Gabriele Salvatores’s new film - Il Ritorno di Casanova – shot in Veneto and Lombardy, will open the 14th Bif&st - Bari International Film&Tv Festival taking place in Bari from 24 March to 1 April. The film stars Toni Servillo, Fabrizio Bentivoglio and Sara Serraiocco, in addition to performances from Natalino Balasso, Alessandro Besentini and Bianca Panconi.
Before the screening at the Petruzzelli Theatre on 25 March, a global premiere, the Oscar-winning director will receive the Federico Fellini Platinum Award for Cinematic Excellence from another Oscar winner, Voker Schlöndorff. Earlier that day, he is scheduled to meet the public following the screening of one of his most beloved films, Nirvana, in the same Theatre.
“I am particularly happy and honoured to open the Bif&st with my latest film Il Ritorno di Casanova at Bari’s Teatro Petruzzelli. I am happy about it for many reasons: because Bif&st is a festival in the South (and I’m Neapolitan) in a splendid city that I love; because the Petruzzelli, where I even acted in my youth, is one of Italy’s most beautiful theatres; because many of the film’s actors, starting with Toni Servillo, Fabrizio Bentivoglio and Elio De Capitani come from the theatre and because poor old Casanova, without a doubt an actor, deserves a setting this beautiful! My heartfelt thanks to everyone who wanted this to happen and who have made it possible, I can’t wait to see my film on the screen with a real public!” commented Salvatores.
Based on the novel by Arthur Schnitzler, Il Ritorno di Casanova – written by Umberto Contarello, Sara Mosetti and Gabriele Salvatores – tells the story of an established Italian director who, reluctant to accept the passing of time, decides to focus on Casanova in his next film. During the shoot he realizes the similarities with his character are even greater than he could imagine.
The film is produced by Indiana Production with Rai Cinema, Ba.Be Productions and Edi Effetti Digitali Italiani, in collaboration with 3Marys Entertainment, in association with BPER in observance of the legislation on Tax Credit, with contributions from Regione Veneto and the Veneto Film Commission.
The film will be distributed in Italy by 01 Distribution; its theatrical release is scheduled for 30 March.