| Red Like the Sky | |
| Director: | Cristiano Bortone |
| Screenplay: | Cristiano Bortone Paolo Sassanelli Monica Zapelli |
| Cinematography: | Vladan Radovic |
| Language: | Italian |
Red Like the Sky (Italian: Rosso come il cielo) is a 2005 Italian coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Cristiano Bortone and starring Luca Capriotti and Paolo Sassanelli. It is based on the childhood experiences of sound editor Mirco Mencacci.[1]
The film won the Audience Awards at the São Paulo International Film Festival[2] and at the Sydney Film Festival.[3] It also won the David di Donatello of the Youth.[4]
In 1970, ten-year-old Tuscan boy Mirco loses his sight following an accident with his father's rifle.
The parents are forced to make him attend an institution for the blind in Genoa. There, unable to use braille, he finds an old tape recorder and manages to invent fairy tales made only of noises and narration. In the meantime, he meets Francesca, the daughter of the concierge of the house next to them, although they could not meet. Mirco will increasingly involve all the other blind children by making them understand how much they are worth and how similar they are to all the other kids.
In the end the teacher organizes a play created by the kids, and all parents are impressed by it. Mirco's parents eventually decide to bring him home for the summer holidays.
At the opening it is said that the film is based on a true story, and before the closing credits we read: "Mirco left school at 16 years old. Although he has never recovered his sight, today he is one of the most recognized sound editors of Italian cinema."
San Paolo Intl. Film Festival
Sydney International Film Festival
International Festival of film for children and young adults (Hamedan City, Iran)
Montreal Int. L Youth Film Festival - Fifem
European Youth Film Festival of Flanders
XXXIV Premio internazionale Flaiano
Schilingel children Film Festival (Germany)
Palm Beach Film Festival
Syracuse International Film Festival