Dio ride, written and directed by Giovanni Veronesi (The King’s Musketeers, Manual of Love, For Love, Only for Love), will close the 83rd edition of the Venice International Film Festival in an out-of-competition slot.
Dio ride will have its world premiere on Saturday, Sept. 12, after the awards ceremony. Venice opens on Sept. 2.
“During the mid-1600s, there is a man who talks of God in a way that no one has ever done before: Frate Leopoldo da Casamacchia,” reads a synopsis. “While the Church preaches in Latin, Fra Leopoldo recounts the Gospel with contagious joy, bringing comfort and hope to those who listen to him. He speaks of a God who is close to the people and is even able to laugh with them. His message spreads from village to village, winning the hearts of thousands of people who begin to follow him everywhere, as the churches empty out.”
Of course, word reaches the Vatican. “The Pope decides to entrust the case to Cardinal Maculani, the most authoritative inquisitor of his era,” the synopsis continues. “What begins as a trial turns into an unexpected confrontation that is destined to challenge seemingly unshakable convictions. While Leopoldo’s destiny seems foreordained, the destinies of Maculani and those who, like him, are overcome by doubt take unexpected directions. Because you can silence a voice but not what that voice has left in others.”
The film stars Pierfrancesco Favino, Silvio Orlando, Alma Noce, Francesco Gheghi, Maurizio Lombardi, Paolo Rossi, and Carlo Cecchi in the role of Pope Innocent X. The script was written by Giovanni Veronesi, Nicola Baldoni, Gianluca Bernardini, Nicola Deorsola with the collaboration of Paolo Portone and Jean Jacques Llunga.
“I struggle to express my emotions well; I find it difficult to admit when I’m thrilled or happy,” said Veronesi. “However, this time, the invitation to the Venice Film Festival left me surprised and honored. I am happy – there, I’ve said it.”
Said Venice festival director Alberto Barbera: “We will close on a high note thanks to Giovanni Veronesi and his magnificent cast, to whom we owe the successful blend of irony and lightness applied to a traditionally serious topic. It is a tone that belongs to the finest tradition of a certain Italian cinema, one that has been overlooked for far too long.”
Venice also highlighted about the closing film: “Set in the mid-1600s and loosely based on true events, the movie resonates strongly with the present time through a story that centers on freedom, the power of the truth, and the relationship between people and power, with its shadows and contradictions. With his profound humanity, the friar Frate Leopoldo will change the lives of the people he encounters.”
Dio ride will be released in Italian cinemas on Oct. 29, distributed by PiperFilm. Piperplay is handling international sales.
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