Un film scritto notte dopo notte, girato con un iPhone e un solo assistente sul set.
Presentato al “Matera International Film Festival” come anteprima mondiale il 1 ottobre 2026, “Fade Away” di Ramin Niami sviluppa un approccio personale, innovativo, non convenzionale: la sceneggiatura è stata scritta notte dopo notte e il film è stato girato con un cellulare e un solo assistente sul set. L’idea nasce da un viaggio in Italia e da una scommessa radicale: rinunciare a una produzione tradizionale per concentrarsi interamente sugli attori, sulle loro performance e sulla storia.
Girato tra Narni (Terni – Italy) e Roma, con protagonisti Nicolas Porcelli, Anastasia Bay, il film intreccia memoria, realtà, immaginazione e un colpo di scena finale. “Avevo a disposizione quattro attori, un appartamento e la bellissima città di Narni come location, e allora ho pensato ‘Perché aspettare uno sviluppo e un finanziamento infiniti? Perché non farlo e basta?” dice il regista RAMIN NIAMI. Così ha messo la sua macchina da presa, un iPhone, al servizio della della storia senza celebrarla ma assecondandola, non si è lasciato intimidire dalle tecnologie, anzi le ha accolte. Inoltre ha utilizzato una scrittura dinamica, sviluppata giorno dopo giorno, uscendo dai canoni e dalle convenzioni scegliendo uno stile espressivo fluido con angolazioni insolite, con l’intento di conferire una narrazione poetica ed evocativa. Un’esperienza, quella del regia di FADE AWAY, definita dallo stesso RAMIN NIAMI “creativamente liberatorio. Mi ha dato la libertà di seguire un’idea nel momento in cui mi veniva in mente, invece di doverla adattare a una struttura produttiva tradizionale e predeterminata”. La regia di RAMIN NIAMI ha prestato attenzione all’improvvisazione dei protagonisti, interpreti di versioni romanzate di se stessi, e questo ha permesso di conferire personalità autentiche ai personaggi, immersi nella loro quotidiane, permettendo agli interpreti di attingere nella realtà, nei ricordi, senza doverli rappresentare. “Credo che questo abbia aiutato a creare l’intimità e l’imprevedibilità di cui il film aveva bisogno”. RAMIN NIAMI ha compiuto una sfida, quella di creare un mistero senza progettarlo, lasciandolo mergere dalla quotidianità, o forse anche lui ha i suoi segreti? “Per un film come questo ho sostanzialmente progettato all’indietro. Sapevo fin dall’inizio come volevo che il film finisse e quale sarebbe stato il colpo di scena finale, così ho lavorato a ritroso, cercando come strutturare la storia per arrivare a quel finale in modo naturale”. Gli attori hanno costruito i propri personaggi scoprendo la narrazione un giorno dopo l’altro. Lo stesso Nicolas Porcelli parlando del protagonista afferma: “È venuto in modo naturale: quando il regista mi ha detto che si trattava di uno scrittore di New York di origini italiane, ho pensato alla mezza dozzina di persone che ho conosciuto negli anni, e a quanto fossero diverse l’una dall’altra. Gli scrittori e gli artisti in generale hanno un’individualità, un’unicità: non sono la norma, a prescindere dalle loro origini. Per questo volevo che Anthony fosse un originale, in quel senso”. “Dato che la storia veniva scritta giorno per giorno, discutevamo dei nostri personaggi, li lasciavamo crescere dentro di noi e poi li lasciavamo vivere nelle circostanze date – aggiunge Anastasia Bay – Ramin ha creato un ambiente così sicuro per questo, mantenendoti completamente vivo e concentrato, vivendo la logica emotiva ripresa dopo ripresa.”
Film Information
- Title: Fade Away
- Genre: Drama
- Running Time: 140 minutes
- Languages: English (with Italian captions)
- Format: 4K Digital | Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Year of Completion: 2026
Synopsis
Anthony è uno scrittore italoamericano di mezza età che torna a Narni, sua città natale, dopo essere stato lasciato dalla moglie Lara, una giovane donna ucraina aspirante poetessa. Ripensa alla loro relazione, iniziata all’insegna della dolcezza e della speranza; tuttavia, le difficoltà nella scrittura e l’abuso di alcol lo portano a maltrattare la donna, spingendola ad abbandonarlo. Nel presente, Anthony implora Lara di tornare. Una sera, inaspettatamente, lei ricompare. Tra i due tutto sembra andare a gonfie vele, finché la realtà non inizia a sgretolarsi e il segreto viene svelato.
Cast Highlights
- Nicolas Porcelli – Anthony
- Anastasia Bay – Lara
- Amedeo Carlo Capitanelli – Matthieu
- Tatiana Klements – Lara’s Mother
- Elisa Gabrielli – Mia
Selected Q&A
Director / Writer – Ramin Niami
You developed the story starting with the actors and locations you already knew, including Anastasia Bay’s previous connection to a theater workshop right in Narni. To what extent did the real-life biographies and personalities of the four actors shape the characters?
