Sales agency Taskovski Films has acquired Susanna della Sala’s “Last Stop Before Chocolate Mountain,” produced by Marco Visalberghi, who won Venice’s Golden Lion for “Sacro Gra.” The film will have its world premiere Tuesday at the Locarno Film Festival as part of the Critics’ Week section.
Bombay Beach is a Californian town that was surrounded by a desert and near a toxic lake. The feature documentary takes place there. It was almost a ghost town when it became rundown. But, an influx artists helped to bring it back to life. But tension has developed between the older residents of the town and those who are earning a living.
In a statement, Della Sala said: “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.”
Visalberghi also added: “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.”
“Last Stop Before Chocolate Mountain”
DocLab
Visalberghi is a DocLab collaborator. Cinematography is by Andrea Josè di Pasquale. Vittorio de Vecchi composed the original soundtrack. The editors are Aline Hervè, Della Sala and Elisabetta Abrami.