10-11-2010

PRODUCTION: Seven Acts Of Mercy in Preproduction

By Iulia Blaga

    BUCHAREST: The Italian documentary and short film directors Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio are in Bucharest for the final stage of the casting the lead actress of their first feature, Seven Acts of Mercy/Sette opere di misericordia, an Italian/Romanian coproduction. The contemporary drama of redemption is set against the social backdrop of the immigrant situation in Italy.

    The main characters are a teenage Moldavian immigrant, Luminiţa, a loner who lives on stolen things, and Antonio, an old and dying man. Their struggle and poverty eventually lead to friendship and understanding.

     

    In the directors' view, "Antonio and Luminiţa embody the crisis of contemporary society revealed in the media more and more often. They represent two societies that are different and therefore closed to each other, two different historical eras (the internal immigration in Italy in the 1950's, and the present immigration which leads to a new form of slavery and impoverishment) which bring them together despite their will."

    The main character is played by the Italian actor Roberto Herlitzka. The script is written by Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio. The film is a co-production between Alessandro Borrelli and La Sarraz Pictures srl (www.lasarraz.com) and the Romanian company Elefant Film, founded by Alexandru Iordăchescu, Ruxandra Zenide and Dan Burlac. The budget is 800,000 euro. The producers will apply for an Eurimages grant.

     

    The shooting is due to start 20 December 2010 in Torino, and will wrap after five or six weeks, Burlac told FNE. The premiere is set for 2011.

    Production Information

     

    La Sarraz Pictures

    Corso Filippo Turati 13/a - 10128

     

    Torino, Italy

    Phone: +39 011 503598

    www.lasarraz.com

     

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    Elefant Film

     

    123 Calea Moşilor street

    Sector 2, Bucureşti, Romania

    Contact - Dan Burlac: + 40 746 242635

     

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    Credits

     

    Director: Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio

    Script: Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio

    Cast: Roberto Herlitzka