From Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores (Mediterraneo, I’m Not Scared), NAPOLI–NEW YORK is a poignant new drama following two Neopolitan children who escape Italy’s early postwar poverty by boarding a ship across the Atlantic.
1949. Naples lies in ruins after the devastation of WWII. Amidst the poverty and rubble-strewn streets of the city, young Carmine (Antonio Guerra) and Celestina (Dea Lanzaro), try to survive as best they can. One night, the pair find themselves caught on bound a ship as it is departing, leaving them unwitting stowaways to New York, and needing to dodge the attention of the vessel's captain (Tomas Araña) and genial purser (Pierfrancesco Favino). Eventually reaching the bustling, unknown metropolis, Carmine and Celestina must quickly find a way to adapt to their new surroundings, and set out to find Celestina’s older sister (Anna Lucia Pierro) who emigrated years earlier...
Based on a rediscovered screenplay by maestro Federico Fellini and Tullio Pinelli, written together 80 years ago as young aspiring filmmakers years before the two collaborated on La Strada and La Dolce Vita, NAPOLI–NEW YORK is a compelling and hopeful coming-of-age story about the duality of dreams and disillusionment, the search for identity and the pursuit of a better life.