Top 150 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2020: #38. A Chiara – Jonas Carpignano

A Chiara

Italy’s Jonas Carpignano should have his third feature, A Chiara, ready to present sometime in 2020. Produced by Olivier Pere of Arte France Cinema, Paolo Carpignano of Stayblack and Haut et Court, the principal cast has yet to be announced, as well as Carpignano’s crew. An original production period of October 2019 seems to have been slightly delayed, but thus far Carpignano tends to work quickly and under the radar. Having played several short films at Venice and then Cannes, Carpignano received acclaim for his 2015 debut Mediterranea, which premiered in Critics’ Week. His 2017 title, A Ciambra (read review), went to Directors’ Fortnight, was submitted as Italy’s Foreign Language submission, and received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Director.

Gist: A Chiara tells the story of fifteen-year-old Chiara, a girl who watches helplessly as her father abandons them in Calabria. Trying to understand why, like so many other men, her father has done so, Chiara finds she’ll eventually have to make a similar decision.

Release Date/Prediction: Having all his funding in place, and with no news of production yet, we expect to hear Carpignano has commenced working on his title sometime in 2020. While Cannes could be unlikely with a production delay, Carpignano could return to Venice in 2020, where his 2012 short “The Plain” walked away with a prize.