Robert Saviano, the acclaimed Italian journalist behind mob exposé Gomorrah, is making his directorial debut with an autobiographical animated feature. The project is an adaptation of his graphic novel I’m Still Alive, which chronicles his life since being marked for death by the Neapolitan mafia and features the evocative illustrations of Israeli artist Asaf Hanuka (Waltz with Bashir).
The project is being unveiled at Cartoon Movie this week and is a nominee for the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award.
The graphic novel relates that a 26-year-oldSaviano witnessed flagrant daylight assassinations by the Camorra crime outfit and how the success of his 2006 book (inspiring an award-winning movie and HBO series) drew down heat that permanently changed his life. Living under police protection, Saviano’s liminal existence has been marked by an escape to a desert island, moving to New York under an assumed name and never letting up his fight to expose organized crime and corruption in Italy.
The movie adaptation of I’m Still Alive will also feature artwork by Eisner winner Hanuka, who is also known internationally for autobiographical comic strip The Realist and graphic novel The Divine. The project is being lead produced by Ivan Cappiello (Cinderella the Cat) and Mario Addis (La Materia, Ego) for Mad Entertainment, producing with fellow Italian studio Lucky Red, Beligum’s GapBusters and Israel’s Sipur (formerly Tadmor Entertainment).
[Source: Variety]
