Italy: Nanni Moretti film up for top prize at Cannes

Rome: Tre piani (Three floors) by Italian director Nanni Moretti has been nominated for the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, organisers announced.

Moretti’s film is an adaptation of the novel of the book Three Floors Up, by the Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo, which tells the interconnected stories of three middle-class families living in the same building.

The film’s cast features Margherita Buy, Riccardo Scamarcio, Alba Rohrwacher, Elena Lietti and Moretti himself.

No stranger to Cannes, Moretti was president of the festival’s jury in 2012 and won the Palme d’Or in 2001 for his movie La stanza del figlio (The Son’s Room).

Moretti will be up against big names including Sean Penn with Flag Day and Wes Anderson with The French Dispatch.

Produced by Sacher Film and Fandango with Rai Cinema, and Le Pacte, Tre piani will be released in Italy on 23 September.

There will be a total of 24 movies in contention for the Palme d’Or this year, the Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux said at a press conference. The prestigious film festival, now in its 74th edition, will be held from 6-17 July.

Best known for directing and starring in Caro Diario (Dear Diary), Moretti was already in the news in Italy before today’s announcement from Cannes.

The 67-year-old posted a ‘viral’ video on Instagram in which he sings along to Soldi by Milan rapper Mahmood, appearing in a tuxedo alongside the actresses from Tre piani.