Palermo Shooting

2008 film

24 May 2008 (2008-05-24) (Cannes)
20 November 2008 (2008-11-20) (Germany)

Running time

124 minutesCountriesGermany
France
ItalyLanguagesGerman
English
Italian

Palermo Shooting is a 2008 film written and directed by German director Wim Wenders, and starring Campino, Dennis Hopper, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Lou Reed in his final feature film appearance, and an uncredited Milla Jovovich, also playing herself. It was screened at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot

A German photographer named Finn (Campino) comes to Palermo because he needs to make a clean break from his past. In the city, he meets a young woman named Flavia (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and a completely different way of life.

Cast

Campino as Finn
Inga Busch as Karla
Axel Sichrovsky as Hans
Gerhard Gutberlet as Gerhard
Harry Blain as Harry
Sebastian Blomberg as Julian
Jana Pallaske as Student
Olivia Asiedu-Poku as Fan
Melika Foroutan as Anke
Anna Orso as Mother
Lou Reed as himself
Udo Samel as Banker
Giuseppe Provinzano as Actor 1
Giuseppe Massa as Actor 2
Giovanna Mezzogiorno as Flavia
Patrizia Schiavone as Market woman
Letizia Battaglia as Photographer
Alessandro Dieli as Doctor
Carmelo Billitteri as Doorman
Dennis Hopper as Frank
Milla Jovovich as herself
Anton Giulio Pandolfo as Contained

Production

The is the first film directed by Wenders in his hometown, Düsseldorf.^[1] Filming also took place in the nearby cities of Essen and Neuss as well as in Palermo and other areas of Sicily.

Soundtrack

The film's original soundtrack includes songs from Beirut, Jason Collett, Portishead, Calexico, and Iron & Wine. It also features exclusive tracks from Grinderman, Bonnie Prince Billy, Matt Sweeney, and Sibylle Baier.^[2]

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"Dream (Song for Finn)"	Grinderman	4:06
2.	"Busy Hope"	Get Well Soon	3:11
3.	"The Rip"	Portishead	4:29
4.	"Bei Flavia I"	Irmin Schmidt	1:32
5.	"Freedom Hangs Like Heaven"	Iron & Wine	3:59
6.	"It's a Departure"	The Long Winters	3:04
7.	"The Black Light"	Calexico	3:21
8.	"Some Kinda Love"	The Velvet Underground	3:39
9.	"Beds in the East"	Thom	4:19
10.	"Fresko"	Irmin Schmidt	3:33
11.	"Postcards from Italy"	Beirut	4:16
12.	"Quello Che Non Ho"	Fabrizio De André	5:06
13.	"We All Lose One Another"	Jason Collett	4:20
14.	"Torn and Brayed"	Bonnie Prince Billy & Matt Sweeney	3:19
15.	"My Impropriety"	Monta	3:51
16.	"Let Us Know"	Sibylle Baier	3:02
17.	"Bei Flavia II"	Irmin Schmidt	1:39
18.	"Quannu Moru"	Rosa Balistreri	3:04
19.	"Song for Frank"	Grinderman	3:14
20.	"Mysteries"	Beth Gibbons & Rustin' Man	4:38
21.	"Good Friday"	Get Well Soon	4:45

Release

On 24 May 2008, the film was screened at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.^[3]

The film was released in Germany on 20 November 2008. The film had its U.S. premiere on 20 January 2009 at the Berlin and Beyond film festival at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.

The closing titles contain a dedication to two directors who passed away on the same day, July 30, 2007, Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni, while filming was ongoing.

Reception

Peter Brunette of The Hollywood Reporter states, "Every time the film goes philosophical on us, the resulting dialogue is sententious and banal."^[4] Todd McCarthy of Variety said, "Although she can’t save the film from its own silliness, Mezzogiorno does provide a gravity and legitimacy of her own, as her mesmerizing eyes and her excellent delivery in English make a dramatic highlight out of a monologue about a personal tragedy, as well as showing up Campino for the non-actor he is."^[5]

At the 2009 Sofia International Film Festival, the film won the Bourgas Municipality prize.^[6]

References

^ "Press release" (PDF). Cannes Festival. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
^ Hughes, Josiah (31 July 2009). "Wim Wenders Gets Exclusive Tracks from Grinderman, Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney for Palermo Shooting Soundtrack". Exclaim!. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
^ "German director Wim Wenders (C) poses with US actor Dennis Hopper (L)". ABC News. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
^ Brunette, Peter (23 May 2008). "The Palermo Shooting". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
^ McCarthy, Todd (25 May 2008). "Palermo Shooting". Variety. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
^ ""The Voice of the Audience" – A Pallette of Various Cinematographies". Sofia International Film Festival. 30 March 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2017.