David Farnor | On 12, Nov 2021

Paolo Sorrentino is heading to Netflix this December, and a new trailer gives us a closer look at The Hand of God.

The film, which is Italy’s official submission for International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, tells the story of a boy, Fabietto Schisa, in the tumultuous Naples of the 1980s. The Hand of God is a story full of unexpected joys, such as the arrival of football legend Diego Maradona, and an equally unexpected tragedy. Fate plays its part, joy and tragedy intertwine, and Fabietto’s future is set in motion. Sorrentino returns to his hometown to tell his most personal story, a tale of fate and family, sports and cinema, love and loss.

The film will be released in select UK cinemas in December, before arriving on Netflix on 15th December. Here’s the trailer:

 

Trailer: The Hand of God heads to Netflix this December

19th August 2021

Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God will head to Netflix this December, and a new teaser give us a first glimpse at the latest from The Great Beauty’s director.

The film tells the story of a young man’s heartbreak and liberation in 1980s Naples, Italy. It follows Fabietto Schisa, an awkward Italian teen whose life and vibrant, eccentric family are suddenly upended — first by the electrifying arrival of soccer legend Diego Maradona and then by a shocking accident from which Maradona inadvertently saves Fabietto, setting his future in motion. Sorrentino returns to his hometown to tell a personal story of fate and family, sports and cinema, love and loss.

Starring Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo, Marlon Joubert and Luisa Ranieri, the film will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival this September, before being released in UK cinemas in December – and streaming worldwide on Netflix on 15th December.

Here’s the teaser, plus the new poster for the film:

 

Paolo Sorrentino to direct The Hand of God for Netflix

8th July 2020

Paolo Sorrentino will write and direct The Hand of God for Netflix.

Produced by Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment Pictures, a Fremantle company, and Paolo Sorrentino, the film is something of a mystery, with few details known about the plot – although the title, one suspects, refers to Diego Maradona, the Argentinian footballer who moved to Naples and proved a divisive figure.

Indeed, production will take place in Naples, with Sorrentino describing it as “an intimate and personal film”.

“I’m excited at the idea of filming in Naples again exactly twenty years after my first film,” the Oscar-winning director said in a statement. “The Hand of God represents for the first time in my career an intimate and personal film, a novel of formation at once light-hearted and painful. I’m delighted to partake in this adventure with producer Lorenzo Mieli, his company The Apartment and Netflix. The mutual understanding between myself and Teresa Moneo, David Kosse and Scott Stuber from Netflix on the meaning of the film was immediate and dazzling. They made me feel at home, an ideal condition, because this is precisely what this film means to me: going back home.”

David Kosse, Vice President, International Original Film at Netflix added: “I’ve always been a huge fan of Paolo Sorrentino so as soon as we were presented with The Hand of God, we knew that we wanted to partner with him and Lorenzo on this project. It’s an honour to work with one of the greatest filmmakers in Europe and to bring his incredible story to the world.”

“Paolo is an incredible storyteller who has cemented his place on the world cinema stage. The Hand of God is a personal film that is taking him back to Naples, his hometown, and is a beautifully written story in his signature style,” commented Scott Stuber, Head of Netflix Films.

Photo: Netflix / Claudio Porcarelli

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