The shoot for Rapiscimi kicks off in Calabria
- The feature debut by Giovanni Luca Gargano, an Italian-Portuguese co-production, is a tragicomedy revolving around an agency that organises kidnappings
22 May saw the start of the shoot in Calabria for Rapiscimi (lit. “Kidnap Me”), the feature debut by Giovanni Luca Gargano. The director was born in Cosenza in 1975, has experience as an assistant director for fiction productions at Rai and Mediaset to his credit, and has so far been a short-film, documentary and advert director. This time he helms a tragicomedy set in a village in the middle of nowhere in the Aspromonte mountain range, revolving around four hopeless unemployed people and their bizarre idea of opening an agency that organises kidnappings for bored rich people in search of extreme thrills.
The synopsis is as follows: after they get themselves into big trouble and make enemies of the entire town, four unemployed people from Calabria make a run for it into the woods. Forced to find a way to repair the damage they have done, one of them is convinced he has had a fantastic idea – one that he thinks will turn their lives around. The hand of fate unfurls its fingers, and the four youngsters find themselves caught up in an incredible story with tragicomic and utterly unforeseen consequences.
The screenplay was written by Alessandro Pondi, Vincenzo Di Rosa, Umberto Carteni, Paolo Logli and Giovanni Luca Gargano. The cast comprises Pietro Delle Piane, Paolo Cutuli, Carmelo Caccamo, Vincenzo Di Rosa, Rocco Barbaro, Alexia Degremont, Massimo Olcese, Paulo Pires and Virgilio Castelo.
Rapiscimi is a co-production between Italy and Portugal and will be shot over five weeks, four of which in Orsomarso (Cosenza) and one in Lisbon. The film is being produced by Sandro Frezza for Alba Produzioni and Arbalak on the Italian side, and Check The Gate for Portugal, in conjunction with the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Portugal’s RTP pubcaster, and with support from the District of the Town of Orsomarso. The distribution has been entrusted to Whale Pictures.
(Translated from Italian)
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