New Italian Stories: U.S. Palmese by Manetti Brothers
From summer 2025 through to winter, ICI London is launching a new film screening series: New Italian Stories. Conceived in collaboration with film critic Roberto Oggiano, the project showcases contemporary cinematic gems from Italy. The series aims to spotlight remarkable, and often overlooked, films that reflect the richness and evolution of Italian cinema.
Tuesday 1 July 2025 at 6.30pm
In Italian with English subtitles
U.S. Palmese by Manetti Brothers
Director: Manetti Brothers
Screenplay: Manetti Bros, Luna Gualano, Emiliano Rubbi
Cast: Rocco Papaleo, Giulia Maenza, Blaise Alfonso, Claudia Gerini
Comedy/2024 /2 h/colour
U.S. Palmese is a sports comedy. In Palmi, a small town in Calabria, Don Vincenzo, a brilliant and retired farmer, gets the crazy idea to revive the local football team. He organizes a bizarre fundraising campaign to recruit Etienne Morville, a Serie A player. In a desperate attempt to rebuild his reputation, the disgraced French soccer stars reluctantly accept the contract.
The film is set in the hometown of the Manetti Brothers’ mother and it is where the duo spent their childhood summers. The idea for the film came from a childhood memory: an old man at an amateur football match said that if the fans raised enough money, the team could afford a star like Maradona.
Introduction and post screening discussion with Roberto Oggiano.
BOOK HERE
Roberto Oggiano is a film critic and film programmer. He holds a MA in Film Programming and Curation at Birkbeck College and his collaborations include Cineuropa (EN, FR, ITA, SP), Scenari (IT) and journal Cinelapsus (IT), Cinè-Lumière at the French Institute in London and Noods Radio (Bristol, UK).