15/09/2008

After Come tu mi vuoi [+see also:
trailer
film profile], one of last season’s hits with over €8m at the box office, director Volfango De Biasi will go for gold again with Iago, a comedy take on Shakespeare’s Othello. Like his previous film, the new project also stars Nicolas Vaporidis, this time alongside Laura Chiatti.

Shooting on the film, produced by Claudio Saraceni for IdeaCinema, Medusa Film and Cattleya, began today in Venice. The cast includes Gabriele Lavia, Aurelien Gaya, Lorenzo Gleijeses, Giulia Steigerwalt and Fabio Ghidoni.

The adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy was scripted by the director and Felice Di Basilio and is set today, in the Department of Architecture at the University of Venice. Iago (Vaporidis) is a fourth-year student of great talent but humble origins surrounded by aristocrats, including Othello, the son of world-renowned architect and friend of the school’s chancellor.

The well-connected Othello cheats Iago out of the merits of his studies and takes his place as head of a project on the Biennale. Othello also steals the object of his desire, Desdemona (Chiatti), the chancellor’s daughter, with whom Iago has been hopelessly in love for a long time.

Convinced that life is a series of injustices, and that only those who strike first can advance, Iago starts a ruthless fight, weaving a web of lies and deceit in order to take back what is rightfully his as well as win Desdemona’s love.

Filming will last nine weeks, of which four in Venice, one in Padua and four in Rome. Iago will be distributed by Medusa in 2009.

(Translated from Italian)