Despite the Fog (Italian title: “Nonostante la nebbia”), the new film by renowned Serbian director Goran Paskaljević and his first film made in Italy, will have its world premiere this month at the Valladolid International Film Festival. Goran Paskaljević decided to pursue a career in film at the age of seventeen, when he was watching a series of Italian neorealist film in the Yugoslav Cinematheque in Belgrade. At that time, he could not imagine that one day he would be filming in Italy, in Italian and with Italian actors. Fate had it in mind that Paskaljević would film his eighteenth feature film Despite the Fog in the country whose cinema has always inspired him.
According to Interpol, over ten thousand refugees who ae minors without parental care are wandering Europe today, half of them seeking refuge on Italian roads. Despite the Fog is a story about one of them. The film follows Paolo, a restaurant manager in a small town near Rome, who, on a rainy night, finds a frozen eight-year-old child at a bus station on his way back from work and decides to take him home. The boy’s name is Mohammed and he is a refugee, left to his own devices after losing his parents while traveling to Italy in a dinghy. The presence of the child disturbs Paolo’s wife, Valerie, who at first is suspicious and hesitant, but eventually agrees to receive him for one night. After a while, Valeria changes her mind and decides that Muhammad should stay. The couple tries to find solace in the Arab boy, some sort of replacement for their tragically deceased son Marco. However, they meet with increased resistance from people around them and their own family, which does not accept their decision to welcome the boy…
Producers of the film are Amedeo Leticia, Mariella Li Sacchi and Simona Banchi, and co-producers are Goran Paskaljević, Vladimir Anastasov, Angela Nestorovska and Angelo Laudisa. The director of photography is Paskaljevic’s long-time collaborator Milan Spasić, and the film is edited by Urođ Timotijević. Andrea Malavasi is in charge of sound design while the music is composed by the famous Vlatko Stefanovski. Paskaljević also wrote the screenplay, with help from Filip David, Mark Alessi and Giuseppe Eusepi. The main roles in the film, Valeri and Paola, are played by Italian actors Donatella Finocchiaro and Giorgio Tirabassi, while Muhammad is played by Ali Musa Sarhan. Other Italian actors also star in the film, while the young Serbian actress Tamara Aleksić also plays a minor role.
Despite the Fog, was co-produced by Italy (Cinemus), Serbia (New Film), Northern Macedonia (Sector Film) and France (Rosebud Entertainment Pictures) and was supported by Rai Cinema, Ministry of Culture of Italy, Zepter international, Film Center Serbia and the Northern Macedonia Film Agency.
The premiere of Goran Paskaljevic’s eighth feature film will take place at the 64th International Film Festival (October 19th to 26th) in the Spanish city of Valladolid, where the Serbian director has already won the Golden Spikethree times. Despite the Fog will be screened as part of the official selection featuring eighteen films, after which screenings are planned at festivals in Tunis, Goa and Tallinn. The date of the Serbian premiere is to be determined.
Following this film, Paskaljević will direct Cat’s Scream, which has also received support from the Film Center Serbia, at the Contest for co-financing the production of domestic feature films.