The San Diego Italian Film Festival Presents: Dogman

Directed by Matteo Garrone | 120 minutes

In a seaside village on the outskirts of a nItalian city, where the only law seems to be survival of the fittest, Marcello is a slight, mild-mannered man who divides his days between working at his modest dog grooming salon, caring for his daughter Alida, and being coercedinto the petty criminal schemes of the local bully Simoncino, an ex-boxer who terrorizes the neighborhood. When Simoncino’s abuse finally brings Marcello to a breaking point, he decides to stand up for his own dignity through an act of vengeance, with terrible consequences. Inspired by the real-life case of Er Canaro (“the dog keeper”), a pet groomer and drug addict, the movie is an exceptional mix of cruel realism and dark fairy tale. Marcello Fonte’s performance, his first in a leading role, earned him the award for best actor at Cannes.

Attendees will also enjoy a screening of the short film Cyclamen (9 minutes) by Davide Canali. The short is one of the twenty finalists of our new Short Film Competition.