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Italian Studies

Spotlight Narrative

World Premiere

FEATURE | United States | 79 MINUTES | English |

ITALIAN STUDIES

Women, Drama

New York City-based auteur Adam Leon (Gimme The Loot, Tramps) skillfully drops the audience into this neorealist wonder of a film that finds a mysterious woman (Academy Award® nominee Vanessa Kirby) wandering the streets of Manhattan in confusion, seemingly unsure of who she is or where she’s meant to be. Finding herself inexplicably drawn to a charismatic teenager, she embarks on an adventure with him through the cityscape and into the unknown. As the night progresses, she approaches something intangible on the journey back to herself. 


A lucid dream of a film, Italian Studies simmers with a mesmerizing renegade energy. Writer-director Leon plays with form and narrative, crafting a delicate mystery that resists simple answers. Kirby’s brilliant performance keeps the film anchored and alive, as she moves through the city with an assured sense of person, if not self. The ethereal atmosphere is intensified by cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz’s warm palette and surveilling camerawork. The film is an unintentional time-capsule, delivering a fever dream of a pre-pandemic New York City that we all yearn for now. Never has a casual meetup in Gray’s Papaya looked so enticing. Italian Studies is a bravura feat of unconventional storytelling, an exploration of character in the absence of identity. —Loren Hammonds


CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Adam Leon

Adam Leon was born and raised in New York. His debut directorial effort, Gimme the Loot, won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW and was an official selection at Cannes. Leon's follow up, Tramps, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Italian Studies is his third feature.

Director
Adam Leon
Producer
Brad Becker-Parton, Joshua Astrachan, Jamund Washington, Andrea Roa, Jason Reif
Screenwriter
Adam Leon
Cinematographer
Brett Jutkiewicz
Composer
Nicholas Britell
Editor
Sara Shaw, Erin DeWitt, Kristan Sprague, Betsy Kagen
Executive Producer
Vanessa Kirby, Lia Buman, Tim Headington, Ryan Heller, Michael Bloom, Maria Zuckerman, Frederick W. Green
Associate Producer
Claire Edelman, Ana Leocha, Max Silva, Talia Cohen
Co-Producer
Gabby Green, Fred Hechinger
Cast
Vanessa Kirby, Simon Brickner, Annika Wahlsten, Annabel Hoffman, Maya Hawke

CONTACTS

Press Contact
Ryan Werner
Cinetic Media - Marketing & PR
NY 10001
Phone: 212 204 7979
International Sales Contact
Ryan Heller
Topic Studios - First Look Media
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 617 501 4514
ryan.heller@topic.com
Print Source
Brad Becker-Parton
Italian Studies
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Phone: 9143910029
beckerparton@gmail.com
US Sales Contact
Deborah MacIntosh
Endeavor Content
Beverly Hills, 90210
Phone: 310-285-9000
dmcintosh@endeavorcontent.com