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SPHE Press Release: The Italian
“A movie you won’t soon forget …”
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
“Charles Dickens would approve …”
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Directed by Andrei Kravchuk
and Starring Newcomer Kolya Spiridonov
THE ITALIAN
Available on DVD on May 22, 2007
Culver City, CA (March 19, 2007) – Praised by critics, and the winner of the “Grand Prix” for Best Feature at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival, The Italian takes an intelligent, poignant and gripping look at the urgent issue of illegal adoption in Russia. The feature debut from director Andrei Kravchuk and talented young actor Kolya Spiridonov, the Sony Pictures Classics film will be released on DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on May 22, at an SLP of $29.95.
The Italian was chosen as a featured selection at both the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006 and its theatrical release was greeted with critical acclaim. In the Philadelphia Inquirer, Steven Rea called The Italian “an impressive feature debut from documentary- trained Kravchuk” while Ty Burr in the Boston Globe praised the young star, saying “(Kolya) Spirindonov, towheaded and somber, is a natural.” The Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips stated “It’s hard to resist the overall impact of The Italian.”
Synopsis
For most Russian orphans, the chance to be adopted is a dream come true. But six-year-old Vanya Solntsev has other hopes. After discovering that his mother is still alive, the abandoned boy teaches himself to read so as to learn her address from his personal files. Before a wealthy Italian couple can claim him for their own, Vanya sets off on a perilous journey to find his only remaining family. Pursued by orphanage staff and the police, the determined runaway must now face the most difficult challenge of his young life in this incredible story inspired by true events.
DVD Catalog #: 17088
DVD UPC Code: 0-43396-17088-9
DVD Order Date: 4/19/07
DVD SLP: $29.95
Running Time 99 minutes
Rating PG-13 for some violence, sexual content, language and thematic issues.
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