International premiere
Ciao Bambino
“Gomorrah” meets Pawlikowski in this beautifully crafted romantic crime story.
A black-and-white debut usually falls into one of two categories: the “I’m broke, and you can tell” kind, and the “I’m going for artsy, and I nail it” kind. Edgardo Pistone’s first film falls by far in the second category. Being a triumph of stylish photography and camera work, it is a pleasure to watch. But this is more than just a pretty film. It’s a tale of passions and unsolvable conflicts that haunt Attilio, a young man from a working-class neighbourhood in Naples, tasked with protecting a beautiful prostitute.
In their world, this is a recipe for forbidden, devastating love – the only kind possible in a criminal underworld where even father-son relationships are subverted, and a 19-year-old boy carries the impossible burden of growing up.
Malaika Bova
Edgardo Pistone (1990) is an Italian film director and screenwriter born in Naples. His interest in cinema and photography began during high school. He graduated in directing and photography at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples, where he presented his thesis “The tragedy that makes you laugh, the farce that makes you cry”. After graduating, he began working as a director, photographer and screenwriter, and also began teaching filmmaking in the outskirts of Naples, bringing the art of cinema to the younger generations of his city. In 2020, Edgardo Pistone won the Best Director award at the 35th Venice International Film Festival for his short film “The Flies”.
Per un'ora d'agmore (2013, short), Il viaggio premio (2017, short), Le Mosche (2019, short), Ciao Bambino (2024)