Fireworks

Sicily in the 1980s. Seventeen-year-old Gianni faces harassment because of his sexual orientation. His life changes the moment he meets Nino. The two boys’ friendship slowly grows into a romantic relationship in which they can behave openly and without shame. But their relationship is rejected by their conservative families, who seek to put an end to it. Inspired by true events, Italian actor Giuseppe Fiorello’s directorial debut tells a deeply moving story about the painful struggles for a love that majority society disapproves of. But it is these struggles that fuel the greater fight for political change. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)