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VIOLA, FRANCA 2017
VIOLA, FRANCA
2017
VIOLA, FRANCA
directed by MARTA SAVINA
written by MARTA SAVINA and ANDREA BRUSA
produced by MARTA SAVINA, GREGORY J. ROSSI and TATIANA VECCHIO
starringCLAUDIA GUSMANOCARLO CALDERONENINNI BRUSCHETTAMAURIZIO PUGLISI
running time • 15 min 50 sec
aspect ratio • 2 . 35 : 1
screening format • Color 2D DCP 2k
sound • Dolby Sorround
language • Italian, Sicilian
subtitles • English
country • Italy
film contact MARTA [email protected]
press contactSALLY [email protected]
screening schedule
World Premiere 04/22 , 6:00 pm • REGAL-05
04/26, 5:30 pm • REGAL-0404/28, 5:00 pm • CIN-0604/29, 9:30 pm • CIN-08
Press/Industry Screening04/24, 11:45 am • CIN-04
In 1965 Sicily, a 18 year-old girl single-handedly alters the course of Italian history with an unexpected act of defiance that short-circuits her traditionalist community.
[ Short ] Sicily, 1965. When 17 year old Franca is pressured into marrying her own rapist to avoid becoming a pariah amongst the traditionalist community, she finds the strength to rebel, setting a precedent that will change history forever and pave the way for the fight for women’s rights. Based on a true story.
[ Long ] Sicily, 1965. 17 year old Franca attracts the attention of young made-man Filippo Melodia. When Franca rejects him, Filippo resorts to violence, kidnapping and raping her. Pressured into marrying her own rapist to avoid becoming a pariah among the traditionalist community, Franca finds the strength to rebel against the established custom of the ‘reparatory marriage’, setting a precedent that will alter the course of Italian history, and pave the way for the fight for women’s rights.
logline & synopsis
Until 1981 the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure sanctioned rape as a crime against morality instead of against a person. It was customary for girls to be raped and then left with no other choice but that of marrying their own abuser. This is the story of the 18 year old girl who rebelled against it.
As a young woman growing up in the 90s and 2000s I was constantly called to re-examine and challenge my concept of feminine identity. In particular, the last four years, which I spent at UCLA completing my Masters, have been an incredible journey of artistic exploration and self-discovery. I realized that my artistic calling lies and centers around the concept of Identity, and, specifically, the Identity of young women who, at the brink of adulthood, fight to discover who they are, and to assert their place in a society that too often only grants them a binary choice: mother or worker, pushover or dictator, Madonna or Whore. Enter Franca Viola, an 18 year old girl who, in 1965 Sicily, had the audacity to stand up against the rigid status quo, and carve an identity for herself as a woman. Her story was the perfect marriage of my artistic search, and my heritage.
Franca’s story is the story of every girl on the brink of womanhood, fighting to discover herself and accept her own identity - even when that identity is forever compromised in the eyes of her community by an act of violence which she falls victim to. Franca’s quest for self-acceptance is something that we all navigate and need to come to terms with. Viola, Franca strives to represent a type of femininity that deviates from binary clichés, and is able to firmly assert herself without denying her own vulnerability. This nuanced representation matters because once we see that so many of our struggles and joys are similar in their humanity, our empathy can override our fear.
Marta is an award-winning writer/director who enjoys telling stories about women on fire, women on the verge of a nervous breakdown (also one of Marta’s favorite movies), and really just women in general. Marta was born and raised in Italy and, like every respectable Catholic, inherited a penchant for guilt and self-punishment by way of her DNA. A graduate of UCLA’s MFA Directing program, Marta moved to LA after living in London and working extensively in the European film industry. Recently, Marta collaborated with James Franco, directing him in the adaptation of William Faulkner’s short story Elly, and Francis Ford Coppola, in his latest project Distant Vision. Her Thesis Film Viola, Franca won prizes for Best Drama, Best Editing, and the Spotlight Award for Excellence in Filmmaking at UCLA Spotlight showcase held at the DGA in Los Angeles. The screening was introduced by a keynote speech by Francis Ford Coppola, who congratulated Marta on her work, and noted that she reminded him of a “young George Lucas”. Viola, Franca is nominated for an Italian Oscar (David di Donatello) as Best Short, and will have its world premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
Marta lives in LA with her ever-spiraling thoughts about the meaning of life and death, and visits Churros Borough way too often. She is represented by CAA.
director’s statement
bio
Viola, Franca is Marta Savina’s graduate thesis film at UCLA’s Directing Program. It was the recipient of a highly coveted grant from the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage (MiBact), in recognition of the importance and significance of its story. The short was also funded through a Kickstarter campaign that raised $12k in three weeks, and numerous awards that Marta received through UCLA, such as the Technicolor Post-production grant, and the Lew and Edie Wasserman grant.
