Berlinale Special | THE LARK FARM

Release dates for Masseria delle allodole, La (2007)
Germany 14 February 2007(Berlin International Film Festival)
Italy 4 May 2007
Berlinale Special
Wed Feb 14 21:30 Filmpalast Berlin
Thu Feb 15 17:45 Cubix 8

LA MASSERIA DELLE ALLODOLE | DAS HAUS DER LERCHEN |THE LARK FARM | IL ETAIT UNE FOIS EN ARMENIE

Directed by: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani
Italy/ Bulgaria/Spain/France 2007 |122 Min. | Format 35 mm, 1:1.85 | Color
Written by: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, Based on Antonia Arslan book; Cinematography: Giuseppe Lanci; Editing: Roberto Perpignani; Sound: Daniel Fontrodona; Music: Giuliani Taviani; Art direction: Andrea Crisanti; Set Design Laura Casalini; Visual Effects: Enrico Pieraccianni; Costumes: Lina Nerli Taviani; Make up: Massimiliano Duranti, Mauro Tamagnini; Asst. Direstor: Mimmola Girosi, Victor Bojinov; Exec. Producer: Guido Simonetti; Oriol Maymó; Producer: Gracia Volpi; Co-Producer: Gianfranco Pierantoni; Foreign Production: Steffano Dammicco; Cast: Paz Vega, Moritz Bleibtreu, Alessandro Preziosi, Ángela Molina, Arsinée Khanjian, Mohammed Bakri, Tchéky Karyo, Marianno Rigillo, Hristo Shopov, Christo Jivkov,Stefan Danailov, Linda Batista, Assen Blatechki, Marius Donkin, André Dussollier, Itzhak Finzi, Ubaldo Lo Presti, Hristo Mitzkov, Enrica Maria, Modugno, Elena Rainova, Yvonne Sciò,Maria Statoulova.

Ager 3, supported by MiBAC, in collaboration with: Rai Cinema & Eagle Pictures; in coproduction with: Nimar Studios (Sofia); Sagrera Tv, TVE (Madrid); Flach Film, France 2 Cinéma, Canal+, 27 Films Production, Ard Degeto (Paris); supported by EuroimagesCo-Production
Ager 3 / Via della Lungara, 3 I-00165 Roma |Tl.: 6-588 40 03 |F: 6-588 42 06 | E: agertre@tin.it

Synopsis: THE LARK FARM / The Avakians are a rich Armenian family. Two family members are Aram, a land-owner living in a small town in Turkey, and Assadour, a successful doctor from Venice. The brothers have not seen each other for a long time and decide to meet in Armenia. While Assadour prepares himself for his trip to his native land, the Armenian part of the family starts preparing the old family seat for their visitors from abroad. They set to work painting, joining and repairing, and even construct a tennis court for the Italians. Meanwhile, the political situation has grown more acute.

Since coming to power in 1913, the government of Young Turks has made it their goal to create one vast Turkish empire; in 1915, Italy and France enter into an alliance against Turkey and Austria. Assadour is still hoping in vain to be able to travel from Italy to his homeland when all hell breaks loose in Armenia. The Young Turks order the massacre of the Armenian people. Aram and his family are discovered in their hiding place. The men are murdered and the women are forcibly deported. Their march will surely mean their death. However, the Avakian women have a protector – Aram’s daughter, Nunik, falls in love with one of the Turkish officers, who sees to it that Nunik and her family are not subjected to any more suffering. But the women are by no means in safety yet.

Biographies: Vittorio Taviani and his brother Paolo were both born in San Miniato, Italy – Vittorio on 20.9.1929 and Paolo on 8.11.1931. Vittorio studied law in Pisa and his brother, art. Developing an interest in film, in 1954, the brothers made their first short film, SAN MINIATO, LUGLIO ’44, about their own village. They made names for themselves abroad with the 1977 work, PADRE PADRONE.

Selected Filmography:
1954 SAN MINIATO, LUGLIO ’44 short
1960 L’ITALIA NON E UN PAESE POVERO
1962 UN UOMO DA BRUCIARE (GEBRANDMARKT)
1963 I FUORILEGGE DEL MATRIMONIO (DIE EHEBRECHER)
1967 I SOVVERSIVI (DIE SUBVERSIVEN)
1969 SOTTO IL SEGNO DELLO SCORPIONE (IM ZEICHEN DES SKORPIONS)
1972 SAN MICHELE AVEVA UN GALLO (DER AUFSTAND DES GIULIO MANIERI)
1973 ALLONSANFAN (ALLONSANFAN)
1977 PADRE PADRONE (MEIN VATER, MEIN HERR)
1979 IL PRATO (DIE WIESE)
1982 LA NOTTE DI SAN LORENZO (DIE NACHT VON SAN LORENZO)
1984 KAOS (CHAOS)
1987 GOOD MORNING BABYLON
1990 IL SOLE ANCHE DI NOTTE (NACHTSONNE)
1993 FIORILE
1996 LE AFFINITÀ ELLETIVE (WAHLVERWANDSCHAFTEN)
1998 TU RIDI
2001 UN ALTRO MONDO È POSSIBILE Documentary / RESURREZIONE (DIE AUFERSTEHUNG) TV-Film
2004 LUISA SANFELICE TV-Film
2007 LA MASSERIA DELLE ALLODOLE