Actor, producer and activist Elliot Page has boarded as executive producer Nel mio nome (Into My Name) by Italian filmmaker Nicolò Bassetti (Sacro GRA; Magnificent Fortunes – Portraits from a World’s Fair).
The coming-of-age doc, concerning four friends who share important turning points in their lives and their gender transitions, is produced by Bassetti’s company Nuovi Paesaggi Urbani and Lucia Nicolai and Marcello Paolillo’s Art of Panic. The film was supported by the Regione Emilia Romagna film production fund and will world premiere during Berlinale Panorama 2022.
Nel mio nome is rooted in Bassetti’s experience with the gender transition of his son Matteo and offers an intimate look at the universal challenges of this process. It observes Nico, Leo, Andrea and Raff, a tight-knit group of friends in Bologna, Italy. Nico is 33 years-old, Leo is 30, Andrea 25 and Raff 23, all coming from different parts of Italy. They start their gender transition from a female to a male identity at different times in their lives. Day by day, they boldly face all the obstacles of a strictly binary world. To achieve a fulfilling and dignified life is a matter of survival. They need to be resolute, infinitely patient and can’t hope to get by without seeing the funny side of the whole matter.
Elliot Page commented: “What stands out to me about Nel mio nome is the way it so artfully and intentionally presents all the different pieces that make up a person’s identity. It’s a meditation on trans humanity, and I’ve never seen another film like it. Knowing that Bassetti consulted closely with his trans son throughout production is so beautiful to me, and I think that lived experience and input is clear in the film’s perspective. I’m honored to be onboard and can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
Nicolò Bassetti added: “My personal experience as a parent has allowed me, as a director, to find the necessary self-assurance to approach the protagonists of this story, to delve into their emotions, and establish an intimate relationship built on trust and complicity. I am truly grateful to Elliot for adding his lived perspective to help our film find its way in the world.”
Art of Panic, founded by Lucia Nicolai and Marcello Paolillo, is an Italian production company and creative consultancy agency specialized in evaluating, developing and producing cross-market projects with international filmmaking talent. Recent production credits include The Man Who Stole Banksy (2018), a documentary by Marco Proserpio on the famed street artist and featuring the narrating voice of Iggy Pop.
Nuovi Paesaggi Urbani founded by Nicolò Bassetti, collaborated on the conception and production of the Sacro GRA project (2010-2015), that comprises a book (Quodlibet Publishing, 2013), a film (winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film festival, 2013), a theatrical play (Biennale Theatre, 2014) a photographic exhibition, and a series of conferences. It also produced a number of theatre plays and Nicolò Bassetti’s documentary film Magnificent Fortunes (2016).
