Alla Festa della Rivoluzione. Un film per raccontare l’impresa a Fiume di Gabriele D’Annunzio
Director Arnaldo Catinari’s new film, *Alla Festa della Rivoluzione*, explores the 1919 occupation of Fiume led by the poet-soldier Gabriele D’Annunzio. Distributed by 01 Distribution and set for a mid-April release, the film depicts the city-state as a visionary laboratory where art served as a structural foundation and social hierarchies were temporarily dismantled. The narrative follows three fictional characters—a spy, a government official, and a deserter—whose lives intersect amidst the political and aesthetic fever of the D’Annunzio enterprise.
The film is significant for its nuanced portrayal of a complex historical period that defies easy classification, sitting precariously between libertarian utopia and the nascent seeds of fascism. By framing the Fiume endeavor as a 'collective dream' and an aesthetic act rather than a purely political one, Catinari highlights the tension between visionary desire and the eventual crushing weight of history. It serves as a cultural reflection on how art, identity, and politics merged during a volatile post-WWI transition.