Annual Top Films Lists

Top 200 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2023: #83. Laura Luchetti’s La bella estate

Published on January 13, 2023

La bella estate

Following her critically acclaimed sophomore feature Twin Flower (world preem at 2018’s TIFF), Laura Luchetti went on to shoot ten episodes of an Italian TV Series called “Nudes.” Next up is another portrait of youth but this time it’s based on a book to film adaptation of the 1950’s novel. The Beautiful Summer stars Deva Cassel in her debut role and the film went into production in September in Italy. Cinematographer Diego Romero Suarez Llanos (Roberto Minervini’s usual dp) joined the project. Giovanni Pompili (Sole) produced the project.

Gist: Set during a “beautiful summer” in Turin in 1938, against the backdrop of Fascist-era Italy’s subsequent entry into World War II. This sees the 18-year-old Deva Cassel as the uninhibited model Amelia. She introduces her younger friend Ginia (Yile Yara Vianello) to a world of bohemian artists where she will fall in love for the first time.

Release Date/Prediction: We’re thinking this is a Venice followed by a TIFF premiere.

Eric Lavallée

Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).