A Brighter Tomorrow

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A Brighter Tomorrow
Theatrical release poster
ItalianIl sol dell'avvenire
LiterallyThe Sun of the Future
Directed byNanni Moretti
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMichele D'Attanasio[1]
Edited byClelio Benevento[1]
Music byFranco Piersanti[1]
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 20 April 2023 (2023-04-20) (Italy)
  • 24 May 2023 (2023-05-24) (Cannes)
  • 28 June 2023 (2023-06-28) (France)
Running time
96 minutes[2]
Countries
  • Italy
  • France
LanguageItalian
Budget12.3 million[3]
Box office$6.6 million[4]

A Brighter Tomorrow (Italian: Il sol dell'avvenire, lit.'The Sun of the Future')[5] is a 2023 Italian-French comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Nanni Moretti.

The film was released in Italy on 20 April 2023. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened on 24 May 2023. It received seven nominations at the 69th David di Donatello awards.[6]

Synopsis[edit]

Giovanni is a director, who dreams to make a film adaptation from John Cheever's "The Swimmer" with a soundtrack made of many Italian pop songs. He is married to Paola, who works with him as a producer. Together they have a daughter, who is a musician. While Giovanni is busy shooting a film about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Paola starts working on another film production. Giovanni is resentful of Paola's extra professional engagement, as he feels she should concentrate on his career alone. Tension culminates during a visit Giovanni pays to the set of the film Paola is working on, where he openly criticises the director, the plot and the final scene they are shooting. Exasperated with Giovanni's attitude, Paola leaves him the next day. When Giovanni's film encounters financial troubles, Paola comes to his rescue by bringing in a team of South Korean producers. The events prove to have a deep effect on Giovanni, who decides to change the ending of his film and give it a more positive message.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Il sol dell'avvenire was co-written by Nanni Moretti with collaborators Francesca Marciano, Federica Pontremoli and Valia Santella.[5] The film was co-produced by Moretti through Sacher Film and by Domenico Procacci through Fandango, with Rai Cinema and France's Le Pacte.[1] It was produced in collaboration with France 3 Cinéma, with the participation of Canal+, Ciné+ and France Télévisions.[citation needed] Moretti called the film "complex and costly".[5]

Filming began on 8 March 2022. Shooting took place at Cinecittà, as well as on the streets of Rome. In May 2022, scenes were shot on Rome's Via dei Fori Imperiali, with an elaborate procession featuring a band, extras, horses and elephants.[7][8] Moretti's use of animals on set was criticized by animal rights groups, including Lega Anti Vivisezione (LAV).[9] Filming wrapped on 21 June 2022.[10]

Release[edit]

Il sol dell'avvenire was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival,[11] where it was screened on 24 May 2023.[12] The film was theatrically released in Italy by 01 Distribution on 20 April 2023, before its Cannes screening, which, although considered a rare privilege, is permitted by the festival's regulations.[13][14] It was theatrically released in France by Le Pacte on 28 June 2023.[15] It was also invited to the 27th Lima Film Festival in the Acclaimed section, where it was screened on 10 August 2023.[16] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Icon' section and was screened on 5 October 2023.[17]

International sales are handled by Kinology.[5]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 52% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Moretti's , A Brighter Tomorrow vibrantly presents a myriad of rose-tinted ideas celebrating the love of cinema that dip too far into nostalgia and self-indulgence."[18] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on 8 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[19]

Reviewing the film following its Cannes premiere, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it "bafflingly awful: muddled, mediocre and metatextual – a complete waste of time, at once strident and listless."[20]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 27 May 2023 Palme d'Or Nanni Moretti Nominated [11]
David di Donatello 3 May 2024 Best Film A Brighter Tomorrow Pending [6]
Best Director Nanni Moretti Pending
Best Supporting Actor Silvio Orlando Pending
Best Supporting Actress Barbora Bobuľová Pending
Best Original Screenplay Francesca Marciano, Nanni Moretti, Federica Pontremoli, Valia Santella Pending
Best Score Franco Piersanti Pending
Best Sound Alessandro Zanon, Marta Billingsley, Daniele Quadroli, Paolo Segat Pending
Miskolc International Film Festival 9 September 2023 Emeric Pressburger Prize for Best Feature Film A Brighter Tomorrow Nominated [21]
Nastro d'Argento 20 June 2023 Best Supporting Actress Barbora Bobuľová Won [22]
Guglielmo Biraghi Award Valentina Romani Won
Best Film Nanni Moretti Nominated [23]
Best Director Nanni Moretti Nominated
Best Screenplay Francesca Marciano, Nanni Moretti, Federica Pontremoli, Valia Santella Nominated
Best Actress Margherita Buy Nominated
Best Production Design Alessandro Vannucci Nominated
Best Sound Alessandro Zanon Nominated
Best Score[a] Franco Piersanti Nominated

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Franco Piersanti nominated for his work on both A Brighter Tomorrow and Dry.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Il Sol dell'Avvenire". Fandango (in Italian). Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  2. ^ "IL SOL DELL'AVVENIRE". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Database opere". Direzione Generale Cinema e audiovisivo (in Italian). Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  4. ^ "A Brighter Tomorrow (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Vivarelli, Nick (16 May 2022). "Kinology Takes Sales on Nanni Moretti's 'Il Sol Dell'Avvenire' – First Look Image (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b Roxborough, Scott (3 April 2024). "Paola Cortellesi's 'There's Still Tomorrow' Leads Italy's Donatello Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  7. ^ Palchetti, Elisa (12 May 2022). "Roma, scene di massa e turisti increduli: Nanni Moretti gira il suo nuovo film (VIDEO)". Canale Dieci (in Italian). Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  8. ^ Ulivi, Stefania (10 May 2022). "Roma, ai Fori Imperiali elefanti, bandiere del Pci e banda. Folla stupita, ma è il nuovo film di Moretti". Corriere della Sera. Rome. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  9. ^ Pistilli, Clement (10 May 2022). "Elefanti in corteo su via dei Fori Imperiali, animalisti contro Nanni Moretti". la Repubblica. Rome. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  10. ^ Cantire, Davide (22 June 2022). "Nanni Moretti: finite le riprese del nuovo film Il Sol Dell'Avvenire con Mathieu Amalric". Everyeye.it (in Italian). Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  11. ^ a b "The films of the Official Selection 2023". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  12. ^ mraultpauillac (10 May 2023). "The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  13. ^ Giani, Stefano (14 April 2023). "Tre italiani sotto le palme a Cannes". il Giornale (in Italian). Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Règlement Longs métrages". Festival de Cannes (in French). Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Le Pacte ajuste la sortie du prochain Nanni Moretti". Le Film français (in French). 30 March 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Il sol dell'avvenire" [A Brighter Tomorrow]. 27 PUCP Lima Film Festival (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  17. ^ "The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  18. ^ "A Brighter Tomorrow". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  19. ^ "A Brighter Tomorrow". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  20. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (24 May 2023). "A Brighter Tomorrow review – Nanni Moretti's new film is bafflingly awful". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  21. ^ "FESTIVALS: CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival 2023 Announces Lineup". Film New Europe Association. 17 August 2023. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  22. ^ Scarpa, Vittoria (21 June 2023). "Kidnapped scoops seven Nastri d'Argento awards". Cineuropa. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  23. ^ a b "Nastri d'argento, le candidature: in testa 'Rapito' e 'Il sol dell'avvenire'". la Repubblica (in Italian). 1 June 2023. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.

External links[edit]