"A Ciambra" - A Collaboration between the Regions of Basilicata and Calabria is Italy's Oscar Entry

It was just announced that Italy's entry for the Oscar race will be a small, independent film made in the south.

"A Ciambra," directed by Jonas Carpignano with Martin Scorsese as one of the executive producers, takes place within a small community in Calabria. 14-year-old Pio Amato is in a hurry to grow up and follows his older brother Cosimo everywhere. Through him, he learns how to navigate the streets of their hometown. One night, Pio sets out to prove to his brother that he is as good or better than him but when things go wrong, a series of events will forever change the way he sees the world.

The film is one of the first projects produced by Lu.Ca., a partnership between the regions of Basilicata and Calabria. Launched last year with the short film "The Millionairs," which also served as the directorial debut for award-winning actor Claudio Santamaria with his longtime friend and collaborator Gabriele Marinetti at the helm as executive producer, premiered at the 74th Venice Film Festival and a few weeks later at the Rome Creative Contest. I spoke with Paride Leporace, the director of the Lucana Film Commission, about Lu.Ca.'s mission and future projects. Our conversation was in Italian, so both versions are included.

Claudia Santamaria (L) and Gabriele Marinetti (R) present
"The Millionairs" at the Rome Creative Contest

So far, there have been two films coming out of this collaboration between Basilicata and Calabria.. Jonas Carpignano’s "A Ciambra" and Claudio Santamaria’s "The Millioniars." Tell me about this project, Lu.Ca. and how it works.

Lu.Ca. is an agreement between the two regions to work synergistically with the film commissions of Basilicata and Calabria on shared works. The projects made in their own territories are financed by the expenses allocated according to their pertinence. This allows for the productions to operate smoothly with small investments. Now we are working on a new short and a feature film on the Albanian populations of the two regions.

Finora, sono state due film usciti da questa collaborazione tra Basilicata e Calabria... "A Ciambra" e "The Millioniars." Raccontami questo progetto, LuCa.

LuCa e’ un accordo tra le due regioni per far operare in sinergia le film commission di Basilicata e Calabria su opere condivise sui propri territori e con le spese ripartite per le ricadute nelle proprie pertinenze. Tutto questo per consentire migliore operatività e ottenere economie di scale. I risultati sono stati conseguiti con piccoli investimenti. Ora sono in lavorazione un nuovo corto e un lungometraggio sulle popolazioni albanese delle due regioni.

Paride Leporace with Maratea Mayor Domenico Cipolla
at the Giornate del Cinema Lucana in July

Was "A Ciambra" shot in both regions?

A small story prologue was shot in Basilicata around the Senise Dam. It's great footage that should be included in the DVD version. The rest was shot in Gioia Tauro in Calabria.

"A Ciambra" e' stato girato in entrambe le regioni? (Ho letto solo la Calabria.)

"A Ciambra" ha realizzato un piccolo prologo alla storia girato attorno alla Diga di Senise. E' avanzato buon materiale che dovrebbe essere contenuto nel Dvd. Io spero in un corto firmato Carpignano come sequel del film. Il resto del film è stato girato a Gioia Tauro in Calabria.

Was there also a collaboration of regional actors and crew members?

Yes, a great location manager from Rotonda (In Basilicata) and a number of service providers in the area. Keep in mind that it’s a low-budget indie movie.

Ci sono attori e lavoratori della regione nel film?

Un bravissimo location manager di Rotonda e numerose aziende di servizi della zona. Ricordiamoci che è un film Indie a basso costo.

What's in the future for Lu.Ca.?

An international TV series and various screenplay development projects to be shot between Basilicata and Calabria.

Cosa c'è in futuro per Lu.Ca.?

Una serie tv internazionale e progetti di sviluppo per sceneggiature su progetti adeguati ad essere girati tra Basilicata e Calabria.

Stateside, "A Ciambra" will be shown at the upcoming Chicago Film Festival.

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