DIVA!, THE FIRST FILM CO-PRODUCED BY CASTA DIVA GROUP, WINS BEST DOCUFILM AT THE NASTRO D’ARGENTO 2018 ITALIAN FILM AWARDS
March 2, 2018
Casta Diva Group (CDG:IM), a multinational communications company listed on the AIM Italia stock exchange, is proud to announce that DIVA!, the first film produced by CDG, was awarded the NASTRO D’ARGENTO 2018 for BEST DOCUFILM.
The Nastro d’Argento is one of the most prestigious awards in Italian cinema, assigned by journalists and film critics each year. DIVA! was awarded equal first place together with La corsa de L’Ora.
The film DIVA!, based on the autobiographical book Quanti sono i domani passati edited by Enrico Rotelli and published by Mondadori, and co-produced by D.O. Production di Daniele Orazi, recounts the life of Valentina Cortese, one of the greatest Italian actresses of all time. The director, Francesco Patierno, didn’t simply put together a series of clips but rather succeeded in creating a genuine and original narrative flow in which Cortese is interpreted by eight of today’s most talented actresses: Barbora Bobulova, Anita Caprioli, Carolina Crescentini, Silvia D’Amico, Isabella Ferrari, Anna Foglietta, Carlotta Natoli, Greta Scarano; the cast also includes Michele Riondino, who interprets Giorgio Strehler. The film is therefore also a tribute to the art of being an actress, a woman and an artistic personality.
Andrea De Micheli, CEO and Luca Oddo, Chairman of the Casta Diva Group: “We are honoured to receive this prestigious award on our first attempt, that is, for our first co-production. Casta Diva companies produce communication for their clients, and today even corporate communication is becoming increasingly about entertainment. That’s why we believe it is so important to accumulate as many success stories as possible in the world of cinema, of TV series (we are currently producing one in Lebanon) and in the world of music, with the Blue Note in Milan.”
Francesco Patierno, director of DIVA!: “I am very pleased to receive this Nastro for the second time in a row for a documentary film such as DIVA! that means so much to me.”
DIVA! was presented in September at the Mostra di Venezia as part of the Official Selection, hors concours, it received a standing ovation in a completely sold out Sala Grande and won the Starlight Cinema International Award presented to its female cast.
The main technical and artistic roles were covered by multi-award-winning professionals such as executive producer Carla Mori, film editor Maria Fantastica Valmori (Naples ’44), director of photography Michele D’Attanasio (David for Veloce come il vento), costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini (David for Il racconto dei racconti and for Indivisibili), set designer Paki Meduri (Gomorra – La Serie, Suburra) and the Simone Belli make-up academy. The sound track, often in contrast with the scenes, was developed by the collective The Spectre.
Associate producers Riccardo Di Pasquale for Fenix Entertainment and Pier Paolo Piastra for Viva Productions also contributed to the development of DIVA!. The film was developed in collaboration with Sky Arte and Luce Cinecittà.
DIVA! will be released in Italian cinemas in May by Officine Ubu, one of the most highly qualified distributors for the promotion of documentary films.
