“Casablanca” will be taken over by Salaud Morisset before the premiere in Venice

Adriano Valerio’s documentary “Casablanca”, which celebrates its world premiere on Thursday at the Venice Days, was acquired by Salaud Morisset for world distribution. diversity received an exclusive clip from the film.

“Casablanca” is about Fouad, an undocumented Moroccan living in Italy, and Daniela, a former drug addict from upper middle class Puglia, who find each other by chance in Umbria. The meeting is the beginning of a love that will help them heal. But Fouad’s sense of not belonging and the endless wait for a visa bring him to the brink of the question: will he stay in Umbria or return to Casablanca, even if it means never going back?

Valerio followed the two characters for seven years after meeting Fouad in a bar in 2016 and was immediately captivated by his way of looking at life and his determination fueled by his almost indestructible hope.

Valerio said: “I wanted to create a narrative and emotional flow that, regardless of time, would be able to reconstruct the extraordinaryness of their relationship. “Casablanca” is a love story between two people who have created an atypical family, an intimacy in which each, thanks to the other, manages to free themselves from social exclusion.”

Valerio’s first feature film “Banat the Journey” was presented at the International Critics’ Week in Venice and nominated for the David di Donatello.

Casablanca was produced by Lionel Massol in Grand Huit and Giulia Achilli in Dugong, who also starred in Disco Boy, which won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale this year.

Casablanca is the fifth co-production between Grand Huit and Dugong and the second to be directed by Valerio.

In a statement, Massol and Achilli said, “Throughout this seven-year production journey, Adriano Valerio has masterfully captured the moments of grace that mark the lives of Fouad and Daniela, employing a distinctive narrative device that is a hallmark of his artistry.”

Morisset added: “Valerio shows the beauty of everyday life and the importance of dreaming, even in difficult circumstances. It is a much needed and heartwarming film that will delight audiences around the world.”