Italy’s Fandango has scored a number of gross sales on “Sweetheart” (“Gioia Mia”) the fragile era hole drama by Margherita Spampinato who’s being honored with Kering’s Rising Expertise Award at this yr’s Cannes Film Festival.
The recent movie a few cheeky younger boy named Nico who’s raised in a tech-savvy household and compelled to spend the summer season in a seaside Sicilian city along with his grumpy and non secular aged aunt additionally lately received Italy’s David di Donatello award for finest first work, whereas Aurora Quattrocchi, who performs the aged aunt generally known as Zia Gela, scooped the actress David.
Within the movie, Nico and Gela’s preliminary wariness quickly provides option to friendship. To Nico’s amazement, the mysterious home the place Gela lives together with her devoted canine is definitely filled with secrets and techniques. And, some declare, vengeful Sicilian spirits.
Produced by Benedetta Scagnelli and Alessio Pasqua for Yagi Media and Arcopinto, “Sweetheart” launched from the Locarno Movie Competition. It has now bought to: Greece (Cinobo); Germania and Austria (Arsenal); Australia and New Zealand (Palace); The Netherlands (Arti Movie); former Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom); Taiwan (AV Jet); Brazil (Pandora/Belas Artes Grupo); Israel (Lev Cinemas LTD); and Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay (Zeta Filmes).
Kering’s Rising Expertise Award, which comes with a €50,000 ($57,000) grant to help a debuting director’s second work, was given to Spampinato for “Sweeheart” which, via this story of a younger boy discovering love, reminiscence, and thriller throughout an surprising keep in a seaside Sicilian city, “captures the freshness of childhood while exploring themes of transmission, hidden histories, and the unseen,” based on a Kering assertion. Spampinato was chosen for the award by her predecessor, Brazilian director Marianna Brennand, who received it in 2025.
