Welcome to the South
(benvenuti al sud)
Welcome to the South, an Italian take on the French hit Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (Welcome to the Sticks), is the hilarious box office sensation that that has grossed over 30 million euros at the Italian box office alone, proving that the north-south rivalry is alive and kicking!
Alberto (Claudio Bisio) is a postal worker hoping to transfer to Milan, the city of his dreams, but instead he is sent to Castellabate in the south. He arrives with preconceptions, prejudice and a bullet proof vest firmly in place. His wife, Maria (Angela Finocchiaro), is too terrified to accompany him to what she imagines is a hot and dirty hilltop town swarming with mafia.
Soon, however, Alberto falls for the natural beauty and the charming locals, including the postman (Alessandro Siani) and a postal clerk (Valentina Lodovini), who introduce the northerner to the joys of southern life. The spirit of this feel-good Opening Night selection is captured in the wise words of one of the characters: "When an outsider comes to the south, he cries twice - when he arrives and when he leaves."