Finally dawn

Directed by Director's notes
  • Saverio Costanzo
Directed by
  • Saverio Costanzo
Year
  • 2023
Length
  • 108 min.
Year
  • 2023
Length
  • 108 min.
Cast
  • Lily James
  • Rebecca Antonaci
  • Joe Keery
  • Rachel Sennott
  • Alba Rohrwacher
  • Willem Dafoe
 
  • Sofia Panizzi
  • Carmen Pommella
  • Giovanni Moschella
  • Enzo Casertano
  • Michele Bravi
Synopsis

In 1950’s Cinecittà, a young girl becomes the lead in a journey of self-discovery through the course of one long, eventful night.

Director's notes
  • Initially, I wanted to write a film about the murder of the very young Wilma Montesi, which occurred in April 1953 and represented Italy's first case of media assassination. The press speculated on the affair, which involved political and entertainment figures, and an obsession was born in the public that soon turned into indifference. The victim disappeared from the headlines to make way for the parade of her possible perpetrators. Then, as often happens when writing, the initial idea changed, and rather than letting the innocent die, I sought her redemption. In fact, I like to think that "Finalmente l'alba" (Finally Dawn) is a film about the redemption of the simple, the naive, of those who are still capable of looking at the world with wonder. The protagonist Mimosa is a blank page, on which each of the characters she encounters writes their story, without fear of being judged. Mimosa is a simple girl, a very young extra from Cinecittà who, in 1950s Rome, accepts a social invitation from a group of American actors and spends an endless night with them. She will emerge different at dawn, discovering that courage is not for repaying others' expectations, but for discovering who we are.
Directed by
  • Saverio Costanzo
Screenplay
  • Saverio Costanzo
Produced by
  • Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Gangarossa for Wildside, a Fremantle Group company
A production
  • WILDSIDE with RAI CINEMA
International sales
  • FILMNATION ENTERTAINMENT
Director's notes
X

Initially, I wanted to write a film about the murder of the very young Wilma Montesi, which occurred in April 1953 and represented Italy's first case of media assassination. The press speculated on the affair, which involved political and entertainment figures, and an obsession was born in the public that soon turned into indifference. The victim disappeared from the headlines to make way for the parade of her possible perpetrators. Then, as often happens when writing, the initial idea changed, and rather than letting the innocent die, I sought her redemption. In fact, I like to think that "Finalmente l'alba" (Finally Dawn) is a film about the redemption of the simple, the naive, of those who are still capable of looking at the world with wonder. The protagonist Mimosa is a blank page, on which each of the characters she encounters writes their story, without fear of being judged. Mimosa is a simple girl, a very young extra from Cinecittà who, in 1950s Rome, accepts a social invitation from a group of American actors and spends an endless night with them. She will emerge different at dawn, discovering that courage is not for repaying others' expectations, but for discovering who we are.