LA SCALA: THE FORCE OF DESTINY

(La Force du destin: une saison à La Scala)

North American Premiere | France, Italy | 2025 | Documentary | 92 min | In English & in Italian with English subtitle

Directed by: Anissa Bonnefont
Written by: Anissa Bonnefont, Myriam Weil
Produced by: Myriam Weil (Federation Studios France), Francesco Melzi d’Eril (MDE Films), Teatro alla Scalla
Cinematography: Martina Cocco
Original Score: Jack Bartman
Film Editing: Guerric Catala
Cast: Riccardo Chailly (conductor), Léo Muscato (stage director), Silvia Aymonino (costume designer), Federica Parolini (set designer), Anna Netrebko (soprano), Brian Jadge (tenor), Ludovic Tezier (baryton), Vasilisa Berzhanskaya (soprano), Roberto Bolle (ballet dancer)
International Sales: Ginger & Fed

Synopsis

A performance of Verdi’s La Forza del Destino marks the opening of the Milan opera season at La Scala. A major cultural event since 1951, “la prima” draws opera lovers from the world over. La Scala: The Force of Destiny takes us behind the scenes, from the first rehearsals with singers, musicians and dancers, all the way to opening night. Capturing the tension, passion and brilliance that define La Scala, the film plunges us into the day-to-day creative processes that take place behind the closed doors of the world’s most iconic opera house – which opened those doors to cameras for the very first time for this film.

Director’s biography

After writing and directing three shorts, Anissa Bonnefont won instant recognition with her first documentary feature, Wonder Boy (2019), a highly intimate portrait of Olivier Rousteing, the wunderkind fashion designer who became creative director of the house of Balmain at 24. That film was nominated for a César Award for Best Documentary Film and won the Best Documentary Feature Award at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. Her second documentary feature, NADIA (TAFFF 2022), focused on an Afghan-Danish footballer forced to flee Afghanistan when her father is assassinated by the Taliban. It was nominated for an International Emmy and won the Best Football Film Award at the Paladino d’Oro Sport Film Festival. In 2022, Bonnefont made her first narrative feature, The House. La Scala: The Force of Destiny had its world-wide premiere at La Scala, in Milan, on October 20.