Viola, Franca won prizes for Best Drama, Best Editing, and the Special Jury Prize at UCLA Spotlight showcase held at the DGA in Los Angeles. The screening was introduced by a keynote speech by Francis Ford Coppola, who congratulated Marta on her work, calling her a “young George Lucas”. Viola, Franca was nominated for an Italian Oscar (David di Donatello) in the shorts category.
Viola, Franca is one of only 6 other Italian shorts selected for the Tribeca FIlm Festival in the last 15 years, and the only film representing Italy at Tribeca this year.
Viola, Franca was shot over 6 days entirely on location. The director chose to return to the rural village where her grandfather was born, Galati Mamertino, a village of 2,000 people close to the town of Alcamo where the real events took place. Viola, Franca is the first film to ever be shot in the Nebrodi Mountains area of Sicily. Being 2.5hrs away from either airports on the island, and on top of a mountain, it was particularly challenging to stage a production in Galati. The footage was driven overnight from Galati to the lab in Rome (12hrs trip by car) throughout production, and the director and DP didn’t see any dailies until the telecine at the end of the shoot.
press notesThe short strives to represent a type of femininity that deviates from binary clichés, and is able to firmly assert herself but at the same time doesn’t negate her own vulnerability. This nuanced representation matters because once we see that so many of our struggles and joys are similar in their humanity, our empathy can override our fear.
The short centers around Franca’s extraordinary character, and strives to offer a non-voyeuristic picture of complex subject matters like sexual violence. Visually, the film tries to find a morally acceptable way of representing the characters when they are at their most vulnerable. The film peeps into intimate moments of these characters’ lives, but it sets limits for such an exploration by using a static camera and limited perspective.
Because Franca’s story happens in 1965, it was important to respect and honor the conventions of the genre and create a period piece that finds its stylistic roots in the black and white Italian films of the 1960s, exploiting the full potential of S16mm film to achieve a timeless quality. At the same time, Franca’s story couldn’t be more relevant today, thus the choice to shoot in color and infuse as much modernity as the period genre allows, through stylistic elements such as costumes, color palette and music. With the marriage of these two elements, the period and the contemporary, it was possible to successfully portray a story that has a historical importance and yet a very timely social relevance.
• Describe your film in ten words or less.
Young girl 1 - Patriarchy 0
• What influenced this work?
The first inspiration for this film was a short graphic novel that my mother gave me for Christmas a few years ago. It was there that I first read about the true story of Franca Viola. Also, the Italian films of the 60s like Sedotta e Abbandonata, L’Avventura, Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli, were a big influence on the visuals of the movie.
• Storytelling brings people together. How does your film accomplish this?
The short strives to represent a type of femininity that deviates from binary clichés, and is able to firmly assert itself but at the same time doesn’t negate its own vulnerability. This nuanced representation matters because once we see that so many of our struggles and joys are similar in their humanity, our empathy can override our fear.
• What was the funniest thing that happened on set while you were filming?
Despite shooting a quite serious drama piece, there was a lot of laughing on set. One of the funniest and most treasured memories, that really speaks about the reality of shooting in a small village in southern Italy, is of locals constantly and spontaneously coming over to set with pots of espresso and “biscotti” or cake, and offering them to the crew and cast.
• How did you go about casting your movie?
I knew I wanted Ninni Bruschetta to play Bernardo (the father) and I asked his agent for a meeting. We hit it off, he liked the script and signed on to the project. On the other hand, I knew it was going to be a challenge to cast the role of Franca: I needed to find a young actress that had the right look to portray a young girl who comes of age in the 1960s, and at the same time someone who would be able to portray such a complex character and convey a wide range of emotions without speaking a single line of dialogue. My casting director, Adriana Ciampi, and I held open auditions all over Sicily, through schools, universities and local theater
groups, but I wasn’t really convinced by anyone. About two weeks before we were due to start principal photography I saw Claudia across the hall while holding auditions at a school in Palermo. She looked perfect for the part, and eerily similar to the real Franca Viola. I approached her and asked her if she would be down to come in and audition for a part in a film - little did I know that Claudia was a seasoned theater actress! She was cast on the spot after the first audition. As for Carlo, he was the first person I auditioned in Rome after casting Claudia, and I knew I had found my Filippo as soon as he walked in with a smug smile on his face (he is actually the nicest guy!). I had the both of them read together and the chemistry was just perfect. Everyone else was cast from within the people of Galati Mamertino.
• Why did you decide to shoot on location?
For me, this story is inextricably linked to the territory. The rugged nature of these mountains mirrors the nature of the characters that inhabit them, and especially Franca’s personality. She is as wild and fierce as the landscape, and it was crucial for me to include this aspect in the visual language of the film.
