Smooth runs the water

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Trailer

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Smooth runs the water (Dolci acque)

original title:

Dolci acque

directed by:

cast:

Pierfilippo Agati, Caterina Signorini, Alessandro Mor

screenplay:

Ruben Rossi

cinematography:

Davide Bianco

set design:

Ludovico Gandellini

costume design:

Rosa Rossitti

producer:

production:

Oki Doki Film, Albatros Film, Sei Ottavi

distribution:

world sales:

country:

Italy

year:

2025

film run:

20'

format:

4K - colour

status:

Ready (23/02/2025)

festivals & awards:

  • Est Film Festival 2025
  • Garda Cinema 2025: Menzione speciale Genius Loci
  • Ardea Film Festival 2025
  • Los Angeles, Italia Film Festival 2025
  • Dieci Corti in Giro per il Mondo 2025
  • International Tour Film Festival 2025
  • Culture Night 2025
  • Festival Roma Filmcorto 2025
  • Lucania Film Festival 2025


In the summer of 1981, Renzo and Monica, two twenty-year-olds from different worlds, fall in love against the backdrop of Lake Garda. Their story reflects the intimacy and challenges of an era, with dreams of social redemption juxtaposed against bourgeois privileges.

DIRECTOR'S NOTES:
Inspired by the summers of my adolescence on Lake Garda, “Smooth runs the Water” is set in 1981, the year of the death of Rino Gaetano, a singer-songwriter who deeply influenced me.
Against the backdrop of Villa La Scala, the final summer of two young lovers is sketched out. Both dream of fulfilling their artistic aspirations; however, differences in social background create a gap between them. Unlike Renzo, Monica is privileged hence retains a naive trust in the idea that any goal can be achieved, convincing Renzo as well that hard work will eventually pay off.
The final tragedy reflects the harsh reality that conditions our society, showing how social context often determines the fate of many people. Renzo, therefore, disappears even before his first attempt to have a breakthrough in the real world.