original title:
Avemmaria
directed by:
cast:
Salvatore Esposito, Marianna Fontana, Mario Di Leva, Carmine Borrino, Gennaro Di Colandrea, Franca Abategiovanni, Giulia Coppini, Cecilia Bertozzi, Giovanni Petrone, Francesco Verde, Francesca Colapietro, Armando Manfregola, Gabriele Di Gennaro
screenplay:
Fortunato Cerlino, from his novel "Se vuoi vivere felice"
cinematography:
editing:
set design:
costume design:
music:
Mariano Bellopede
production:
Ventottodieci Produzioni, Moving Milano, Red Private, Europictures, Rai Cinema, supported by Ministero della Cultura, with the support of Film Commission Regione Campania
distribution:
country:
Italy/Hungary
year:
2025
film run:
109'
format:
colour
status:
Ready (07/11/2025)
festivals & awards:
Felice lives in two dark rooms of a crumbling building with his father Raffaele, recently laid off, his mother Antonietta, too young and worn down by grief, his grandmother Filomena, always dressed in black and filled with resentment, and three brothers, with another on the way. In that world of poverty and violence, a boy like him can either be crushed or cling to his dreams. His imagination is his refuge, but in Pianura there’s no room for fantasy – being poor and a dreamer is a fault. Yet his teacher, Giulia, recognizes his singing talent and tries to offer him new horizons. When Felice sees Neil Armstrong’s footprint in his textbook, he realizes he too might leave Pianura and reach the moon. T