“Fiction was the tool I needed right now to make links and connections between the state of America today and where it all started,” Roberto Minervini told us of his decision to clock his first narrative feature with The Damned . The pic, which debuted this week in the Un Certain Regard sidebar at Cannes, is set in the winter of 1862 at the height of the Civil War when the US Army sends a company of volunteer soldiers to the western territories, with the task of patrolling the unchartered borderlands. As their mission ultimately changes course, the meaning behind their engagement begins to elude them.
Related Stories Festivals Demi Moore On Her Comeback In 'The Substance': Actress Came Away From Horror Pic With "Greater Acceptance Of Myself" - Cannes News 'Christmas Eve In Miller's Point' Director & Cast On Their Indie Take On The Festive Season - Cannes Studio Minervini stopped by our studio on the ground here in Cannes following the film’s debut. Born in Italy and now living in New York City after a decade of residing in Texas, Minervini is best known internationally for his expansive documentaries about life in the American South. His credits include What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire? which debuted at Venice before winning awards at the London, Munich, and Venice film festivals.
Minervini also directed The Other Side (2015) and Stop the Pounding Heart (2013). “America is really a myriad of communities with boundaries that are ever-changing but rarely ble.