European Films

Italian actor Kim Rossi Stuart (Romanzo criminale, the current release and directing debut Anche libero va bene/Along the Ridge) and Jasmine Trinca (La meglio gioventù/The Best of Youth, Il caimano/The Caiman) have started filming on director Riccardo Milani's Il disco del mondo (Piano, solo) (lit. The Disc of the World) in Rome. A total of ten weeks is foreseen for principal photography, including location work in Africa as well as the Italian capital. The Franco-Italian co-production is based on a book by current Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni (who was also the initiator of the recent Rome Film Festival) and tells the true story of jazz pianist Luca Flores.

Luca Flores (Rossi Stuart) was born in Palermo in 1956 and at the age of five moved to Mozambique (then a Portuguese colony) for eight years. He became a well-know face of the Italian and international jazz scene upon his return and played, among others, with Chet Baker and Dave Holland. The pain of a childhood tragedy -- Luca’s mother died in a car accident for which he felt responsible -- later developed into mental illness. In 1995, after recording his final record, Luca Flores put an end to his intense and painful existence.

The screenplay of Il disco del mondo was written by Ivan Cotroneo, Claudio Piersanti and Milani. According to the director, whose credits include Il posto dell'anima and Cefalonia: "The story of Luca Flores is one of those that gets inside you, digging deep within the human soul. His musical genius and uncommon sensitivity make him an extraordinary and fascinating character". The cast also features Michele Placido (who directed Rossi Stuart in Romanzo Criminale), Paola Cortellesi (Il posto dell'anima), Sandra Ceccarelli (Klimt), Roberto De Francesco (Cefalonia) and Claudio Gioè (E se domani...). Il disco del mondo (Piano, solo) will premiere in Italy in 2007.

(source: cineuropa.org. photo: Rossi Stuart in Romanzo Criminale, (c): Cinéart/Cinélibre, 2005)