55dsl Autumn / Winter 2013 Campaign Launches With ‘Once Upon A Time in Italy” Short Film.

After three incredibly successful years, 55DSL’s flagship series Kids in Italia is drawing to a close with ‘Once Upon a Time in Italy.’ The spirit of the brand is Italian, original, creative, street-smart, fun and relaxed – these are also the guiding principles that drive this final film’s aesthetic and artistic sensibilities. Concerned by the exodus of promising Italian creative talent caused by the global recession, 55DSL set out to make a short film that playfully explores the lives of a group of young people struggling to make sense of their future, the dilemmas they face and the options available to them in these uncertain times. With ‘Once Upon a Time in Italy’, 55DSL offer a slice of magic realism cinema, as heartwarming and sincere as the most uplifting Italo-disco track! It’s a film that sends a message of hope and inspiration to creative young people everywhere. 

The Directors
Before uniting to become the fast-rising filmmaking duo Charlie & Joe, Charlie Robins and Joe Alexander cut their teeth working on projects for the likes of Rankin and on movies such as The Last King of Scotland and Green Zone. Together they’ve made music videos for SBTRKT, Toddla T, Prism, Topshop, Farrell, The Maccabees, A-Trak and many more. Inspired by 55DSL’s brief to make a short film that posed questions about the political and economic climate in Italy, Charlie & Joe came up with a modern-day fairy tale that tells a story within a story and pays homage to the narrative fantasies of Michel Gondry and Wes Anderson.

Watch the trailer