A modern tragedy from acclaimed director Gianni Amelio, Hammamet recounts the last year of politician Bettino Craxi's life in exile following corruption charges. Pierfrancesco Favino (also in this year’s The Traitor) delivers an astonishing performance as Craxi, one of the most controversial Italian leaders of the 1980s, perfectly replicating the voice and body language of the former Prime Minister.
At the height of Craxi’s power as The Secretary of the Italian Socialist Party from 1976 to 1993, he was embroiled in scandal and heavily condemned. Despite his serious health issues, Craxi firmly refused to return to Italy, where he would most certainly be convicted. He instead chose to spend the last days of his life with his wife (Silvia Cohen) and daughter (Livia Rossi) in Tunisia.
With leniency and understanding, Amelio tells the story of the man behind the headlines, a man who had to come to terms with himself. Set during the months before Craxi’s death on January 19, 2000, Hammamet delivers a snapshot of a leader at the moment of his fall.
Director
Gianni Amelio
Gianni Amelio (born Magisano, Calabria, 1945) is a director and writer. At university Amelio became interested in cinema, writing as film critic for a local magazine. In 1965 he moved to Rome and worked as an operator and assistant director in film and television. He has received Nastro d'Argento Best Director accolades for Open Doors (1991), The Stolen Children (1993), Lamerica (1995) and The Keys to the House (2005). Amelio was the Torino Film Festival director from 2009-2012.