The Choice of Staying
Damanhur is a community of spiritual researchers, who secretly built an underground temple in Northern Italy, recognized as the largest underground religious building in the world. The people of Damanhur consider themselves an independent nation, apart from Italy, although it is not recognised as such. Through the eyes of a young Swedish girl who came there to make a documentary and then decided to stay, "The Choice of Staying" tells the story of lights and shadows whitin the spiritual community, between the accusation of being a cult and the creation of an alternative possible society.
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Mattia MuraDirectorDrew Nikonowicz - Notes from Anywhere; Chromoskopje
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Formica CoriandoloProducer
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Rebecka CarlenKey Cast"Celastrina Calea"
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Alberto MartinoOriginal Soundtrack
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Giovanni BottanSound Design and Mixing
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Roberta DonatiniGraphic Designer
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Alessandro IacobinoMotion Graphic Designer
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Project Type:Documentary
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Runtime:48 minutes 6 seconds
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Completion Date:March 1, 2020
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Production Budget:25,000 EUR
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Country of Origin:Italy
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Country of Filming:Italy
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Language:English, Italian, Other, Swedish
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Jharkhand International Film Festival & AwardsRanchi
India
October 8, 2020
World Premiere
Best European Cinematography -
Danubiusz CinemaŠtúrovo
Slovakia
December 11, 2020
Sloviakian Preview
Distribution Information
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Films for changeDistributorCountry: AustraliaRights: Video on DemandCountry: New ZealandRights: Video on Demand
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Emera filmsDistributorCountry: ItalyRights: Video on Demand, Free TV, Paid TV
Mattia Mura was born in Cecina, Tuscany, in 1992.
He began his artistic career at a very young age as a writer. His fantasy novel, "Liberando Lastlend", was written when he was only 13 years old.
From 2009 to 2013 he is the screenwriter, director and editor of every production (short movies and documentaries) made by Helix Pictures, an indipendent production which promotes Tuscany through video and storytelling.
In 2014 he graduated with 110 cum laude at the University La Sapienza of Rome. In 2015 he was awarded a scholarship and residency at Fabrica Research Centre. During the 3 years he spent there, he filmed the protests in Macedonia during the Colorful Revolution, the art of the american photographer Drew Nikonowicz and he started the project about the spiritual community of Damanhur. Since 2019 he is now a freelance documentary filmmaker based in Milan, Italy.
His works mainly focus on the limits (of life, of perception, of art, of geography...).