I met Anastasia Bay in Cannes through Nicolas Porcelli, who is an old friend of mine. I worked with her over Zoom, and later she came to visit Nicolas and me for a short time. During that visit, I saw Anastasia talking to her grandmother in Ukraine on the phone. I remember how emotional and upset she was after that conversation, and that image stayed with me. Later, I took some photographs of her alone and with Nic, and those images became one of the inspirations for the film’s concept and the relationship between their characters. Also, there was a personal element for me. I have unfortunately lost a number of friends to alcoholism, including someone who was a close friend of both Nic and myself. That experience inevitably influenced the creation of the main character Anthony and his relationship with drinking.
Amir Naderi, a key figure in the Iranian New Wave, served as executive producer on the project. How did his contribution and his directorial sensibility influence the creative choices in Fade Away?
I have been collaborating with Amir Naderi for more than 30 years. I produced his first English-language film as well as his most recent film, and over the years we have spent countless hours talking about cinema. So there is a long history of creative dialogue between us. Fade Away was a high-risk project for me, particularly because I was making it in such an unconventional way. However, from the moment I first told Amir about the idea, he encouraged me to move ahead. Throughout the shoot, he and I would talk through ideas and issues. I sent Amir and Tara film stills and screen grabs to get their reactions. Both of them were extremely encouraging and supportive, and they loved the look of the images I shared with them. Amir became particularly important during the editing process. I showed him different cuts and had discussions. With a film like Fade Away, the story structure is largely shaped in the editing room. Because the film plays with memory, perception, and chronology, discovering the right rhythm and the right placement of information was essential.
After the first cut, you returned to Narni for additional filming, this time with your daughter Tara Violet Niami as second unit cinematographer. What was missing from the first version of the film that prompted you to return to the set?
Since I didn’t have a traditional script, I was constantly brainstorming and planning things in my head. My primary focus during the first shoot was on the characters and the overall plot. After I returned home and made a rough cut, I realized that although I had the story, the ending, and most of Acts Two and Three, I was missing some crucial elements from Act One. The film’s protagonist, Anthony, who Nic plays, is reminiscent of an antihero in a 70’s film. I didn’t want him to simply come across as a villain. Before entering Anthony’s psychological breakdown, I felt that the audience needed to understand him more deeply. I wanted them to see him as a broken man carrying guilt, and to understand something of what brought him to that point. Although Tara wasn’t available for the first shoot, she was available when I realized I needed to return to Narni for additional filming. I thought it’d be great to have her help, and we ended up shooting many of the new scenes with two cameras—two iPhones. That was particularly useful when we had very little time to shoot, such as during a restaurant scene in Rome. Using two cameras allowed us to capture more material without interrupting the actors’ performances. Most importantly, the second shoot gave me an opportunity to add more layers to the two main characters. It was important to me that the audience could connect with and understand them, and ultimately care about what happens to them, before the story moves toward its darker conclusion.
Actress – Anastasia Baykovskaya
Fade Away marks your feature film debut. How did you experience the transition from the worlds of fashion and theater to such a complex and dramatic leading role?
Film acting has always been my primary focus. I love theater, even though it’s so different from working in front of a camera that sees everything. Modeling and theater are part of the same artistic world, and that background definitely helped me. I’d worked on camera before, but carrying my first feature lead on Fade Away wasn’t a technical leap, it was the shift of carrying the entire emotional arc.
You’ve already attended a theater workshop right in Narni, the film’s main location. How did this prior familiarity with the location influence your portrayal of Lara? What about Lara struck you the most or piqued your curiosity?
Narni inspired me right away, the same way it inspires Lara to start writing poetry or Ramin to shoot the film there. The town’s rhythm, quiet corners, and the way the light hits the wall. I love Narni, and it will always be special to me. What struck me most about Lara is her quiet complexity, she isn’t loud about what she carries, and finding those silent, intense layers inside her is what drew me to her immediately.
Your training includes the Demidov School, which follows the Stanislavski tradition. What is your approach when you immerse yourself in a role like Lara’s—or any other role in your career?
All techniques are great, but since we had a lot of improvisational scenes, the Demidov technique really helped. My approach is all about organic impulse rather than forcing emotion: you don’t manufacture a feeling, you tune your nervous system to the character’s reality and let the moment dictate the behaviour. With Lara, because Narni and her poetry were already breathing around us, it wasn’t about acting inspired or fragile, it was about letting the environment and the micro-impulses pull the truth out of you live in the frame.
Actor – Nicolas Porcelli
You live between London and Rome and have an international background, from the Actor’s Studio to the Neighborhood Playhouse. How did you draw on this diverse background to build a complex character like Anthony?
Well, I have always been , from the beginning, very curious about which technique was the most effective ,so I’ve studied them all over the years. Actor’s Studio and Neighborhood Playhouse are very different from one another as it is Stella Adler or the British/ European classical training. They all have different approaches, and we always use the one that works best for us. However, my strongest influence and the “Go-To” when i feel I’m in trouble is the Meisner technique.
