Dark Corner

Pugni in faccia

Directed by

Fabio Caramaschi

Italy, France, United Kingdom

2018

95 min

Italian

Documentary

Mirco Ricci grew up in a poor neighborhood of Rome, where drug use and violence were the order of the day. When he was six years old, his teacher filmed him at his elementary school. The footage shows a clearly troublesome but disarmingly tough kid dreaming of becoming a boxer. Fifteen years later, Fabio Caramaschi—his former teacher—picks up where he left off and starts filming again. Mirco has grown into a strong young man, and he’s just getting started with his boxing career. In the years that follow, he fights his way up to become light heavyweight champion, but his hot temper and excessive drinking get him into trouble time and again. Things go better for a while after his girlfriend gives him an ultimatum, but in 2016 he finds himself behind bars. Scenes from his daily life and boxing matches alternate with footage from earlier years and passages from a letter Mirco wrote to Caramaschi from prison. Although Mirco has a close relationship with him, he still finds it very difficult to escape the world he came from.

Festivals

IDFA 2018

Credits

Cinematography: Fabio Caramaschi

Production: FABIO CARAMASCHI
Sales: TRUE COLOURS

Author, photographer and director, Fabio Caramaschi, got a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy of Language at University La Sapienza of Rome. His work as still photographer and reporter was published and shown in several international exhibitions. After his first anthropological and ethnographic films, produced by Museo Nazionale Arti e Tradizioni Popolari, he works as producer for TV programs broadcast by Rai Uno, Rai Due, Rai Tre, Rai Educational, La7, BBC World, CNN. The documentary films he has written and directed awarded many prizes, like “Pegaso d’Oro” prize at Premio Ennio Flaiano 2001, Italia Doc award at Libero Bizzarri 2002, jury and audience award at Roma Doc Fest, 2002, audience award and special mention at Maremma Doc Festival 2002, “Cinemavvenire” prize for the best film at Genova Film Festival 2005, Kodak Prize for photography at Libero Bizzarri 2005, best screenplay award at Hai visto mai festival 2007, best treatment prize at Libero Bizzarri 2010, best documentary prize at festival Arcipelago 2011. DARK CORNERS is his latest documentary which premieres at IDFA.