Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

July 3 - 11, 2009

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Youths
( Giovani )

Colour, 35 mm
Italy, 2003, 90 min
Section: Another View

Director: Luca Mazzieri, Marco Mazzieri
Screenplay: Marco Mazzieri, Luca Mazzieri, Carlo Fontana
Dir. of Photography: Roberto Barbierato
Music: Martino Traversa
Editor: Carlo Fontana
Producer: Luca Mazzieri
Production: Set22
Sales: Set22
Contact: ANICA

Cast

Davide Pasti, Gallianne Pallayret, Lina Sastri, Davide Zaccaro, Massimo Wertmüller, Paolo Pierobon, Marisa Mantovani, Elisabetta Pozzi, Maria Teresa Pintus, Laura Cleri

Synopsis

Matteo and Juliette are both twenty. One morning their paths cross for a second, their lives are momentarily united, then they return to their own isolation. Matteo is trying to accept his mother’s serious illness and the absence of his father; the French girl Juliette, studying in Parma, is expecting a child with her professor and finds his negative attitude difficult to bear. Both young people are unable as adults to come to terms with difficult life situations and, for the first time in their lives, they are forced to seek the inner strength which will help them overcome intense pain. The twenty-four hours which separate their first and second encounters lead to a fundamental turning point for both lonely people. The remarkable direction from the Mazzieri twins is enhanced by location sequences remotely reminiscent of shots of Parisian streets where an uneasy camera pursues characters in the films of the French new wave.

About the director

Luca Mazzieri (b. 1959, Parma), a painter and set designer, studied film direction at university in Rome. He was assistant to many famous Italian set designers and directors, such as Lorenzo Baraldi, Franco Zeffirelli and Tinto Brass. He has directed commercials and also has several documentaries to his name.
Marco Mazzieri (b. 1959, Parma) is a graphic artist and illustrator currently working for the daily La Repubblica and the weekly Il Venerdi. Like his twin brother Luca, he also studied film direction. As assistant director he worked on films by Tinto Brass and Maurizio Nichetti.

Joint filmography: I virtuali (1996), Voglio una donnaaa! (1997), La storia di Gigi 2 (1997, TV), Zwei Kinogesichter (1998, TV), Youths (Giovani, 2003).