast including Rupert Everett, Paz Vega, John Savage, Darko Peric, Tomasz Kot, and Abel Ferrara, the film is produced by Agnus Dei Production, Minerva Pictures, and Agresywna Banda, in collaboration with Rai Cinema and supported by the Calabria Film Commission.

The shoot, which will last four weeks, is set in various picturesque locations in Calabria, including Curinga, Corigliano-Rossano, Cleto, the Sila National Park, and Cosenza.

The plot follows the life of Judas, born in a brothel and raised amid hardships, suffering, and violence. Over the years, pain hardens him, and he reluctantly becomes the protector of the place where he was born and raised. However, his life changes dramatically when he meets a young man named Jesus, who saves Mary Magdalene, one of his charges, from being stoned. Captivated by such mercy, Judas decides to follow him, leading to his agonizing decision of betrayal.

#staytuned for updates and behind-the-scenes content!

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First take for L’orto americano, Pupi Avati’s gothic film

11 December 2023

The filming of L’orto americano is underway, a gothic film based on Pupi Avati‘s novel, who also directs it. The cast includes Filippo Scotti (È stata la mano di Dio), the award-winning British actress Rita Tushingham, Armando De Ceccon (Oltre la bufera), Roberto De Francesco (Il silenzio grande), Chiara Caselli (Lei mi parla ancora), Romano Reggiani (Eravamo bambini), Cesare Cremonini, and Andrea Roncato.

Cesare Bastelli is in charge of cinematography, Biagio Fersini handles the set designs, Beatrice Giannini designs the costumes, and Ivan Zuccon takes care of the editing.

Seven weeks of filming are planned, spanning locations in Rome and its surroundings, Cinecittà Studios, the Delta del Po, and the city of Davenport in Iowa.

L’orto americano is produced by Santo Versace and Gianluca Curti for Minerva Pictures, and Antonio Avati for DUEA Film, in collaboration with Rai Cinema. The film is made with the support of the Emilia-Romagna Film Commission.

Synopsis
Bologna, in the 1940s. A mentally troubled young man with literary aspirations falls desperately in love with a female auxiliary in the American army with just a glance. A year later, circumstances lead him to live in the American Midwest, right next to, but separated by a ominous garden, where the elderly mother of the soldier lives. The woman is desperate for her daughter, who, since the end of the conflict, after writing that she would marry an Italian, has not been heard from. The young man embarks on a tense search for the girl, experiencing a particularly dramatic situation, leading to an entirely unexpected conclusion in Italy.