Ardena

Summer 1969 is very special for Andrea a 13 year-old boy who is about to leave, with his family, for a little village on the hills surrounding a great lake in Northern Italy. There he finds, like every year, his uncles, aunts, cousins, a fascinating mother, a father always away on business trips, a grandfather who does not want to grow old and a granny who talks to trees. During this summer he makes his first discoveries about life and love and abandons the illusions and the magic of childhood.

Directed by Luca Barbareschi, Ardena leans on a strong ensemble — Luca Barbareschi, Lucrezia Lante della Rovere, Isa Barzizza — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1997.