What the Hell Am I Doing Here!
( Ma che ci faccio qui! )
- Director: Francesco Amato
- Screenplay: Francesco Amato, Andrea Agnello, Daniela Gambaro, Pierpaolo Piciarelli
- Dir. of Photography: Federico Annicchiarico
- Music: Alberto Caruso
- Designer: Marianella Perrotta
- Editor: Luigi Mearelli
- Production: Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Rai Cinema, Istituto Luce
- Sales: Rai Trade
- Contact: Filmitalia
Cast
Paolo Sassanelli, Alina Nedelea, Daniele De Angelis, Chiara Nicola, Francesco Brandi
Synopsis
At the end of his final year at school, Alessio has managed to botch things up big time. His parents come down on him like a ton of bricks, and his planned train trip around Europe with his friends now looks decidedly uncertain. But Alessio doesn’t give up, deciding to catch them up on his scooter. A brief stop on the coast leads to a series of minor catastrophes and Alessio has to work off his transgressions working for Tonino, who owns the local beach. His thoughts are only of escaping, but no sooner does he manage to give him the slip, than he finds Tonino barring his way at his very next fuel stop. And yet, he discovers that, not only Tonino, but his entire crazy family are growing on him and so he tries to help prevent the local authorities from closing down their beach. As he gradually begins to settle into his new surroundings, he goes through all kinds of adventures which ultimately offer him important lessons in life. Alessio learns about sensitivity, patience and the ability to recognise true feelings and values. By the end of the holidays he is more mature than he would have been if he’d travelled halfway around the world. And all this the director presents with light-hearted humour, with the fragrances of the summer, the sea and the long holiday.
About the director
Francesco Amato (b. 1978, Turin) began studying art, music and drama at the university of Bologna in 1998. Since 2000 he has made six independent documentaries, focusing on social issues. This is the case with the film
Is This My Country? (
Questa è la mia terra?, 2003), which describes the lives of foreigners working in Italy and which was critically acclaimed on the domestic film circuit. Amato’s feature film debut
What the Hell Am I Doing Here!, despite its indignant title, is an enchanting and cheery holiday yarn about young people for young people.
Film Guests
Francesco Amato
Contacts
Filmitalia
Via Aureliana 63, 00187 Rome
Italy
Tel: +39 06 420 125 39
Fax: +39 06 420 035 30
E-mail:
info@filmitalia.org
Rai Trade
Via Umberto Novaro 18, 00195 Rome
Italy
Tel: +39 06 374 984 69
Fax: +39 06 375 162 22
E-mail:
info@raitrade.it
