Shot in the fall of 2024 in Friuli Venezia Giulia and Puglia, Esprimi un desiderio is directed by Volfango De Biasi and stars Diego Abatantuono and Max Angioni. Angioni, a TV comedian, is making his big-screen debut as orphaned Simone who, following a series of misadventures, is sentenced to community service in a retirement home, where he clashes with a group of residents led by Ettore (Abatantuono). The film is the story of a no-holds-barred generational conflict, and also a touching tale about lonely people coming together to reclaim their place in the world: a comedy that uses irony to offer an unexpected reflection on the value of old age.
The film was shot almost entirely in Clauiano, a hamlet of Trivignano Udinese and one of Italy’s most beautiful villages (I borghi più belli d’Italia), where the crew stayed for five weeks. The main location, the fictional retirement home, was based at Villa Manin Guerresco, selected by De Biasi after scouting over 20 villas, castles, and hotels in the region with the FVG Film Commission. Almost every department of the 70-member crew included regional workers (approximately 20 in total); and €900 K was spent in the area (of a total budget of €5 million).
Production moved to the Brindisi area for a week; filming primarily at Masseria Lo Spagnulo, a 17th century farm in the Ostuni countryside where one of the Villa Meraviglia residents has their wish of meeting a loved one come true. The final scene features a splendid panorama of the Abbey of Santo Stefano, a fortified castle perched above the sea just outside Monopoli.
Shot in the fall of 2024 in Friuli Venezia Giulia and Puglia, Esprimi un desiderio is directed by Volfango De Biasi and stars Diego Abatantuono and Max Angioni. Angioni, a TV comedian, is making his big-screen debut as orphaned Simone who, following a series of misadventures, is sentenced to community service in a retirement home, where he clashes with a group of residents led by Ettore (Abatantuono). The film is the story of a no-holds-barred generational conflict, and also a touching tale about lonely people coming together to reclaim their place in the world: a comedy that uses irony to offer an unexpected reflection on the value of old age.
The film was shot almost entirely in Clauiano, a hamlet of Trivignano Udinese and one of Italy’s most beautiful villages (I borghi più belli d’Italia), where the crew stayed for five weeks. The main location, the fictional retirement home, was based at Villa Manin Guerresco, selected by De Biasi after scouting over 20 villas, castles, and hotels in the region with the FVG Film Commission. Almost every department of the 70-member crew included regional workers (approximately 20 in total); and €900 K was spent in the area (of a total budget of €5 million).
Production moved to the Brindisi area for a week; filming primarily at Masseria Lo Spagnulo, a 17th century farm in the Ostuni countryside where one of the Villa Meraviglia residents has their wish of meeting a loved one come true. The final scene features a splendid panorama of the Abbey of Santo Stefano, a fortified castle perched above the sea just outside Monopoli.
Copyright: @ Mattia Comuzzi
Diego Abatantuono, Volfango De Biasi, Max Angioni
Copyright: @ Mattia Comuzzi
Max Angioni, Diego Abatantuono
Simone is sentenced to community service in a retirement home where he is targeted by a group of sprightly old men led by Ettore. Their initial conflict, however, becomes the catalyst for an unexpected connection: a sense of belonging that they were all missing, one way or other.
