EXCLUSIVE: Sideshow and Janus Films have set a December 25 U.S. theatrical release date for Venice Silver Lion winner Vermilio. The drama, written by writer, director and producer Maura Del Perro, has also been submitted to Italy’s Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. Del Perro will be the first female representative in 19 years.
Vermiglio, about an expansive family, is set in 1944 in a storied alpine village in the Italian Alps, where war looms as a distant but constant threat. The arrival of Pietro (Giuseppe de Domenico), a taciturn Sicilian soldier who has deserted from the army and is hiding in town, disrupts the dynamics of a local teacher’s family and changes them forever. He develops a romance with his eldest daughter Lucia (Martina Scrinzi), which has unexpected consequences for everyone. As the world recovers from tragedy, families also face their own tragedies.
Also starring Tommaso Ragno and Roberta Rovelli.
The film was shot by Mikhail Krichman (Leviathan, Loveless) and has garnered attention for its cinematography. Producers are Francesca Andreoli, Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli, Del Perro, Santiago Fondevila Sunset, Carol Balaton, Pauline Boucheny Pinon, Jacques-Henri Broncard and Tatiana Cozart.
Lucky Red is in charge of distributing the film in the domestic market, and Vermilio has performed well since its release at the end of September, grossing over $2.2 million at the local box office. Charade and Anonymous Content will handle international sales.
Sideshow and Janus Films have combined for six Oscar nominations over the past three years, including four for Drive My Car. This year, they are also campaigning Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light in all categories, as well as Latvia’s Oscar and Best Animated Film nominee Gintu Girvaldis’ Flow.
