Marina (2013 film)
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| Directed by | Stijn Coninx |
| Produced by | Peter Bouckaert |
| Written by | Rik D'Hiet |
| Music by | Michelino Bisceglia |
| Cinematography | Lou Berghmans |
| Edited by | Philippe Ravoet |
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| Country | Belgium |
| Language | Dutch, Italian |
| Box office | $4,941,893 |
Marina is a biographical film released in 2013 and directed by Stijn Coninx. The film is based upon the life of the Italian singer Rocco Granata who moved to Belgium when he was a young boy. It features Matteo Simoni as Rocco Granata and Evelien Bosmans as Helena. Most part of the film is in Italian as Rocco's parents did not speak the Dutch language. Other parts are in Dutch and some dialogues in French and English.
The film was first shown at the Montreal World Film Festival on 25 August 2013. It was released in Belgium in November. The film won a Golden Award at the Ostend Film Festival and the "publics favorite award" at the Valladolid International Film Festival. The movie contains a cameo, with Rocco Granata himself playing the role of the salesmen that sells him his first instrument.
Salvatore Granata is a rather poor man who lives with his wife, son and daughter in Calabria in Italy. One day Salvatore decides to move to Belgium to work in the coal mine of Waterschei as a Gastarbeiter. His family will stay in Italy as Salvatore will only be in Belgium for three years. He hopes to earn much money in a rather small timeframe so he can buy a forge for his son Rocco who is now still a 9-year-old boy. After a year, Salvatore decides his family should be with him, so they also move to Belgium. They soon discover the life of a gastarbeider is difficult: they have to live in some kind of barracks, they are neglected by the Belgian people and they do not earn much. They are astonished when they hear Salvatore signed a contract of five years and male children of gastarbeiders are ought to work in the mines as soon they leave high school. Rocco meets Helena, the daughter of the local grocer shop. However, the man is a racist and forbids his daughter to play with Italian boys.
Ten years pass and Salvatore still works in the mines. They now live in a house they rent from the mine. Rocco takes accordion lessons. One day, he falls off his bicycle and his accordion is broken. His music teacher advises him to buy a new accordion, but Rocco's father refuses as he does not want to invest in the musical instrument. It turns out Rocco is a rather good mechanic and he gets an apprenticeship in the local automobile repair shop. Rocco's mother Ida earns some money by washing and ironing the clothes of other gastarbeiders. Salvatore, who is a selfish, jealous patriarch is unaware of Ida's job. Rocco uses his savings (as well as a part of Ida's money) to buy a new accordion. He can spend up to ten thousand Belgian francs, but the store owner asks 25 000 francs for the accordion he wants to buy. However, after Rocco plays him some songs, the store owner is impressed and agrees to let Rocco buy the instrument on credit.
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