NICK MASON OF PINK FLOYD TO ATTEND FILM PREMIERE ABOUT A FAMOUS SICILIAN MOTOR RACE
NEW FILM ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF ITALIAN MOTOR RACING – A SICILIAN DREAM STARRING ALAIN DE CADENET AND FRANCESCO DA MOSTO TO BE RELEASED 23 OCTOBER
UK: Monday 12th October – Upfolds Media is proud to announce that its documentary A Sicilian Dream about the legendary Sicilian motor race, the Targa Florio, which stars TV Presenter and Motor racing champion Alain de Cadenet and Italian architect, writer and presenter Francesco da Mosto will be released in the UK from 23rd October and will celebrate its UK Premiere at the Prince Charles Cinema Leicester Square on Monday 19th October with special guests attending including Nick Mason (Pink Floyd).
Written and Directed by Philip Walsh and Produced by David Biggins, Simone Maggi and Sheila Hayman, A Sicilian Dream is a theatrical documentary about the rise and fall of the Florio Dynasty in Sicily, and the Targa Florio – the longest-running road race in the world. The film explores the history of these incredible races, which took place from 1906 through to 1977, through the memories of personalities who both watched and took part in them.
Nick Mason of Pink Floyd said: “My father Bill was a well known film maker with many motor racing documentaries to his credit. In particular, at Enzo’s invitation in 1953, he took part in the Italian Mille Miglia in a Ferrari and recorded some in-car footage which became a classic film about that epic race. He recently made, before he died, three films about the early Mercedes Racing cars which evoke similar memories and passion to the Targa Florio scenes in A Sicilian Dream. I still have and love his 1930 Bentley which he used to race at Goodwood and Silverstone.”
With Sicilian roots himself, we join Francesco da Mosto on his quest to dig deep into Sicilian history to discover the unique story of the Florio dynasty and the charismatic romantic, Vincenzo Florio. Francesco follows the winding circuit of the Targa Florio, travelling in the different cars that raced there through the years. Along the way, he passes through remote mountain villages, meeting the local characters and storytellers as they reveal hidden gems of incident and folklore.
For Alain de Cadenet the Targa Florio is deeply affecting, as he crashed his Lola prototype car and nearly died in the 1970 Targa Florio race. He was pulled from the burning wreckage by a random stranger, a Sicilian farmer who found him unconscious. To get rid of that nightmare, he drives the Targa Florio route one more time within the film, to see it instead as the mother of road racing, the glorious race that ignited the world and gave birth to legends and dreams.
The legends of the past are united with the passions of today as vintage and classic cars by Fiat, Mercedes, Ferrari, Peugeot and Porsche arrive from all over the world with their owners and mechanics, who converge on the island to pay homage to the mother of all road races. We delve into the famous Targa Florio stories and their wider influence on world motor racing, as well as the Sicilian legacy that is still held so dear by the locals.
Alain de Cadenet said: “Motorsport media needs a show like this to make up for the rubbish that’s on offer.”
Francesco da Mosto said just having completed the Targa Florio Giro Centenary as a mechanic in the 1913 Nazzaro: “I think the Nazzaro is a part of my heart. I thought old cars would be boring, but these people are crazy; you remember the film “Those magnificent men in their flying machines?” It’s just like that, you are exposed and flying; the emotion is incredible. These cars are inventions that are both functional and art at the same time.”
Producer David Biggins said: “Besides my great passion for old motors, it was the Visconti Movie “Il Gattopardo” – The Leopard played by Burt Lancaster, that fired my imagination and stimulated the idea to make this film. The story of “The Leopard” follows the demise of the ruling classes in Sicily after Garibaldi’s invasion and the unification of Italy. This allowed the emergence of the Nouveau Riche, the entrepreneurs, of which the Florio family was the most important.
Our film continues the history of the Island from the early twentieth Century through the eyes of Vincenzo Florio, and the inevitable downfall of the Florios, to the end of the longest running road race ever staged: The Targa Florio. But it is not forgotten.”
A Sicilian Dream will celebrate its UK Premiere at the Prince Charles Cinema Leicester Square on Monday 19th October with guests of honour including Alain de Cadenet, Francesco da Mosto and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd. www.siciliandreamnovie.com
