Playing For Charlie, an independently produced feature film shot in Melbourne and Werribee last year, will screen in competition at the Rome International Film Festival later this month.
Written and directed by Pene Patrick and produced by Franziska Wagenfeld, Playing For Charlie is a coming of age drama that explores the delicate relationship between a young mother and her teenage son after the recent death of his father. Young Melbourne actor Jared Daperis, who is being hailed as the new Mel Gibson, plays the son.
The film, which received audience and critical acclaim at both the Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals earlier this year, is described as being a sensitive insight into the teenage life of a young man.
Playing For Charlie will screen in a festival section titled ‘Alice in the City’ – which showcases 12 World and International premieres of films dedicated to issues relating to youth.
Guests of Honour at this year’s festival will include the Dalai Lama and Al Pacino, who will collect the Marc’Aurelio Acting Award, to be bestowed this year on the Actors Studio. Also present will be Michael Cimino (Director – The Deer Hunter) who will be presenting the most memorable dance sequences in film, a montage assembled by the Director himself. Keira Knightly and Director David Cronenberg will also be attending.
Other films invited to screen include Germany’s entrant in this year’s Academy Awards – Uli Edel’s ‘The Baader-Meinhof Complex’, starring Bruno Ganz and Alexandra Maria Lara and the World Premiere of 8 (Huit), a film Directed by eight directors including Jane Campion, Wim Wenders, Mira Nair and Gus Van Sant, The film was made to raise the public’s awareness of the United Nation’s campaign to halve global poverty. ‘The Sea Wall’, a screen adaptation of the novel by Marguerite Duras starring Isabelle Huppert will also screen.
Playing For Charlie will be released into Australian Cinemas mid 2009.