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Continuing its victory lap around the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, independent studio Neon has acquired the North American distribution rights to “A Chiara”.
Jonas Carpignano’s film won first prize in the Directors’ Fortnight section at Cannes. It is an accompanying film to his 2017 “A Ciambra”, for which he won the same award that year. Critics praised the film’s exploration of the identity of young women and Carpignano’s ability to create lasting interest in a fictional family through multiple films.
“A Chiara” follows Claudio and Carmela Guerrasio, who reunite with family and friends to celebrate their eldest daughter’s 18th birthday. There is a healthy rivalry between the birthday girl and her 15-year-old sister Chiara as they go head to head on the dance floor. A happy occasion suddenly changes when the Patriarch goes missing. As Chiara investigates, she uncovers truths about her family and must face decisions about the type of life she wants to build.
The Europa Cinema Label jury noted that the film “reflects a genre that has been widely covered in cinema, but this time from a new angle. This story […] is brilliantly structured and built. The cast of non-professionals in all roles works extremely well, and the imaginative sound design greatly contributes to the film’s appeal.
Carpignano wrote the screenplay. Featured Carmela Fumo, Claudio Rotolo and Swamy Rotolo. Tim Curtin served as Director of Photography, sounding Giuseppe Tripodi, production design by Marco Ascanio Viarigi, editing by Affonso Gonçalves, and music by Oscar nominees Benh Zeitlin and Dan Romer.
Jeff Deutchman and Mason Speta negotiated the deal for Neon with Fionnuala Jamison of MK2 Films. “A Chiara” is a Stayblack and Haut et Court production. The producers are Jon Coplon, Paolo Carpignano and Ryan Zacarias.
“A Ciambra”, which was produced by Martin Scorsese and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, was the Italian nomination for the 2018 Oscars. Carpignano’s first film “Mediterranea” won him the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards, was named Best Debut Director of 2015 by the National Board of Review and received Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Debut Feature, Best Debut Screenplay, and Best Male Actor.
Neon has ignited the Croisette this year, winning for the second time in a row the Palme d’Or for “Titane” by Julia Ducournau, after their sensational “Parasite”. They premiered Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria” with the Jury Prize winner Tilda Swinton, as well as the anthology feature “The Year of the Everlasting Storm”. On Friday, the studio acquired the much-loved “Worst Person in the World” from Norwegian writer-director Joachim Trier, which won the Best Actress award at Cannes for Renate Reinsve.
The company’s upcoming roster includes “Spencer” by Pablo Larrain, “Ailey by Jamila Wignot”, “Petite Maman” by Céline Sciamma and Flee by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, produced by Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
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