• What is your favorite memory of shooting Viola, Franca? And the most challenging?
Favorite: definitely the comradery that there was on and off the set, it almost felt like being at summer camp! Our very international, diverse crew took over a tiny village in the sicilian mountains, and the locals couldn’t have been more hospitable. The whole village took an active role in the making of the movie, opening up their homes, donating clothes and vehicles, offering food, espresso, gelato… there was a truly incredible spirit of collaboration across wildly different cultures and languages, and it made for a fantastic atmosphere that permeated the set during the prep and shooting days. Most challenging: shooting entirely on location, and in very remote areas. We were working long, hard days out and about on the mountains, but then we would all reconvene at the local restaurant, La Bettola, to eat a meal together. I think the movie definitely benefitted from this sense of community and support.
• What are you up next?
I am in post-production with another short film, Elly, adapted from a short story by William Faulkner, produced and starring James Franco, as well as Beth Grant and George Lewis Jr (aka Twin Shadow). I am also gearing up to shoot the feature version of Viola, Franca, and developing a few writing projects: two feature scripts and a TV pilot. I like to keep busy!
director q&a
MARTA SAVINA • Director, Writer, Producer
Marta is an award-winning writer/director passionate about female-driven narratives that explore complex topical issues. Marta is an Alumna of UCLA Graduate Film program, and has worked with artists such as James Franco and Francis Ford Coppola. She is an Albert P. Sloan Foundation Award finalist, and a Sundance Screenwriters Lab finalist. Marta lives in Los Angeles and is represented by CAA. Her mantra is “Living one day at a time, with a fresh baked cookie”.
GREGORY J. ROSSI • Producer
Gregory was born in Rome in 1976. He graduated from the University of Rome and is an alumnus of the legendary Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. In 2005 he founds NeroFilm, producing two award winning feature films, Gabriele Albanesi’s Il Bosco Fuori, and Simone Bartolini’s Le Formiche della Cittá Morta, which gained international acclaim and distribution. He works between Rome and Los Angeles as a versatile producer-director. Gregory is currently working on a new Netflix show, coming soon.
TATIANA VECCHIO • Producer
Tatiana worked extensively in Rome, both for the National Public Broadcasting (RAI), and for independent projects, spearheading major productions such as Giorgio Diritti’s Il Vento fa il suo Giro (The Wind Blows Around), which won the Grand Prix at Annecy Italian Cinema Festival among other prizes. In 2013 she moved back to Sicily, where she was born, to give birth to her son Matteo, and to foster and promote Sicilian talents and local resources.
ANDREA BRUSA • Screenwriter
Andrea studied Screenwriting and Film Production at Universitá Cattolica in Milan and is a graduate of UCLA MFA Screenwriting program. He worked in development and production for both film and television, and served as a PR consultant and advisor for international brands. Andrea won the Albert P. Sloan Foundation award for his biopic on Corradino D’Ascanio, the creator of the Vespa. He now lives and works in Los Angeles. He is a determined dreamer and has ambitions to be crazy cat lady if marrying various celebrity crushes proves impossible.
TOPHER OSBORN • Director of Photography
Topher studied cinematography at UCLA’s MFA film production program. His most recent feature, Dear White People won the Breakthrough Talent Award at Sundance 2014 and went on to play at new directors / new films and the LA Film Festival, before being acquired by Lionsgate - Roadside Attractions. He loves shooting on film as much as the most iconic Italian utility car, the Fiat Panda, and he got to play with both while shooting Viola, Franca in Sicily. Win win!
ASHLEY MONTI • Editor
Ashley is an award-winning Canadian-Italian editor. She holds a BFA in Film Production with a focus in Editing from York University, Toronto, and an MFA in film Directing from the American Film Institute. She has edited countless short films that have screened at festivals internationally, and has worked as assistant editor on a series of projects with Oscar-winning editor Gabriella Cristiani (The Last Emperor). Ashley lives in Los Angeles with her wife.
main cast & crew
Franca Viola
Filippo Melodia
Bernardo Viola
Don Valerio
lackeys
church girls
Claudia Gusmano
Carlo Calderone
Ninni Bruschetta
Maurizio Puglisi
Matteo Serio
Giacomo Parafioriti
Loredana Bontempo
Gloria Parafioriti
directed by
produced by
written by
director of photography
production designer
editor
sound designer
casting director
costume designer
Marta Savina
Gregory J. Rossi
Marta Savina
Tatiana Vecchio
Andrea Brusa
Marta Savina
Topher Osborn
Marcello di Carlo
Ashley Monti
Jeffrey Alan Jones
Adriana Ciampi
Francesca Rodi
www.violafranca.com@violashortfilm •
