The documentary is among the 10 selected for the sixty-eighth edition of the Davids, which will compete for the David di Donatello – Cecilia Mangini 2023 Award, for the best documentary.
Italy, 2022
Produced by DOCLAB
Among the remnants of a man-made disaster a forlorn community flourishes thanks to the healing power of art.
In the midst of the harsh Californian desert and on the shores of a toxic lake lies a land that time forgot: Bombay Beach. This once abandoned town is now home to a small eclectic community where art heals people in the most unexpected ways. A British matriarch, a retired bank robber, an evicted artist from LA and an Italian prince open the doors to a magical land, a living theater, perhaps a way to an alternative life.
Credits
| Original title: | Last Stop Before Chocolate Mountain |
| Country of production: | Italy |
| Year of production: | 2022 |
| Length: | 90′ |
| Shooting format: | HD |
| Screening format: | 1920 x 1080 / Apple Prores 422 (HQ) / 24 fps |
| Language(s): | English |
| Subtitles: | English /French |
| Color or b/n: | Color |
| Production: | Doclab, Italy |
| Author and director: | Susanna della Sala |
| DoP: | Andrea Josè di Pasquale |
| Editors: | Aline Hervè, Susanna della Sala e Elisabetta Abrami |
| Original soundtrack: | Vittorio De Vecchi Additional music: Alex Ebert, The Acid, Vera Sola, Linda della Sala, Zee Avi |
| Producers: | Marco Visalberghi (DocLab) Sherin Salvetti (DocLab) |
Press Office: ufficio.stampa.zanini@gmail.com
| Original title: | Last Stop Before Chocolate Mountain |
| Country of production: | Italy |
| Year of production: | 2022 |
| Length: | 90′ |
| Shooting format: | HD |
| Screening format: | 1920 x 1080 / Apple Prores 422 (HQ) / 24 fps |
| Language(s): | English |
| Subtitles: | English /French |
| Color or b/n: | Color |
| Production: | Doclab, Italy |
| Author and director: | Susanna della Sala |
| Scritto da: | Susanna della Sala |
| DoP: | Andrea Josè di Pasquale |
| Editors: | Aline Hervè, Susanna della Sala e Elisabetta Abrami |
| Original soundtrack: | Vittorio De Vecchi Additional music: Alex Ebert, The Acid, Vera Sola, Linda della Sala, Zee Avi |
| Producers: | Marco Visalberghi (DocLab) Sherin Salvetti (DocLab) |
Susanna Della Sara
DIRECTOR
Susanna della Sala is a director, author and visual artist. After graduating in Interior Design at Politecnico of Milan she worked as set designer for theatre and film. She directed narrative, dance and animation short films and the feature film Neolovismo which premiered at 56th Pesaro Film Festival.
Director’s filmography:
- Neolovismo (feature)
- Wasteplanet (short)
- The Fish Doctor (short)
- The Cat’s Eye (short, animation)
Gallery
CV DocLab
www.doclab.it
Founded by director and producer Marco Visalberghi, DOCLAB is an established production company dedicated to documentary films. Innovation, quality and an indomitable independent spirit have inspired the twenty years of work in which Doclab has brought Italian creativity to the world by making successful co-productions with prestigious international partners with films that have achieved important recognitions in major festivals, like the Golden Lion at the 70th Venice Film Festival with Sacro GRA by Gianfranco Rosi.
In 2021 the documentary film CAVEMAN – THE HIDDEN GIANT, the first work of young director Tommaso Landucci, was selected at the Giornate degli Autori in Venice at the Festival dei Popoli in Florence, Budapest Film Festival, Thessaloniki Film Festival, Trento Film Festival.
Director’s statement:
The documentary was born from a personal life experience and its creative process was four years in the making. “Last Stop before Chocolate Mountain” to me represents a universal and metaphorical land where we confront ourselves, awakening our creative impulses, in the mirage of individual liberation. The film embodies the collective longing, both desperate and joyful, for acceptance and a sense of belonging.
Producer’s note:
When in 2019, back from her last long stay in Bombay Beach, Susanna della Sala came to us with her magical footage I realized how much that unique community had captured her imagination. Personally, I have always been fascinated by life stories from the edge of the world, be it the ‘’Sacred’’ GRA of Rome or the desert of California. That is why I decided to bet on this young and original director. Marco Visalberghi.