"The Hand of God" and "America Latina"
Fremantle's production company, The Apartment, has two new films in the main competition at the Venice Film Festival due in September. From Academy Award-winning writer and director Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo," "The Great Beauty," "The Young Pope''), comes the story of a boy, Fabietto Schisa, in the tumultuous Naples of the 1980s. "The Hand of God" is a story full of unexpected joys, such as the arrival of football legend Diego Maradona and an equally unexpected tragedy. Fate plays its part, joy and tragedy intertwine, and Fabietto’s future is set in motion.
Sorrentino returns to his hometown to tell his most personal story, a tale of fate and family, sports and cinema, love and loss. Produced By Lorenzo Mieli and Paolo Sorrentino for The Apartment, "The Hand of God" will be released in cinemas and on Netflix in 2021.
Also in competition for a prize at Venice Film Festival is "America Latina," the new film written and directed by Damiano and Fabio D'Innocenzo. Alongside Elio Germano, the cast features Astrid Casali, Sara Ciocca, and Maurizio Lastrico. Described by the directors as a love story, and like all love stories, therefore a thriller, the film is produced by Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment, Vision Distribution, and Le Pacte.
Andrea Scrosati, Group Chief Operating Officer, comments, “At Fremantle, we champion the best creative talents in the world. Together we focus on their projects, develop them and find the best partners to make them succeed. These films showcase this model perfectly. We are blessed to work with a creative giant such as Paolo Sorrentino and the incredible D’Innocenzo brothers, plus to have a producer such as Lorenzo Mieli and all of his team at The Apartment as part of our Fremantle family. Having two movies in competition at the Venice Film Festival is confirmation that we are delivering on our continued commitment to producing high-quality content across film, drama, entertainment, and documentaries”.