Studiocanal To Release Nanni Moretti’s Aprile And The Son’s Room

Studiocanal have announced the release of two newly restored films from the highly acclaimed writer, director and actor, Nanni Moretti. Debuting on UK Blu-ray for the first time, Aprile (1998) and, the Palme D’or winning, The Son’s Room (La Stanza del Figlio, 2001) available on DVD and Digital and are a welcome addition to the growing Vintage World Cinema Collection.

Moretti has gained international acclaim as a writer, director, producer and actor who frequently stars in his films along with of his family. Throughout a career spanning over a quarter of a century, 26 films and countless awards including the prestigious Palme D’or for The Son’s Room, Moretti continues to be a prolific and independent filmmaker whose work continues to blend trenchant social commentary with a humour and lightness of touch.

APRILE (1998)
DIRECTED BY: Nanni Moretti
WRITTEN BY: Nanni Moretti
STARRING: Nanni Moretti, Silvio Orlando, Silvia Nono, Pietro Moretti, Agata Apicella Moretti
1998 / Cert: 12 / Total Running Time: 78 mins approx

Nanni Moretti’s semi-autobiographical and humorous of his experiences in fatherhood was nominated for a Palme D’or on its release in 1998. Beginning when his wife Silvia (played by Moretti’s actual wife, Silvia Nono) announces her pregnancy, family, work and politics mingle in a charming light-hearted tale with a large helping of irony and humour.

Following the general election of 1994, won by the centre-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi, Moretti is encouraged by a journalist friend to make a documentary about the current political situation in Italy.

Two years , another election is held, and he has still made no progress with his documentary. He starts another project (a musical about a Trotskyist pastry chef in the 1950’S) but becomes disillusioned and increasingly distracted by the pregnancy. When his son Pietro is born and the centre-left coalition Ulivo wins the election, he continues to try to shoot his documentary, but with the film remaining unfinished he must learn to stop hesitating in order to complete his ion project.

DVD / Blu-Ray Extras include Le cercle du cinéma (Festival de Cannes 1998).

THE SONS ROOM (La Stanza del Figlio, 2001)
DIRECTED BY: Nanni Moretti
WRITTEN BY: Nanni Moretti
STARRING: Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante, Giuseppe Sanfelice, Jasmine Trinca
2001 / Cert: 15 / Total Running Time: 99 mins approx

Nanni Moretti writes, directs and stars in this Palme D’or winning story of family grief and bereavement. Psychiatrist Giovanni (Moretti) lives happily with his family in a small Italian coastal town. One Sunday he is due to spend time with his son Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelicem, AmeriQua), when he receives an anguished call from Oscar, one of his patients, and feels he must go and see him instead; however later that afternoon Andrea accidentally drowns in a diving accident.

Over the following weeks, Giovanni, his wife Paola (Laura Morante, Cherry on the Cake), and daughter Irene (Jasmine Trinca, The Gunman), remain shell-shocked with grief; with Giovanni suspending his practice, and relations between himself and Paola becoming increasingly difficult. When a letter then arrives from a girl who Andrea had met the previous summer, who none of the family knew anything about, they all become curious to learn more about this person who meant so much to their departed son and brother.

DVD / Blu-Ray Extras include an Interview with Nanni Moretti and Laura Morante (Cannes Film Festival 2001).

Aprile and The Son’s Room will be released via Studiocanal‘s Vintage World Cinema Collection, on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from 23rd November.