Italy has selected writer-director Maura Delpero’s Vermiglio to represent it in the International Feature Film Award category for the 97th Academy Awards.
Vermiglio, the Silver Lion winner at this year’s Venice Film Festival, was produced by Cinedora, Chrades and Versus Productions. The feature made its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival where it screened in the Special Presentation section.
Sideshow and Janus Films acquired Vermiglio out of Venice and are planning a theatrical release this year. The companies previously released the Oscar-winning Drive My Car and the Oscar-nominated EO and All That Breathes. Janus Films also distributed the Oscar-winning film The Great Beauty.
Set in 1944, Vermiglio takes its title from a high mountain village in the Italian Alps where war looms as a distant but constant threat. The arrival of Pietro, a refugee soldier, disrupts the dynamics of the local teacher’s family, changing them forever. During the four seasons marking the end of World War II, Pietro is drawn to Lucia, the teacher’s eldest daughter, which leads to marriage and an unexpected fate. As the world emerges from its tragedy, the family will face its own.
