TUESDAY 18 NOV – H 20:30 – ROOM 2

40 SECONDI
ITALY – 2025 – color – 121’

Direction: Vincenzo Alfieri
Screenplay: Vincenzo Alfieri, Giuseppe G. Stasi
Cinematography: Andrea Reitano
Editing: Vincenzo Alfieri
Production design: Elisabetta Zanini
Original music: Alessandro Bencini
Costumes: Maria Cristina La Parola
Cast: Francesco Gheghi (Maurizio), Enrico Borello (Cosimo), Francesco Di Leva (Ludovico), Beatrice Puccilli (Michelle), Giordano Giansanti (Federico), Luca Petrini (Lorenzo), Justin De Vivo (Willy/Sonny), Daniele Cartocci (Cristian), Massimo Carotenuto (Sebastiano), Davide Valle (Alessandro), Manuel Venanzi (Simone), Carmine Alfano (Ginetto), Pietro Giuliano (Vittorio), Chiara Celotto (Rossella), Sergio Rubini (prof.), Angela Spencer (Jacqueline, Willy’s mother), Demetra Avincola (Luana), Josaf Vagni (Renato), Maurizio Lombardi (chef Tocai)
Producer: Roberto Proia
Production: Eagle Pictures

Synopsis
An argument sparked by a misunderstanding escalates into a brutal beating of unimaginable violence against Willy Monteiro Duarte, a twenty-one-year-old young man who is killed in just forty seconds. Inspired by a true story, the film retraces the twenty-four hours leading up to the tragic event, intertwining chance encounters, rivalries, and simmering tensions—a journey through the banality of evil that explores human nature and its conditioning.

the director: VINCENZO ALFIERI
Alfieri began his acting career at the age of 12 and, after graduating from Beatrice Bracco’s acting school, he earned a diploma from the New York Film Academy as well as two degrees in Economics and Political Science. His career as a director, screenwriter, and editor began in 2012 when he produced the web series Forse Sono Io, which, thanks to its strong reception, was later broadcast in prime time on MTV. For his numerous award-winning short films and various advertising and video campaigns, he caught the attention of major production companies with whom he went on to make three films: I peggiori, Golden Men, and Mad Dog. His second-to-last work, The Body, was presented at the Critics’ Picks section of the Tallinn Black Nights IFF.

director statement
“(…) This is what I want to talk about: young people and their fragilities, which—through a terrible twist of fate—cross paths and intertwine over the course of twenty-four hours in a crescendo of tension. Furthermore, having grown up with films like The Basketball Diaries, Christiane F., and Elephant, I immediately set out to give the film an almost documentary feel: a visually stripped down story, free of directorial vanity, and performances rooted in absolute truth. My goal was to make a film in which twenty-year olds could truly immerse themselves and see their own reflection—using their codes, their music, and their language. (…) To conclude, this story, however absurd it may seem, is inspired by true events. Reality, by its very nature, has no obligation to plausibility. Cinema, on the other hand, does. Some parts have been fictionalized, but you won’t notice—because, paradoxically, the most absurd scenes are the absolute truth.”

filmography
2012 La rabbia giovane (short)
2013 Forse sono io (web serie)
2014 Memories (short)
2015 Agent Never (short)
2015 Forse sono io 2 (web serie)
2016 Il lato oscuro (short)
2017 I peggiori
2019 Gli uomini d’oro (Golden Men)
2021 Ai confini del male (Mad Dog)
2024 Il corpo (The Body)
2025 40 secondi

festivals
2025 Festa del cinema di Roma – Progressive Competition