Il signore delle formiche

At the end of the sixties, a trial was held in Rome that caused a sensation. Playwright and poet Aldo Braibanti was sentenced to nine years’ prison, found guilty of plagio. That is, of having submitted another person, physically and psychologically, to his own will. In this case, a student and friend who was barely of age. The youth’s family had him committed to a psychiatric hospital and subjected to a string of devastating electroshock treatments to “cure” him of that “diabolical” influence. Some years later, the crime of plagio was removed from the Italian penal code. But by that point, it had been used to incriminate “misfits” of every kind, outlaws from the norm. Drawing inspiration from true events, the film tells a story through a chorus of voices. Other than the defendant, his family and friends, accusers and supporters take shape against a backdrop of largely distracted or indifferent public opinion. Only one journalist takes on the task of piecing together the truth, facing suspicion and censorship as he does so.

A film about violence and the obtuseness of prejudice. About love subjected to conformism and hypocrisy. A cross-section of Italian provincial life in the pivotal sixties, when economic wellbeing did not grow at the same pace as awareness about things. As emotional openness. The family is a closed space where intergenerational disagreements remain heated and conflictual. The affair as it had happened still reveals disturbing elements over half a century later. The viewer might wonder: “How was it possible, how could it have happened?”
Even though today, outwardly, nothing seems to scandalise anyone anymore, the Lord of the Ants’ odyssey has something of the Inquisition about it. We still witness it every day. Because, in substance, not much has changed. Behind a permissive façade, prejudices exist and endure, generating hatred and scorn towards anyone who is ‘different’. This is no longer the time to submit to or to tolerate any form of abuse towards individuals who are less protected. This film aims to instil the courage to rebel.

PRODUCTION 1: Simone Gattoni – Kavac Film srl
Via Nomentana 186
00162 – Roma, Italia
Mob. +39 3339085616
simone@kavacfilm.com
http://www.kavacfilm.com

PRODUCTION 2: Giuseppe Caschetto – IBC MOVIE SRL
Viale XII Giugno 26
20124 – Bologna, Italia
Tel. +39 0513397723
kanzir@itc2000.it
http://www.ibcmovie.com

PRODUCTION 3: Moreno Zani, Malcom Pagani – Tenderstories
Via Giacomo Leopardi 8
20123 – Milano, Italia
Tel. +39 0282196753
benedetta.cuzzeri@tenderstories.eu
http://tenderstories.eu/it
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tenderstoriess
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenderstories_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tenderstories

PRODUCTION 4: Paolo Del Brocco – Rai Cinema spa
Piazza Adriana 12
00193 – Roma, Italia
Tel. +39 0633179601
anna.pomara@raicinema.it
http://www.raicinema.it

WORLD SALES: Michael Weber – The Match Factory
Domestrasse 60
50668 – Cologne, Germany
Tel. +49 2215397090
info@matchfactory.de
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thematchfactory/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thematchfactory/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thematchfactory

ITALIAN DISTRIBUTION: Luigi Lonigro – 01 Distribution
Piazza Adriana 12
00193 – Roma, Italia
Tel. +39 0633179601
soniapisana.dichter@racinema.it
http://www.01distribution.it

PRESS OFFICE: Claudia Tomassini and Ryan Werner – International Film Publicity
Saarbrücker Str 24
10405 Berlin
press@claudiatomassini.com
ryan@cineticmedia.com
www.claudiatomassini.com

ITALIAN PRESS OFFICE: Viviana Ronzitti – KINORAMA SAS
Via Domenichino 4
00184 – Roma, Italia
Mob. +39 3332393414
ronzitti@fastwebnet.it