The ANNOTICO Report

RAI announced its upcoming Slate of Presentations:

"Kefalonia 8th September 1943": German army's massacre of 10,000 Italian
troops occupying the Greek island during WWII,

"The Heart in the Well": The 'ethnic cleansing' of Italians in 1943, by the
Slavic population of Istria.

"Imperium, Part I: The Rise & Fall of the Roman Empire"
"Imperium, Part II: Augustus: the First Emperor and Nero.Stars Omar Shariff
as the first ever Pope.
"St Peter: The Persecution of the Christians"

Toon movie "Columbus of America"
Preschool toon "Obie & Bingie".

"Pope, A Quarter of a Century with Pope John Paul II", another documentary
about the Pope,
"The Stubbornness of God".

"Claudia Cardinale",continuing its series of such big screen profiles.

C21 Media.Net
April 7,2005

A dramatisation of the 1943 massacre of the Italian garrison at Kefalonia,
Greece, is headlining Rai Trade's drama slate this Mip, a slate laden with
fiction drawing heavily on Italy's bloody past.

Kefalonia 8th September 1943 (2x100') re-enacts the events surrounding the
German army's killing of the Italian troops occupying the Greek island
during WWII, an incident that supplied the backdrop to Louis de Bernieres'
novel and Hollywood flick, Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

Riccardo Milani has directed this coproduction between Rai Fiction, Palomar
Endemol and Cineteam, to which Rai Trade took all international rights. Cut
as a two-parter or standalone telefilm, it stars Luca Zingaretti (Detective
Montalbano, Perlasca) in the lead role.

Another two-parter about Italy's gory history is also debuting at Cannes:
The Heart in the Well (2x100'). Directed by Alberto Negrin, the show
recounts the 'ethnic cleansing' of Italians, later in 1943, by the Slavic
population of Istria. Rai Fiction and Rizzoli Audiovisivi coproduced the
show, which clocked up an audience share of 38% when it aired on Rai.

The commercial arm of Italian pubcaster will also be at Mip showcasing the
latest in its Imperium: The Rise & Fall of the Roman Empire period drama
strand, a coproduction between Rai Fiction, Lux Vide, Rai Trade and
Sanpaolofilm.

Currently in production, St Peter: The Persecution of the Christians
(2x100') is the third instalment of Imperium, following Augustus: the First
Emperor and Nero. Directed by Giulio Base, the new mini stars big screen
name Omar Shariff as the first ever Pope.

Elsewhere on Rai Trade's slate this market are toon movie Johan Padan
(Columbus of America), directed by Giulio Cingoli, and the second season of
Rai's papermotion preschool toon Obie & Bingie.

On the factual front, Rai Trade has its topical profile of the late Pope, A
Quarter of a Century with Pope John Paul II, recently sold to RTL in
Germany and France2, as well as another documentary about the Pope entitled
The Stubbornness of God.

Rai Trade is also continuing its series of such big screen profiles, the
next being on Claudia Cardinale, with ZDF, Arte and Dutch public
broadcaster Avro lined up to coproduce. WWII doc A Kind of Holiday, about
trip taken by two elderly Englishmen who return to Italy to retrace their
1943 escape from a PoW train, rounds out the factual slate.

http://www.c21media.net/news/
detail.asp?area=1&article=24221

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