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Premiere of La città dei vivi at Venice Film Festival

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2026-09-06 06:57 UTC → 2026-10-03 18:34 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Edoardo Gabbriellini’s film ‘La città dei vivi’ (The City of the Living) premiered in the Orizzonti competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. Inspired by Nicola Lagioia’s novel regarding the 2016 murder and torture of 23-year-old Luca Varani in Rome, the film adopts a cinematic approach that differs from the source material. While the original book explored the perspectives of the killers, Gabbriellini shifts the focus to the victim. The narrative centers on Varani’s life, his relationships, and his family—including his adoptive parents, played by Valerio Mastandrea and Simona Senzacqua—rather than the specific details of the crime. The director intends to present a coming-of-age story interrupted by senseless violence, aiming to avoid ‘judicial voyeurism’ to highlight the victim's social and emotional fragilities. The cast also includes Emanuele Maria Di Stefano as Luca Varani and Gaia Merlonghi. Nicola Lagioia expressed appreciation for the adaptation, noting that the director successfully reversed the perspective to ‘illuminate the victim's humanity.’ Following its festival debut, the production faced controversy when screenwriters Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo withdrew their names from the credits, citing disagreements with the director’s stylistic direction. The film ~~is scheduled for a theatrical release~~ was released in ~~Italy~~ Italian cinemas on October ~~1 via Eagle Pictures~~ 1. Lead actor Emanuele Maria Di Stefano has discussed the film’s avoidance of sensationalism, noting that the production focuses on the personal lives of the victim and is the senseless nature of the crime. Di Stefano also ~~set~~ addressed the film’s use of the ‘f-word’ to ~~be presented at~~ describe the ~~Toronto International Film Festival.~~ perpetrators, explaining it was used by the victim's girlfriend to reflect her shock and to address societal misconceptions regarding the relationship between the killers.

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