Twin Flower (second feature)

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International Trailer

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Twin Flower (Fiore gemello)

Twin Flower (Fiore gemello)

Twin Flower (Fiore gemello)

original title:

Fiore gemello

directed by:

screenplay:

cinematography:

editing:

set design:

production:

Picture Show, Donkadillo Films, Rai Cinema, supported by Ministero della Cultura, of Regione Sardegna, with the support of Regione Lazio, Sardegna Film Commission Foundation

world sales:

country:

Italy

year:

2018

film run:

95'

format:

colour

release date:

06/06/2019

festivals & awards:

"Twin Flower" is the dark tale of two teens abused and damaged by life, who together, try to regain their lost innocence.
Sixteen year old Anna is on the run, escaping from a violent event that traumatized her. Because of what has happened to her she has lost her voice.
On the road she is rescued by Basim, a sixteen year old illegal migrant from Ivory Coast. Together they embark on a perilous journey through the deserted lands, woods, villages and breathtaking landscapes of Sardinia.
Anna is pursued by Manfredi, the migrant trafficker her father used to work for. Manfredi has always been obsessed by Anna, by her strength, her innocence, her beauty. When Anna runs away from him the man’s fury is unleashed into a pursuit like that of a wild beast on the trail of its prey.
Everywhere Anna goes Manfredi is just behind her.
Anna and Basim only have each other in the world.Their love becomes their strength. Together they become a single element: a Twin Flower.
Finding shelter in the beautiful and mysterious land of Sardinia their lives become a dark-tale in a world which is all too real. Their odyssey will reach its climax in a desperate act that will finally set them free, leaving them ready to walk together towards their future.

DIRECTOR'S NOTES:
"Fiore Gemello" is a film shot in the beautiful island of Sardinia. A dark tale about two adolescents, Anna and Basim. An African illegal migrant and the daughter of a migrant trafficker, an unlikey pair. They don't speak the same language, they come from backgrounds that are miles apart, both on the run from a past they want to forget.
I wanted to tell the story of a desperate and pure love between two people who are different in many ways, but share the same destiny: they are both running away from something, they have both lost their innocence.
Life draws them together, danger makes them inseparable, love will make them stronger.
When we shot the film, Kalilil Khone, who plays Basim, had arrived just a couple of months earlier from Lybia on a boat. He escaped on foot from the Ivory Coast to reach Lybia, where he embarked on one of those illegal boats that often never make it to their destination. He had a dream, he wanted to make it to Italy. I was looking at him during his audition, he has a gift. A look in his eyes that speaks of the horrors he went through, and, at the same time, shows the innocence of a regular kid his age.
Meeting him had a strong influence on the film. Many parts of the film come from things he told me that really happened to him. Looking for my protagonist has been a very long and emotional journey. I met hundreds of kids from refugee camps in Rome and in Sardinia. They all had the same pain in their eyes, they all escaped from their countries risking their lives, they all had the same hope. They all arrived on a boat.
Kallil represents a memorable story to tell.
I wanted to talk about immigration without having to be specific about the phenomenon itself, telling instead the story of a unique friendship that turns into love. I wanted to give voice to the violated innocence of two young kids who possess the strength and the enthusiasm of their young age. This is the meaning of "Twin Flower".
Anastasya Bogach, who plays Anna, is tiny with an enormous temperament. She is, as Kallil, at her very first acting experience. She too arrived in Italy from abroad when she was four years old. In a small van, from Ucraine. She has survivor’s skills. She is a small wild animal. She brings truth to her character.
All my actors are "real". I started from reality to write the film. The mean character, Manfredi, is obsessed by Anna's innocence: when she escapes after a violent event, the man's fury is unleashed into a pursuit like that of a wild beast on the trail of its prey. He is alone, fearing loneliness, as he tells her, more than anything else. He is a crystal giant, as I describe him. Manfredi too is real. He is played by real life con-actor Aniello Arena. Casting was a long process but when I found the actors, I found the film. They are deeply similar to the characters they play.
They are "natural" they blend with Nature. Nature is the key word for my film. When Basim finds Anna, he will protect her. The migrant comes for protection but he will end up protecting.
Against all odds, they become one thing. Their strong and desperate love is set between reality and magic, a delicate balance between everyday violence and the dream to escape it. This is the story of a dream they share that will help them survive even the cruellest twists of fate.