TFL Films & Series
Venice Film Festival: ‘Orizzonti’ welcomes PELICAN BLOOD and SOLE
July 25, 2019
The long-awaited films PELICAN BLOOD by Katrin Gebbe (Germany) and SOLE by Carlo Sironi (Italy) have been selected to compete in the 76th Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti section.
A total of 5 TFL Films will therefore premiere this summer: announced last week, MATERNAL by Maura Delpero and THE FEVER by Maya Da-Rin will be screened at the 72nd Locarno Film Festival (read the news), while Marie Grahtø’s debut feature PSYCHOSIA has been selected at the 34th Venice International Film Critics’ Week (read the news).
Dedicated to films that represent the latest aesthetic and expressive trends in international cinema, with special attention to debut films and young talents, the Orizzonti section will open with the second feature film of German filmmaker Katrin Gebbe: PELICAN BLOOD.
Produced by Junafilm (Germany) and Miramar Film (Bulgaria), PELICAN BLOOD tells the story of Wiebke (Nina Ross), a single mom of two adopted girls: the youngest one, of only 5 years old, is diagnosed with an attachment disorder that prevents her for building any emotional connection. She contently puts the others in danger, especially her older sister. Wiebke has to decide whether she is willing to keep her and risk her sister well-being.
SOLE, Carlo Sironi’s debut feature, will also compete in Orizzonti. Again, adoption is an essential theme of the film: the main characters, Ermanno and Lena, must pretend to be a couple in order to allow Ermanno's uncle and his wife, who cannot have children, to get custody of the child quickly, via the relative’s adoption route. Sole, however, is premature and needs to be breastfed, and although Lena tries to reject her link with her daughter, Ermanno begins to take care of her as if she were his own.
SOLE is produced by Kino Produzioni (Italy) and Lava Films (Poland), in collaboration with RAI Cinema (Italy). The project won the TFL Production Award (€ 50.000) after its participation in the Meeting Event 2017.
Furthermore, the Venice Film Festival will welcome the world premiere of several films by TFL Alumni: in Out of Competition - Special Screening, Konstantina Kotzamani will present ELECTRIC SWAN, the Sconfini section will screen IL VARCO by TFL Alumnus Federico Ferrone, co-directed with Michele Manzolini, while three productions from TFL Alumni will vie for the Golden Lion in Competition: Pietro Marcello’s second feature MARTIN EDEN (Italy), Haifaa Al Mansour’s THE PERFECT CANDIDATE (Saudi Arabia) and Ciro Guerra’s WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS (Colombia).
Discover Venice's complete line-up here.