In 1917, in the aftermath of the devastating Battle of Caporetto, a young deserter attempts to escape the war and the horrors he has endured. Wandering through the countryside of northern Italy, one evening he decides to camp in a desolate clearing. After lighting a fire to keep warm, he falls asleep. He is soon abruptly awakened by a young local peasant woman who, in exchange for a piece of bread, asks for permission to warm herself by the fire. The two young people begin to talk, open up, and get to know each other, yet neither realizes that this encounter will forever change their lives.
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Director Biography – Costantino Biamonte
Costantino Biamonte, born in Ukraine in 2000 and naturalized as an Italian citizen, has lived in Rome since the age of two. From an early age, he was introduced to art and the humanities through the education provided by his parents. Between 2014 and 2019, he attended the Gaetano de Sanctis classical high school in Rome. During this period, he engaged in an in-depth study of philosophy, literature, and languages, while also discovering his passion for culture, particularly cinema. This interest led him to create his first short films, such as Catilina vs Cicero (2018), a psychological crime film featuring the historical figures, and Cave (2019), a postmodern reinterpretation of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. He later enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts program in Drama, Art, and Music Studies (DAMS) at Roma Tre University, graduating in 2023 with a thesis on the semiotic analysis of the Harry Potter saga. His thesis examined the diverse stylistic grammars of the saga’s directors and explored philosophical themes such as language, magic, and religion. During this time, he directed Placebo (2021), a dark comedy critiquing the upper-class society of northern Rome, and Insieme (2023), a romantic drama focusing on happiness and relationships. While pursuing his university studies, he began working as an assistant director for various productions, including Notorious Pictures and Prime Video. In 2024, he directed his first budgeted short film, In Patria Mori, a historical drama about World War I, entirely filmed in the countryside of Santa Marinella. All of his works tend to have a strong cultural and philosophical foundation, upon which he builds the narrative.
Director Statement
In Patria Mori is a project that explores various themes: the cruelty of war, the role of women in the past, the concept of Homo homini lupus (man as a wolf to man), and the bond between mother and child. The latter is particularly significant as it defies the traditional notion of survival: while survival is often associated with selfishly seeking one’s own safety and sustenance, the maternal bond transcends this, shifting the focus from oneself to another. Another central theme, which also gives the short film its title, is the early 20th-century British motto “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” (It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country). We modified the original motto, replacing the preposition “pro” with “in” to create a locative phrase, thus condemning the protagonist’s fate directly in the title itself. The short film is structured as a diptych: the first part focuses exclusively on the male protagonist, the soldier, while the second centres on the female protagonist, the peasant woman. Even at a grammatical level, we sought to create a stark division: the first part is dark, oppressive, and devoid of camera movement, designed to convey heaviness, oppression, and above all, the stagnation of a character unable to achieve a true escape. Conversely, the second part is dynamic and vivid; the peasant woman has finally found a way to escape the terrible life she was destined to endure. She decides to take her son with her to save him from a wretched existence. The camera in this section is handheld, quick, and imprecise, breathing alongside the protagonist as she rushes to retrieve her child and leave as quickly as possible. Lastly, the aspect ratio of 2.35:1 emphasizes horizontality, which plays a decisive role in visually enclosing the characters within their surroundings.
| Costantino Biamonte Director Matteo Stipa, Sofia Arciero Writer Michele Marchionne Producer Martina Sini, Alessio Curzi, Francesca Primicerio Key Cast |
