Terraferma (film)

Terraferma
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEmanuele Crialese
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyFabio Cianchetti
Edited bySimona Paggi
Music byFranco Piersanti
Production
companies
Distributed by01 Distribution
Release dates
Running time
88 minutes
CountryItaly
LanguagesItalian
France
Budget€7.85 million[1]

Terraferma is a 2011 Italian drama film directed by Emanuele Crialese, who co-wrote the screenplay with Vittorio Moroni.[2] The film chronicles the intensification of the refugee crisis in Insular Italy in the beginning of the 2010's.

The film had its world premiere at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, and was selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards,[3][4] but it did not make the final shortlist.[5]

Plot

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On Linosa, fishermen are punished for saving illegal immigrants (refugees) from the sea and, back on shore, letting them go, because this amounts to facilitating illegal immigration. Therefore young local Filippo does not allow them on his boat. After witnessing several deaths, Filippo changes his mind and helps a family (a mother, a little boy and a newborn baby) adrift at the Mediterranean sea to arrive at the Italian mainland.

Cast

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Production

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The film was produced through Italy's Cattleya with 10% co-production support from France, including 200,000 euro from France 2 Cinéma and money from the CNC. The total budget was €7.85 million.[1]

Release

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The film had its world premiere at the 68th Venice International Film Festival where it was screened in the main competition,[6] winning the Special Jury Prize.[7]

It was released in Italian theaters on 7 September 2011 through 01 Distribution.[8]

Reception

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Critical response

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Terraferma has an approval rating of 67% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 24 reviews, and an average rating of 6.3/10.[9] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10]

Jay Weissberg of Variety described it as "a well-made movie with no pretension but also no crying need to be at a major film festival."[11] Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a morally passionate social drama, muted by overly familiar storytelling."[12] Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "The thematically rich production is grounded in deep moral and emotional reflection."[13] Chuck Wilson of The Village Voice called it predictable and heavy-handed.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Lemercier, Fabien (2011-07-18). "Terraferma spearheads Elle Driver's line-up". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  2. ^ Smith, Ian Hayden (2012). International Film Guide 2012. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-908215-01-7.
  3. ^ "Oscar/ Terraferma di Crialese è il candidato italiano". ANSA. Archived from the original on 2012-12-18. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  4. ^ "63 Countries Vie for 2011 Foreign Language Film Oscar". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  5. ^ "9 Foreign Language Films Vie for Oscar". Retrieved 2012-01-19.
  6. ^ "Venezia 68: International competition of feature films". Venice. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  7. ^ Jennings, Sheri (2011-09-28). "Terraferma chosen as Italy's foreign Oscar submission". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
  8. ^ "Terraferma". MyMovies.it. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  9. ^ "Terraferma (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
  10. ^ "Terraferma". Metacritic.
  11. ^ Weissberg, Jay (2011-11-04). "Review: 'Terraferma'". Variety. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
  12. ^ Young, Deborah (2011-09-04). "Terraferma: Venice Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
  13. ^ Goldstein, Gary (2013-08-07). "Review: Better angels inhabit 'Terraferma'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
  14. ^ Wilson, Chuck (2013-07-24). "Predictability and Heavy-handed Storytelling in Terraferma". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
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