I Have Friends In Heaven: Movie About Disability in Hollywood

Author: Giulio Gargiullo
Published: 2017/02/21 - Updated: 2019/11/10
Category Topic: Films, Radio and TV - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: I have friends in heaven movie will be screened at the Chinese Theatre of Los Angeles (Hollywood), on the occasion of the 12th Los Angeles Italia - The Italian Film Fest. The movie just out at Italian cinemas, sees main actors 10 people with disabilities in the psycho-physical Institute Casa S. Giuseppe of the Opera don Guanella of Rome.

Introduction

The movie I have friends in heaven (Ho amici in paradiso) on Wednesday, February 22nd 2017, at 16.00, local time, will be screened at the Chinese Theatre of Los Angeles (Hollywood), on the occasion of the "12th Los Angeles Italia – The Italian Film Fest" on the eve of the Oscars Nominations 2017. A very important showcase to the success of the movie.

Main Content

The Los Angeles Italia Festival is organized with the support of the MIBACT (Ministry of Cultural Heritage), the patronage of the Ministries of Foreign affairs and Development, in collaboration with the Italian cultural Institute (ICE) and the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles, and Cim Group, the University of Southern California and the NIAF (National Italian American Foundation).

In this circumstance, there will be a small delegation of Italian disabled actors, who have starred in the movie together with the professional ones who have starred in the movie: Valentina Cervi, Fabrizio Ferracane, Antonio Catania, Antonio Folletto, Enzo Salvi, Emanuela Garuccio, Erika Blanc.

The actors of the Istituto don Guanella will be accompanied by the Italian movie director, Fabrizio Maria Cortese, by the producer, Antonio Maria Cortese, don Pino Venerito, director of the Casa S. Giuseppe of the Opera don Guanella of Rome, and by Dr. Simonetta Magari, psychiatrist and health director of the same psycho-physical rehabilitation center.

The movie just out at Italian cinemas, sees main actors 10 people with disabilities in the psycho-physical Institute Casa S. Giuseppe of the Opera don Guanella of Rome. In the movie, directed by Italian director Fabrizio Maria Cortese, there are also professional actors: Valentina Cervi, Fabrizio Ferracane, Antonio Catania, Antonio Folletto, Enzo Salvi, Emanuela Garuccio, Erika Blanc.

The film was shot between Rome, in the rehabilitation institute of Opera don Guanella, where actors with disabilities actually live, and the Region of Puglia in the south of Italy.

The film is about an accountant tied to mafia who is arrested by the police and is serving, as alternative sentence, to social services, serving at the Institute of Casa S. Giuseppe of the Opera don Guanella of Rome. Here, the protagonist struggles at first with the diversity and the severity of the human disability. In a second moment, however, he befriends a disabled guy, the staff nurses and the director of the centre, father Pino. The character of the movie, Felice Castriota, discovers the beauty of diversity of each person at the centre of psycho-physical rehabilitation don Guanella in Rome. The disabled will save the character eventually, with compelling and funny scenes. The film shows the reality of psycho-physical disabilities without filters, without common places, but also it shows everyone the irony in the beauty of diversity.

Comments father Pino Venerito, director of the Casa S. Giuseppe of the Opera don Guanella of Rome:

"Talking with the movie director we started thinking of something that could reach the general public, to get away from our "religious" environments. We have identified together the road to comedy: making people reflect about disability but also by having fun. So the fantasy of Fabrizio Maria Cortese found the suitable subject. In this fantasy story flows the everyday life of our psycho-physical rehabilitation Center. It seems to me that the film, while capturing people's heart for the plot of the story, at the same time give you the chance of discovering the beauty of our "typical"way to spend time with people with disabilities: care, kindness, concern, solicitude, patience... team play".

"The film, a comedy, brings the comic abilities and heterogeneous personalities of these people considered "less skillful", but that they can trot out many of the competences of emotional intelligence as evidenced by scientific studies in many years" as stated by Mrs. Simonetta Magari Psychiatrist and medical Director of the Rehabilitation Center San Giuseppe Opera Don Guanella and professor of language disorders and the psychopathology of intellectual disabilities at the Università del Sacro Cuore.

The movie has been produced by the Golden Hour Films with Rai Cinema, in association with the Opera don Guanella and DESI, in collaboration with the National Office for Social Communications of the Italian Episcopal Conference and Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo.

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Giulio Gargiullo and published on 2017/02/21, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.