Summer Games (Italian: Giochi d'estate) is a 2011 Swiss drama film written and directed by Rolando Colla. Set in Tuscany, it follows 12-year-olds Nic and Marie while Nic’s parents try to save their marriage. The film was selected as Switzerland’s entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, and won Best Fiction Film at the 2012 Swiss Film Awards.
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Synopsis
Set during summer on a campsite in the Maremma, a beach region of Tuscany, the film follows 12-year-old Nic, who struggles to express his feelings for Marie, a girl his own age, while his parents make a last effort to save their marriage.
Cast
The cast includes:
Armando Condolucci as Nic
Fiorella Campanella as Marie
Alessia Barela as Adriana
Antonio Merone as Vincenzo
Francesco Huang as Lee
Chiara Scolari as Patty
Marco D'Orazi as Agostino
Roberta Fossile as Irene
Aaron Hitz as archeologist
Release
In September 2011, the film was selected as Switzerland’s entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The decision was announced at Delémont-Hollywood, where the jury selected the film unanimously. Its selection was accompanied by 60,000 Swiss francs in promotional support, comprising 50,000 francs from the Federal Office of Culture and 10,000 francs from the city of Delémont. The film did not advance to the nine-film shortlist.
Reception
At the 2012 Swiss Film Awards, the film won Best Fiction Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Screenplay. It also won the Zürich Film Prize in 2011, the Golden Guepard for Best Film Director at UZ Art Week in 2012, and the screenplay prize at the Fünf Seen Filmfestival in 2012.
Festival screenings
The film premiered in September 2011. It was later screened at the Locarno Film Festival, the San Francisco International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Film Festival, and Camerimage in 2012, and the Ciné-Rencontres Festival de Cinéma in 2013.