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PRODUCTION / FUNDING Italy

Alessandro Borghi is now filming Mondocane

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- The actor who won a David di Donatello award for his part in On My Skin plays the lead in Alessandro Celli’s debut film, produced by Matteo Rovere

Alessandro Borghi is now filming Mondocane
Alessandro Borghi in a set photo of Mondocane (© Paolo Ciriello)

Shooting is underway on Mondocane [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, the first feature film by the forty-three-year-old director and TV writer Alessandro Celli which is produced by Matteo Rovere on behalf of Groenlandia and RAI Cinema, and which sees Alessandro Borghi (Best Actor David di Donatello for his portrayal of Stefano Cucchi in On My Skin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, and recently seen in the TV series Devils) step into the shoes of a gang leader in a future world frightening similar to our own.

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Written by Alessandro Celli and Antonio Leotti (Radiofreccia, Angels of Evil [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), the film is set in a not-too-distant future universe. Taranto (for the record, the Apulian city which has been in the news for years as a result of the environmental pollution pumped out by the Ilva steelworks) is a ghost town surrounded by barbed wire which no-one, not even the police, dares to venture into. Only the poorest of the poor remain, struggling for survival while a criminal gang - the Ants, headed up by the charismatic Testacalda (lit. "Hothead") - is locked in battle over another gang’s territory. Two thirteen-year-old orphans who have grown up together dream of gaining entry to the group. Pietro, known as Mondocane after passing the gang’s initiation trial, also imposes Christian upon the group, who deride the latter and call him Pisciasotto (lit. "Pissypants"). But something will upset the gang’s equilibrium, jeopardising everything they thought they believed in.

“Groenlandia film are continuing to wager on titles which look to transcend genres whilst also respecting their codes, combining entertainment and high-quality storytelling, which is, in our opinion, the greatest ongoing challenge”, enthused Rovere, producer of The Champion [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Leonardo D’Agostini
film profile
]
and the saga I Can Quit Whenever I Want [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sydney Sibilia
film profile
]
, among others. “We are constantly working on first films; seeking out new talent is the sole guarantee for the future of the Italian film industry, and we were blown away by this script”.

Also starring in the cast of Mondocane are Barbara Ronchi, Ludovica Nasti (the super-young prodigy-actress from the series My Brilliant Friend [+see also:
series review
series profile
]
), Josafat Vagni and Federica Torchetti, and making their first on-screen appearance Dennis Protopapa and Giuliano Soprano. The film’s photography is that of Giuseppe Maio, set design is by Fabrizio D’Arpino, costumes by Andrea Cavalletto, make-up and prosthetics design by Roberto Pastore and hair is by Sharim Sabatini, while editing comes courtesy of Clelio Benevento.

Filming on Mondocane will last seven weeks, unfolding between Rome and Taranto.

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(Translated from Italian)

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