Director: Alessandro Stevanon, Production: La Fournaise, Italy, 73′, 2017, 4K Rights: World
Alessandro Stevanon’s biopic tells the life and artistic exploits of the star Omar Codazzi and his band, told throughout their tour, at street parties and dance halls, across various regions in the North of Italy. A road movie recounted by the most famous Italian radio host dedicated to ballroom music, Angelo Zibetti the last “king” of this sparkling world as well as owner of the legendary Studio Zeta.
An Italian singer of love ballads in the dance halls of Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria and all over northern Italy, he is loved by his fans mostly in their 60’s.
Omar was born in the suburbs of Milan and was destined to be an auto bodyworker, but, instead, he became a successful ballroom singer. He was inspired by listening to ballroom singers at Angelo Zibetti’s Studio Zeta, the biggest dance club in Italy at that time and, this way, he later started his own career.
After about a decade working as a singer, he met Adele Zanchi, the love of his life, who also became his manager and turned him into a real icon for the fans of ballroom music. He has become the man who could gather enormous crowds at clubs, squares, and local festivals.
The film tells the story of Omar and shows him, after a 20-year long career with his band, as we travelled together with him in their long tour around the Northern regions of Italy.
It shows his life in and out of the spotlight, and we explore a provincial and somehow old fashioned Italy, that is probably destined to disappear for good.
“A biopic with a great narrative force, which manages to tell a real provincial “star” with tenderness and sympathy.”
Awards:
In Selection: Working Title Film Festival Ferrovieri
Winner Cinemaitaliano.inf Via Emilia Docfest 2018
With the support of:
Piemonte DOC FILM FUND
Fondo Regionale per il Documentario
Valle d’Aosta DOC-FF FILM FUND
Regione Emilia Romagna
Film CommissionGenova Liguria film Commission