ITALIA

FOCACCIA BLUES

2009 – 35mm – color – 78’

Direction: Nico Cirasola

Screenplay: Alessia Lepore, Nico Cirasola, Alessandro Contessa

Cinematography: Rocco Marra

Editing: Maurizio Baglivo

Set design: Dionisia Cirasola

 Music: Sandro Corsi, Pino Genco

With: Dante Marmone (Dante), Luca Cirasola (Manuel), Tiziana Schiavarelli (Rosa), Lino Banfi (man from Bari), Renzo Arbore (man from Foggia), Michele Placido (projectionist), Nichi Vendola (cinema operator), Onofrio Pepe (Onofrio), Eric Jozsef (journalist for Liberation)

Producer: Alessandro Contessa

Production: Bunker Lab

synopsis

Focaccia Blues, the true story of the focaccia who ate the hamburger, takes its inspiration from something that happened some years ago in Altamura where a great McDonald’s was opened. After a few months, Luca Digesù, who owned a place near the American ‘giant’, decided to open a small bakery in which he produced the focaccia. Slowly, from that moment, day after day, the unfair competition of the baker affected the fast food, that was forced to close. Besides the true story there is also the love story between Dante and Rosa, fascinated by the arrival in town of Manuel.

critical note

“(…) Let the legend be written. This docufiction testifies of locals in a three-way sentimentality: a greengrocer, a well-off customer and an imbecile in a car. There are esteemed Apulian guests, ranging from Vendola as an arthouse exhibitor to Placido as a Tornatore-type projectionist, coupled with Arbore and Banfi who fight it out over regional mushrooms –all providing the cinematic backdrop to the film written and directed by Nico Cisarola. The story fits into the noble slow food genre (dedicated to Petrin) and deals with food and culture with the charming pop naiveté of an ex-voto that is mastery of flavors, scents, affections and values that withstand the no-global pizza versus hamburger.” (Maurizio Porro, Corriere della Sera, April 17, 2009)

main festivals and awards

2009 Festival del Cinema Europeo – Special Events

2009 Ciak d’Oro Golden Ciak: Mini/Skoda Bello & Invisibile Award

2009 Silver Ribbons: Honourable Mention

2010 Italian Golden Globes: Films to Remember

2010 International du Film de Mons – Panorama