How the ‘Familia’ Team Brought Luigi Celeste’s Beloved Memoir to Life for Italy’s Oscar Race
Italy Competes for Best International Feature Film Oscar with ‘Familia’
Italy, the most successful country in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars with 14 wins, is set to compete again this year with the film Familia, directed by Francesco Costabile.
Familia is adapted from the memoir of writer Luigi Celeste and tells the story of Gigi (Francesco Gheghi), a young man living with his mother (Barbara Ronchi) and brother (Marco Cicalese) while grappling with the estrangement from their violent father, Franco (Francesco Di Leva). As Gigi struggles with his anger, he finds companionship among a group of far-right skinheads. The narrative takes a turn when Franco reappears, forcing Gigi to confront his past and make pivotal decisions about his future.
“I wanted to find a theme that was more universal because this kind of culture of violence transcends all kinds of social classes,” Costabile remarked.
Luigi Celeste’s memoir enjoyed considerable popularity in Italy. Costabile noted that acquiring the rights for the adaptation was relatively straightforward since it was Celeste’s lifelong dream to have his story depicted on screen.
“He wrote the book while he was in prison, and he wrote it from his point of view to share his story,” Costabile explained. “Often in this kind of killing, the story is just summarized in a newspaper in a few lines with no regard for the complexity of a family, with all the psychological tones about what really happened. So this was a way for Luigi to have his story told.”
In preparation for her role, Ronchi did not meet Celeste’s real-life mother but instead conducted extensive research, including interviews with victims of domestic abuse. Gheghi dedicated significant time to connect with Celeste through phone conversations.
“We talked a lot. He expressed to me all his emotions and also all the stories that he had lived through from the book, like when he was in the fascist group,” Gheghi shared.
He recounted a poignant moment when he finally met Celeste after three weeks of shooting. “He arrived, and we looked each other in the eyes and recognized each other. We didn’t need to say anything; we just looked at each other and smiled. We didn’t say anything until the end of that day.”
As Familia advances in the awards season, it sheds light on the complexities of familial relationships and the pervasive impact of violence across societal divides.
