25/06/2019 - Produced by K+, Alberto Rizzi’s debut feature is set against the 2012 earthquake in Emilia and stars Alessandro Roja and Alessandra Mastronardi

Alessandra Mastronardi and Alessandro Roja in Si muore solo da vivi (© Valentina Zanella)

Shooting has now wrapped on Si muore solo da vivi, the first full-length film by Alberto Rizzi, already a playwright, theatre director and author of short films. Filmed in Gualtieri (in the Reggio Emilia region of Italy) and written by the director in league with Marco Pettenello (Shun Li and the Poet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrea Segre
interview: Andrea Segre
film profile], Zoran, My Nephew the Idiot [+see also:
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trailer
making of
interview: Matteo Oleotto
film profile], The Last Prosecco [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), the movie promises to be a romantic comedy full of colour and emotion, unfolding during the 2012 earthquake which rocked the region of Emilia and starring Alessandro Roja (recently seen at the Italian box office in Ma cosa ci dice il cervello [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and on the small screen in La compagnia del cigno) and Alessandra Mastronardi (whose latest works include L’agenzia dei bugiardi [+see also:
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making of
film profile] and the TV series Medici: Masters of Florence) in lead roles.

Si muore solo da vivi revolves around Orlando, who has all the makings of a loser: at forty years of age, he gets by one day at a time, living on the banks of the river Po. He’s lazy, a loner and he’s close to giving up. But when the 2012 earthquake strikes, he’s forced to pull himself together. He has nephews to look after, a band to put back on track and, most importantly, the love of his life and blast from the past Chiara, who suddenly comes back on the scene.

“By taking a tragic event like the Emilia earthquake”, the director explained, “I wanted to pay a profound yet lighthearded tribute to the strength of this region and its people: a comedy on second chances, set in a world of provincial musicians, fishermen and saffron-coloured dance halls”.

Also featuring in the cast are Neri Marcorè, Francesco Pannofino, Ugo Pagliai and Amanda Lear.  

Si muore solo da vivi is produced by Nicola Fedrigoni and Valentina Zanella on behalf of K+ (who were also behind The Last Prosecco), with the support of the Emilia Romagna Film Commission and the Mantova Film Commission.

(Translated from Italian)