A World Apart
Director | Riccardo Milani
Presented by Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Sydney
The eagerly anticipated new dramedy from writer/director Riccardo Milani (A Cat On A Highway), A WORLD APART follows a primary school teacher who struggles to adapt to small-town life after he relocates to a remote mountain village.
2024 | 114 min | Comedy | Italy | Italian with English subtitles
CAST Antonio Albanese, Virginia Raffaele, Sergio Saltarelli, Alessandra Barbonetti, Solidea Pistilli
After 40 years of teaching in the metropolitan jungle of Rome, primary school teacher Michele Cortese (Antonio Albanese) moves to an idyllic village in the heart of the Abruzzo National Park, population 1800, to teach at a tiny school with only a handful of students aged seven to ten. He quickly has trouble adjusting to the local culture to entertaining results but gradually adapts, thanks to the school's friendly vice-principal Agnese (Virginia Raffaele) and its spirited pupils.
However, just as all seems well, unwelcome news arrives: the school has failed to meet its student enrolment quota for the next year and will be forced to close. So begins a race against time to save it whatever it takes...
Addressing the dynamics and challenges faced by small communities - and the vital importance of educational institutions for their survival - with sensitivity and lightness, this heartwarming story won over Italian audiences, becoming the #1 local box office smash of 2024.
A precious jewel. An exciting journey to discover the natural wonders of Abruzzo and the human challenges that animate small mountain communities that captures the heart and soul of the viewer.
WINNER
2024 NASTRI D'ARGENTO AWARDS - Best Comedy, Best Actress in a Comedy