As an Italian yourself who grew up in New York—just like Anthony—how much of your own personal history did you recognize or bring to the character?
It kind cane naturale to me, when the Director told me he is a writer from NY with an Italian background ,I thought about the half dozen people I’ve known over the years like that and also how different they were from one another , you see , writers and Artists in general have an individuality, uniqueness, about them , they are not the norm, regardless of they’re background , so I wanted Anthony to be an original in that sense .
Anthony is a writer struggling with writer’s block, jealousy, and alcohol addiction, to the point of becoming abusive. How did you work to humanize a character with such dark sides without simply making him detestable?
One thing I learned early on during my academic training and the first roles i played in the Theater is to always find the vulnerability in the characters , regardless how cruel, Violent , tough, heroic, villainous or even your average employee at the Post Office , otherwise they become too linear, one note kind of –
Bios
Filmmaker: Ramin Niami
Ramin Niami is an Iranian born, US based, award-winning writer/director, producer of narrative and documentary feature films and president of the production company Sideshow, Inc. His film credits include Somewhere in the City, Shirin in Love and Eye Without a Face. His films have been shown in many international festivals such as Tribeca Film International and Hof International Film Festival and have been released theatrically and on platforms including HBO, Showtime and TMC. Most recently, Eye Without a Face was released on VOD in the US and Canada by Gravitas Ventures and 101 Films/Miracle Media in the UK and screened on HBO Eastern Europe. Ramin’s documentary film shot in Wales, Michael: Now and Then, will soon be released, and that have world premier in New York end of October 2026 at Workers United Film Festival. He has produced a number of narrative and documentary feature films including Amir Naderi’s Magic Lantern, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2018 and Manhattan by Numbers which also screened at Venice and was in competition at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Next, Ramin will direct a romantic drama film Umbria, starring Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill, Olympus Has Fallen) and Alessio Boni (Oscar-nominated film Don’t Tell and Cesar award-winning The Best of Youth). The film will be shot in the region of Umbria in Italy. Also on his directorial slate is an Iranian dramatic feature film set in LA.
Producer: Karen Robson
Karen Robson produces, executive produces, and invests in films in collaboration with writer/director/producer Ramin Niami. Her producing credits include: Ramin’s award-winning documentary feature Babe’s and Ricky’s Inn, his narrative feature films Shirin in Love, Eye Without A Face, Fade Away and the documentary Michael: Now and Then. Karen will executive produce Ramin Niami’s next film Umbria and is involved in the development of Ramin’s forthcoming TV and film projects. Karen is also an entertainment lawyer and heads the Los Angeles office of the law firm Pryor Cashman LLP. She represents a variety of financiers, banks, equity investors, high-profile independent producers and production companies She also represents individual writers, directors and producers in film and television.
Cast:
Nicolas Porcelli (Anthony)
Nicolas Porcelli is an Italian born, New York bred actor, theater director, and producer with over 30 credits between feature films, shorts, and television. Nicolas studied under legends like William Esper in a 3 year academic program, Charlie Laughton of the Actor’s Studio, Austin Pendleton at HB studio and William Alderson of the Neighborhood Playhouse. He is the founder and president of the International Theater of Italy. Previously, Nicolas founded the Off-Off-Broadway Chelsea Theater Company and for several years he was a member of The Tribeca Theater Lab, a NYC based theater company, acting in many Off-Broadway productions. Currently Nicolas lives in Europe and splits his time between London and Rome.
Anastasia Bay (Lara)
Anastasia Bay is a Russian-Ukrainian actress and model, who makes her feature film debut in Fade Away. Born to a director father and composer mother, Anastasia trained as an actress across the US, Europe, and Russia. She has participated in workshops at the Demidov School (founded by an associate of Stanislavski) and a theater workshop in the Umbrian town of Narni. Beyond her artistic work, Anastasia is an Ambassador for Peace (Universal Peace Federation) and a dedicated advocate for sustainable fashion and environmental protection.
Amedeo Carlo Capitanelli (Matthieu)
Amedeo Carlo Capitanelli is a theatre and film actor and one of the founders of the theatre company Osm – Occhi Sul Mondo. Over the years, Amedeo has worked on productions with major Italian and international theatre organisations and festivals including: Teatro Stabile dell’Umbria, Armunia Festival, and Kilowatt Festival. He acted in Il Nero, a take on William Shakespeare’s Othello that was developed through the Italian Cultural Institute of Paris and presented at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris. Additionally, Amedeo performed in Napoleone: la morte di Dio (produced by LVF Teatro Manini di Narni) alongside Lino Guanciale and Simona Boo, and a new take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet directed by Davide Sacco (acting alongside actors Francesco Montanari, Franco Branciaroli, Sara Bertelà and Francesco Acquaroli). In television,
Amedeo acted in Una pallottola nel cuore 3 worked with Gigi Proietti, and has appeared in series like Cugino e Cugino, 7 Vite, and La Terza Verità.



















