by Michele Fornasero
Italia/Svizzera, 2015, 96'
Indyca (Torino), Ventura Film (Svizzera), in collaboration with Majade film produktions, in co-production with RSI
The Messina brothers are Yesmoke, a little tobacco company based in modern day Turin, Italy. Originally, Yesmoke was an online store for cigarettes selling its products all over the world. Every day millions of people would buy cheap packets of Marlboro, Camels and Lucky Strikes online. When sales reached over one hundred million, "Big Tobacco" started to fight the "Little Guys" and sued them for 550 Million dollars, obligating them to shut their website down.
The two brothers decided to build their own cigarette manufacturing company in the outskirts of Turin, taking the fight to Philip Morris in an effort to level the playing field. Their goal is to take revenge and to attack tobacco multinationals by every means at their disposal. But today, the Italian government too and their severe regulations has changed the course of this on-going debate. So the two brothers are even more dedicated to try and fight against the system. smoKings is like a gangster movie, in that there are not good guys here, just small bad guys fighting big bad guys. Who's going to win this unfair battle?
Great Temptation - Vincent Favrat, Thierry Baujard, Pablo Carrera (Film music financing & services) - José Palermo (Macchinista).
Studio Pandora (Animazione 3D)
Carlo Messina, Gianpaolo Messina
nelle sale cinematografiche dal 5 marzo 2015
Ufficio stampa: Giulia Gaiato
In concordo nella sezione "Documentari" ai David di Donatello 2015-2016
Il mese del Documentario 2015: Vincitore del premio del pubblico.
Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival 2015: Stories to Tell.
Festival dei Popoli 2014: Panorama.
Visions du Reel 2014: Etat d'Esprit - C-Side Prize.