Michela Scolari has been awarded Best Art Film at Cannes 2019 for Hannah Can You Hear Me?, Best Documentary Feature for Paolo Rossi, The Heart of a Champion, and Best Documentary Film for The Jokers. Sicilian Holiday will be Michela Scolari’s debut narrative feature film.
Michela Scolari is also a key advisor at MediaU, which provides accelerated training and mentoring for film, television, and media. Adam Leipzig is the founder and CEO of MediaU, and is known for such notable films as Dead Poets Society, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, March of the Penguins, Titus, A Plastic Ocean, and The Way Back. He has twice been responsible for the most profitable film of the year.
The upcoming film Sicilian Holiday focuses on Mia and Nino, two troubled souls with more in common than the audience is first led to believe. Mia is an actress in her late twenties who finds herself alone on a southern Italian island, trying to find an escape from her unfulfilling life. Nino is a Sicilian sculptor in his mid-thirties; he works in an old-world artisan studio and comes to Mia’s aid. He helps her find a job and a place to stay, and as their relationship grows, complicated by the arrival of Nino’s brother Phil, the film also focuses on other couples on the island who are negotiating their romantic lives and discovering themselves.
The lead protagonist, Mia, is played by Lilly Englert, known for her role in the TV series Quantico and the 2019 reprisal of Little Women. Nino is played by Sicilian actor Francesco Leone and Phil is played by Italian actor Ivo Romagnoli both known for roles in successful Italian series and independent films in France and the U.S. Rounding out the cast are celebrated actors Claudia Gerini, Rocco Ancarola, Felix Maximilian, Tony Schiena, Fuschia Kate Sumner, Lee Levi, Nicoleta Nuca, Jerry Ying, and Marcia Sedoc.
Sicilian Holiday is produced by Adam Leipzig, Michela Scolari, Ivo Romagnoli, and Attilio de Razza. Executive producers are Franco della Posta, David Zuckerman, Ellie Kanter, Matt Marek, BK Fulton, Felix Maximilian, and Elena Costa. It is a Filmin’ Tuscany/Rai Cinema presentation of a Filmin’ Tuscany and Tramp Production with Credential Media Ventures, The Pepegas Team, and Entertainment Media Partners.
Mangia’s Resorts and Clubs is Sicilian Holiday’s main sponsor. The film received generous support from the Sicilian Film Commission. Product placement and sponsorships were handled by Tilt – Silene Mosticchio.
Sicilian Holiday is a Sicilian dream-story come to life, an “accidental romance” about people that heal their past wounds so they can move to new chapters of their lives. It is a modern tale with ancient flavor.
Sales and distribution are being handled by Adam Leipzig’s company Credential Media Ventures.
