I'm Not Scared

Infobox Film
name = I'm Not Scared


caption = Movie poster for "I'm Not Scared"
director = Gabriele Salvatores
producer = Marco Chimenz
Giovanni Stabilini
Maurizio Totti
Riccardo Tozzi
writer = Niccolò Ammaniti
Francesca Marciano (screenplay)
starring = Giuseppe Cristiano
Mattia Di Pierro
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
music = Ezio Bosso
distributor = Capitol Films
Medusa Distribuzione
Miramax Films (USA)
released = March 14, 2003
April 9, 2004 (USA)
runtime = 108 min.
country = Italy
Spain
United Kingdom
awards = see below
language = Italian
budget =
amg_id = 1:282810
imdb_id = 0326977 "I'm Not Scared" ("Io Non Ho Paura") is an Italian novel by Niccolò Ammaniti, published in 2001. It won the 2001 Viareggio-Repaci Prize for Fiction and has already been sold in twenty languages. It has sold nearly 700,000 copies since its publication in 2001. The English translation is by Jonathan Hunt, hardcover and paperback, Canongate, 2003. [ [http://italian-mysteries.com/NAM01.html Website for English-language mystery novels set in Italy] ]

In 2003 it was made into a film, directed by Gabriele Salvatores, with Italo Petriccione as the cinematographer. Two days after "Io Non Ho Paura" appeared at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2003, thirty-two countries had purchased the film. The domestic box-office gross was $1,615,328. [ [http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/movie/im_not_scared/ I'm Not Scared (2004) - Movie Preview - RopeofSilicon.com ] ]

The film score is primarily by a string quartet, that includes original music by Ezio Bosso, Quartetto d’Archi di Torino and Pepo Scherman as well as work by Canadian Michael Galasso. (Clips from the soundtrack can be heard at the "Io Non Ho Paura" official Italian website.)

Historical context

The 1970s in Italy, referred to in Italian as the anni di piombo, was a time of turmoil and terrorism. It became alarmingly common to kidnap people from the North and transport them to the South or to Sardinia, where they would be hidden and sometimes killed unless the ransom was paid. The setting of this film, 1978, was the year in which kidnappings in Italy reached an all-time peak of nearly 600 (including, famously, that of Aldo Moro, who was murdered after his disappearance). Although many kidnappings were politically motivated, children of wealthy northern families were targeted as well. It became such a problem that the Italian government decided to automatically freeze the assets of any families whose children had been kidnapped and contacted by people wanting a ransom to discourage this phenomenon. This story is loosely based on a true story of a kidnapped boy from Milan.

Plot

The film takes place in 1978, in a fictional town called Acqua Traverse in Southern Italy, during the hottest summer of the century. Ten year-old Michele, portrayed by first-time actor Giuseppe Cristiano, and a group of friends set out across the scorched wheat fields on their bikes. While exploring a deserted farmhouse, Michele discovers what he believes to be the dead body of a boy his own age in a cavernous hole. He keeps the horrific secret to himself, and later returns to the site to find that the boy, Filippo (Mattia Di Pierro), is not dead but weak, confused and unable to account for his own presence - likely suffering cotard delusion. Michele visits him regularly, bringing him food and water. Eventually Michele learns that Filippo was kidnapped, and virtually every adult in the tiny community, including his own parents, are involved. Instead of divulging his finding to his overburdened mother (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) or dismissive father (Dino Abbrescia), Michele decides he must do something - and the story builds to a dramatic climax.

Cast

Crew

About the film

In a 2003 interview for Rome's "L’Unita", Ammaniti recalled that the idea of his book "Io Non Ho Paura" came to him during a road trip he took to Puglia in the late 1990s.

The setting of the film is in an area of Italy where the director spent his youth, in Basilicata and Puglia. The primary set is in the countryside near Melfi (population roughly 16,000), due north of Potenza. Many reviews misidentify the film's setting as Tuscany, because of the beautiful scenery or Sicily, because crime is involved. Salvatores chose to challenge the kind of Italian film that typically becomes popular on the foreign market: "the beautiful ocean, the nostalgic past, mafia, pizza, and mandolins." After the release of this film, Salvatores was asked often about the connection between kidnapping and the South of Italy regarding Italy's history. He mentioned in an interview that although the film's mystery revolves around a kidnapping, the film is not about kidnapping, it is about the journey and loss of innocence of young boy, the main character, Michele. [Wendell Ricketts [http://www.virtualitalia.com/videos/salvatores_paura.shtml "I'm Not Scared: The Film: A Stunning Interpretation of the Book by the Same Name"] 12 December 2007 (screenshots of the movie available on this website)]

In the book and film, the setting is in a fictional town called Acqua Traverse, or literally water crossings. It is said to be in a province of Lucignano, not to be confused with Lucignano which is in the province of Arezzo, part of the region Tuscany.

A strong primary color scheme was used in the filming technique of this movie to portray the way children see the world, and focusing on specific objects that interest them with a close-up view. The vivid scenery in this film is one of its most recognized characteristics. There are many views of fields and hills of wheat, this endless land being the backyard for the children of Acqua Traverse and the setting to their childhood adventures.

The majority of the actors in the film, especially the children, were local citizens who'd never seen a film crew in their tiny town before, let alone having any acting experience. The director spoke with psychologists about the impact filming in that small town may have on the residents. The filmmakers needed to explain to the parents of the children who were acting in the film that this was not a ticket to Hollywood. The veteran actors Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Dino Abbrescia and Giorgio Careccia were cast in the adult roles. [Miriam Di Nunzio [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20040418/ai_n12546454 "'Scared' director takes risk with cast of unknowns"] "Chicago Sun-Times". April 18, 2004. . Retrieved 12 December 2007.]

Awards

* Berlin International Film Festival 2003: Nominated, Golden Berlin Bear, Gabriele Salvatores
* European Film Awards 2003: Nominated, Best Cinematographer, Italo Petriccione
* Flaiano Film Festival 2003: Won, Audience Award for Best Actor, Giuseppe Crisiano, Won, Best Film Score, Ezio Bosso, Won, Best Screenplay, Niccolo Ammaniti
* Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists 2003: Won, Best Cinematrography, Italo Petriccione, Won, Best Director, Gabriele Salvatores, Won, Best Supporting Actor, Diego Abatantuono, Nominated, Best Producer, Nominated, Best Score, Ezio Bosso, Pepo Scherman, Nominated, Best Screenplay, Niccolo Ammanti, Francesca Marciano, Nominated, Best Sound, Maruo Lazzaro
* David di Donatello Awards 2004: Nominated, Best Film, Maurizio Totti, RIccardo Tozzi, Gabriele Salvatores, Nominated, Best Music, Ezio Bosso, Nominated, Best Sound, Mauro Lazzaro, Nominated, Best Supporting Actor, Diego Abatanuono, Won, Best Cinematography, Italo Petriccione, Won, Gabriele Salvatores
* Golden Trailer Awards 2004: Nominated, Best Foreign Independent
* Young Artists Awards 2004: Nominated, Best International Feature Film
* Bodil Awards 2005: Nominated, Best Non-American Film, Gabriele Salvatores
* Edgar Allan Poe Awards 2005: Nominated, Best Motion Picture Screenplay, Francesca Marciano, Niccolo Ammaniti [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326977/awards "Io non ho paura" (2003) - Awards ] ]

External links

* [http://www.miramax.com/imnotscared/index.html Promotional site for US region]
*imdb title|id=0326977|title=I'm Not Scared

References