Vermiglio’s journey

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A quiet project, a local crew, and Maura Delpero, director and screenwriter from Bolzano/Bozen: from a mountain village to Hollywood, Vermiglio has truly come a long way. TAKE revisits the film’s impressive journey.

Maura Delpero’s Vermiglio is a poetic, quiet film. The director and screenwriter from Bolzano tells the life story of three sisters and their father in the post-war period. Subtly autobiographical, Delpero’s project was born from a longing to gain a better understanding of historical events, safeguard the learnings from the war for future generations, and reflect on the impact of war beyond the front lines – an endeavour of great personal significance to her, as she shared with TAKE in November 2023 while filming in Neumarkt/Egna.

Fast forward to September 2024: Vermiglio celebrates its international premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, winning a Silver Lion. In her acceptance speech, Maura Delpero made it a point to acknowledge the importance of public funding, which had enabled her to bring the film to life just as she had envisioned: presented in dialect, with actors personally selected by her for each individual role. Produced by Cinedora Film from Trentino and Charades from France, the film had received funding during the development and production stage from, among others, IDM Film Commission Südtirol/South Tyrol. For Birgit Oberkofler, Head of IDM Film Commission South Tyrol, Vermiglio stands as a testament to the important work of regional film funding: “Supporting new talent in South Tyrol’s film industry is one of our key goals. Maura Delpero is a cosmopolitan at heart yet maintains strong ties to her origins. For Vermiglio, she chose to bring to life the stories from the mountains and people of this region. The film showcases the excellence of local talent all across the globe.” The crew included local experts in their fields such as location manager Daniel Defranceschi, assistant director Giuseppe Tedeschi, set dresser Sara Pergher, or chief electrician Kristian De Martiis, who was honoured with the “Pellicola D’Oro” at the Venice festival.

“This serves as a testament that stories deeply rooted in our own reality can resonate well with a universal audience.”

Cinedora Film

After Venice, the film premiered in North America at the Toronto Film Festival. In late September, Vermiglio was shortlisted for the 2025 Academy Awards and has received acclaim from juries, the media, and audiences alike. In October, the film was awarded the Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Award. In addition, Vermiglio was nominated for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best International Feature and received nominations in the categories European Film and European Director at the European Film Awards in Lucerne, Switzerland.

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European Director at the European Film Awards in Lucerne, Switzerland.

“For us, Vermiglio represents an incredible journey built on intense creative effort and collaboration and brought to life with the support of an amazing community of experts and partners that firmly believed in our project,” producer Francesca Andreoli from Cinedora Film, the production company behind Vermiglio, shared with TAKE. “We deeply value every single honour, from the Hugo Award at the Chicago Film Festival to the nominations at the European Film Awards and the Golden Globes as well as the Academy Awards shortlist.”

On 5 January 2025, the Cinedora Film team graced the red carpet at the Golden Globes, where Vermiglio had been nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category. On 12 January, it was honoured with the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The fact that Vermiglio was not among the final five nominees in the Best International Feature Film category of the Academy Awards in no way diminishes the incredible achievements accomplished so far. A film imbued with an authentic local touch has made its mark in Hollywood: “This serves as a testament that stories deeply rooted in our own reality can resonate well with a universal audience. We are deeply grateful for the heartfelt reception of this film and can’t wait to see where this journey takes us next,” says Andreoli.

 

Vermiglio is the first film by a South Tyrolean filmmaker supported and funded by IDM Film Fund & Commission and shot on location in South Tyrol that ran for an Academy Award. IDM Film Commission South Tyrol is proud to be part of this project – we extend our heartfelt congratulations to director Maura Delpero, producer Francesca Andreoli, Cinedora Film, and the entire production team!

Foto (c) IDM Südtirol-Alto Adige; Cinedora Film
Published on 23.01.2025

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