Italy: Netflix launches Sorrentino film The Hand of God

Rome: Netflix begins streaming The Hand of God, the new movie by award-winning Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, on Wednesday.

The launch of the coming-of-age film, set in Sorrentino’s native Naples, follows its release in Italian cinemas on 24 November.

Titled È stata la mano di Dio in Italian, the drama was written, directed and produced by Sorrentino who won an Oscar in 2014 for The Great Beauty.

The largely autobiographical film tells the story of a teenage boy in Naples during the 1980s.

The tale spans several years from the arrival of Diego Maradona to play for Napoli to the team’s first Italian title. During this time the young boy comes of age and witnesses the death of his parents.

Starring Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo and Teresa Saponangelo, the film is available to stream on Netflix in Italian, English, German, Spanish and French.

The movie premiered in competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Silver Lion, with lead actor Scotti scooping the Mastroianni award for best debut.

On 13 December the movie film was nominated for a Golden Globe in the ‘Best Film – Foreign Language’ category. The awards ceremony is due to take place in Los Angeles on 9 January 2022.