Ciao Bella (film)

Ciao Bella is a 91-minute 2007 Swedish feature film by director Mani Masserat-Agah and the Iranian-Swedish director's debut long feature film.

Synopsis

Gothenburg is host for the Gothia Cup. A 16-year-old teenager / soccer player, Mustafa Moradi from Lerum (played by Poyan Karimi), from an immigrant family of Iranian origin is yearning for love, but the girls just want to have him as a friend. He is struck by the brilliant idea of pretending to be an Italian to have more chances with girls attending the Cup games, thinking he stands lesser chance if he reveals his true Iranian identity. He renames himself as "Massimo" and sooner than he knows, Linnea (played by Chanelle Lindell) falls for him. A more mature young woman, she longs for a young man with style, passion and courage, and thus her falling for "Massimo". Mustafas soccer friend

Reception

The film was well-received by critics as Mani Maserrat-Agah's debut film with 4/5 by Moviezine, VeckoRevyn and Frida and 3/5 by Svenska Dagbladet, Aftonbladet and Expressen.

The film premiered on August 3, 2007 with more than 30,000 attending in the first two weeks.already the first two weeks. The film contained some graphic sex scenes by the teenagers with demands to censor the film for certain ages and for foreign distribution.

Cast

• Poyan Karimi as Mustafa / Massimo
• Oliver Wahlgren-Ingrosso as Enrico
• Chanelle Lindell as Linnea
• Mina Azarian as Mustafa / Massimo's mother
• Jimmy Lindström as Linea's Father
• Arash Bolouri as Babak
• Maria Hedborg as Nurse
• Lotta Karlge as Johanna
• Adam Lundgren as Mattias
• Oscar Rydelius as Målbrottskillen

Awards and nominations

In 2009, director Mani Maserrat Agah was nominated to "New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury Prize" for Ciao Bella during the Palm Springs International Film Festival.