"Koza Nostra"
Italian-Ukrainian comedy "Koza Nostra" will be premiere on May 19th in Italy. The film is a Pepito Produzioni (Italy) and FILM.UA (Ukraine) co-production with the collaboration of RAI Cinema and tells the story of Vlada Koza, a Ukrainian woman who travels to Italy to help raise her grandson. Adler Entertainment is in charge of its distribution.
The idea for "Koza Nostra" was born 5 years ago, in 2017. Back then, the team of writer and creator Anastasiia Lodkina and producer Kateryna Vyshnevska of Ukraine’s FILM.UA Group pitched the idea at MIA TV Drama Series Pitching Forum in Rome. A few months later, FILM.UA Group signed up partners — Pepito Produzioni and soon, RAI Cinema came on board, and the filming commenced in Ukraine and Italy in 2020.
Koza Nostra tells the story of Vlada Koza, a Ukrainian woman who travels to Italy to help raise her grandson. It turns out, however, that her daughter does not need her help. But the family of a mafia boss, Don Fredo Lagana, who is back home on house arrest after 15 years in prison, could definitely use some. The Italian family hires Vlada as a housekeeper, and instead gets a counselor, a doctor, a therapist, and a fixer of all the problems in the world. Vlada Koza makes the Lagana family a better family and, as a result, a better mafia!
“At FILM.UA, we have always believed in the power of collaboration and that stories can cross borders. It takes a lot of time and effort, but, if done right, the results are worth it. 'Koza Nostra' was conceived by a Ukrainian writer Anastasiia Lodkina. It’s a story about a Ukrainian woman performed by a Ukrainian woman, but shot mostly in Italy in Italian. If that’s not a testament that stories can travel, I don’t know what is," says Kateryna Vyshnevska, Head of Development and Co-Productions at FILM.UA Group and the Ukrainian producer of 'Koza Nostra'. "We are so proud of what we achieved with our partners Pepito Produzioni. I truly believe that 'Koza Nostra' will be enjoyed by audiences in Italy, Ukraine and beyond and will open a path for many more organic stories to be told by Ukraine, Italy and other countries together. The war in Ukraine has proven that it’s one world we live in, that we share stories, and it only makes sense that we tell them together!” she added.
"Koza Nostra" is getting its international launch at Marche du Film in Cannes, the screening will take place on May, 22nd. The Film is directed by Giovanni Dota and starring by Giovanni Calcagno and Irma Vitovska.