THE EVENT/The first king of Rome on the big screen

The WWF oases of Nettuno and Alviano, on the border between Umbria and Lazio, Canale Monterano and the Caldara di Manziana, Bosco del Foglino, Viterbo and Rome: these are the locations of “Il Primo Re” in which Matteo Rovere, who is also producing the movie with Grøelandia Film, tells the tale of the birth of Rome through the story of the very strong links between Romulus and Remus and their struggle in a hostile and unfriendly world.

A world that has been recreated with an € 8 million budget, over 12 weeks of filming “in the middle of woods and swamps, without being able to count on covered sets.”
“The challenge”, explains Andrea Paris, who produced the movie together with Rovere for Grøelandia Film, “was to raise the bar of Italian cinema in terms of the spectacularization and the staging: the very emotional and extremely complex initial sequence, in which the Tiber breaks its banks sweeping the brothers away, was realized by combining the inventiveness and expertise of the craftsmen in Cinecittà with the world of visual effects of EDi and the much more international. 
Digital District The high level of spectacularization is also due to the great stunt work coordinated by Emiliano Novelli, and the use of around 2000 extras.”

The contribution of the Roma Lazio Film Commission was fundamental, as Paris emphasizes, “through Lazio Innova and the Fondo Lazio Inter- national which financially supported us and facilitated access to the most difficult areas, like the oases, managed by foundations or Universities.”

Rai Cinema and Roman Citizen Entertainment (Luca Elmi is the as- sociate producer), and Gapbusters complete the production framework.
Indie Sales will launch the international sales at the Berlinale’s EFM: “The fact that it was filmed in proto-Latin, a neutral language, could be an advantage for the international market” concludes Paris.

Nella sezione: Focus on italy