2023 Rewind: Sicilian Boys Set off 'Fireworks' in Upcoming Queer Drama

EDGE: How was your character prep and working with [director] Giuseppe?

Gabriele Pizzurro: Working with Beppe [Giuseppe's nickname] has been very important. Without his supervision, his creativity, his help, there would be no film. It was with everyone's help – the cast, Beppe, Samuele – that I was able to build my character.

Samuele Segreto: For me, it's been a deeply internal journey bringing this character to life. I discovered some vulnerable parts of my deep self. And I've learned a lot of things about myself. What I've learned most is the bravery of my character, Gianni. He had to die for love. And he continued to fight for love.

EDGE: Tell me about working and bonding with one another.

Samuele Segreto: It was very easy. Since the beginning, a brotherhood relationship was born. And we were really comfortable from the outset, to building a friendship and relationship. We were confident with each other. Our relationship was born in a very natural way, like our characters in the film. We were very lucky, as we wanted to spend time with each other outside of work as well.

Gabriele Pizzurro: I feel the same as Samuele. Our relationship progressed in a very natural way, the same as the two characters in the film. I have great esteem and affection for him. He's someone very important to me.

Speaking with Director Giuseppe Fiorello

EDGE: Tell us a bit about the real story, and what inspired you to bring it to the screen.

Giuseppe Fiorello: The film was born and inspired by a true story that happened in Sicily in 1980. I discovered an article about it, reading a newspaper, on the 25th anniversary of the death of these boys. I was shocked that I didn't know about it. I felt guilty for not knowing. I immediately imagined directing the story on film. I'm an actor, but I knew I had to direct this to protect the love the boys had for one another and let the entire world know that these two boys existed and were killed because of their love for each other, so their love would not be forgotten.

And this dreadful event sparked the forming of Arcigay, which is the organization that commenced the gay rights movement in Italy, protecting LGBTQ people. This was organized exactly a month after the murders of these boys. This is why it was important to me to illuminate this story for everyone.

EDGE: How much of the real story is part of the film's narrative, and how much of the true facts are even available?

Giuseppe Fiorello: There is a good deal of the real story in the film – the characters, the two families and the dynamics of the families, as much as was known. I studied articles, other factual accounts, testimonials, but there was very little. At a certain point I decided to use my own imagination, my personal ideas, my own poetic license. And it became a love story and an original screenplay. I would say there's 50 percent of what really happened, and 50 percent from my imagination.

EDGE: Let's talk some about Sicily and homophobia. There's this antiquated idea of masculinity there, yet the men are always kissing and touching. But no one is gay. And you definitely can't speak about it. What is your take on this behavior?

Giuseppe Fiorello: There's no way to answer this in an easy fashion. It's a very complex question. Sicily, as you know, historically is a place that's been dominated (conquered) by many. Spaniards, Arabs, Greeks, Romans – the entire world have passed through Sicily. And everyone has left something – some part of their culture. This rapport between men is physical, but it's not homosexual in nature. It's very particular. In Sicily, like in Arab countries, men walk with other men with arms around each other. In Tunisia and Morocco, as well. It's a tradition, yet very strange. It's because of this I made soccer an important part of the script, because when your favorite team wins, all the Sicilian men embrace and kiss one another. That's acceptable. But two gays in love, in true love, embracing and kissing is not. There's hatred of that. But it's not strictly a problem in Sicily or Italy. It's a universal issue. There are many places where men are discriminated against. It's still that way today. Here in New York, it's another world entirely.

EDGE: You chose great restraint and subtlety with the intimate scenes. Was that to make the film more palpable for Italian audiences?

Giuseppe Fiorello: I wanted to create a film about the time that passes as two people fall in love. In most stories, the sexual part usually dominates instead of the sentimental and poetic. I was more focused on the love story. I wanted to tell a gay love story that was universal.

In Italy, there was a critic who told me, disparagingly, "This is a film for heterosexuals." And I said, "Thank you," because this is a film for heterosexuals, for everyone. I am heterosexual. And I was looking to render a love story about two people, not in a political manner, but in a sentimental way... Often, homophobic people just think about sex between two men, and I wanted them to think about the passion between two people, the love.

Check out pics from Samuele Segreto and Giuseppe Fiorello Instagrams: