We Believed

(Noi credevamo)

Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Risorgimento – the movement that created modern Italy from a group of disparate states – the festival is proud to present the premiere of Mario Martone's starstudded We Believed, an epic reconstruction and re-imagination of the political and social forces that led to Italian independence.

The film is set during the nation's difficult birth from the 1820s to the 1870s when conflicting interests – north against south and monarchist against republican – made the path to unity a fraught and often violent one. Three young men – Domenico (Edoardo Natoli), Salvatore (Luigi Pisani) and Angelo (Andrea Bosca) – dream of a unified Italy but their idealism soon turns to disillusionment, paranoia and murder.

This beautifully crafted and engrossing saga is threaded with the music of the time, including Verdi and Rossini, but the historical drama is only a background to the characters' personal struggles.

To this day Italy is confronted with the repercussions of Risorgimento. The title, We Believed, expresses the loss of innocence and hope during a crucial time in Italy's history and raises questions for a new generation.

This film will screen with a 10 minute intermission.

Feature film will screen with English subtitles

Sessions

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