Bella Thorne & Ryan Phillippe Thriller ‘Saint Clare’ To Open Taormina Film Festival

Saint Clare starring Bella Thorne and Ryan Phillippe will open Italy’s Taormina Film Festival.

The film is described as a “thriller” and is based on Don Roff’s novel Clare at Sixteen. Set in a small town, the story follows a solitary young woman who is haunted by voices that lead her to assassinate ill-intended people and get away with it until her last kill sucks her down a rabbit hole riddled with corruption, trafficking, and visions from the beyond.

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The film is directed by Italian film director and screenwriter Mitzi Peirone (Braid), who also co-wrote the script with Guinevere Turner (American Psycho). Thorne (Divinity) stars in the titular role with Ryan Philippe (Crash) and Rebecca DeMornay (Wedding Crashers) supporting. The pic was produced by David Chackler, Arielle Elwes, and Joel Michaely. The original soundtrack is by Zola Jesus.

“We couldn’t have dreamed of a better debut for our oneiric film than the gorgeously historic Taormina,” said Peirone. “We are elated and humbled, especially for a picture that delves into spiritual beauty, female sainthood, and fate, there is no better home in the world than Sicily.”

Bella Thorne returns to Taormina after guest curating a gala evening at last year’s festival. This year’s event will also host a screening of Lee Isaac Chung‘s Twisters sequel. Twisters is billed as “a sweeping current-day chapter of the 1996 blockbuster.” The film stars Golden Globe nominee Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing, Normal People) as Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser, and Glen Powell (Anyone but You, Top Gun: Maverick) who plays Tyler Owens, a charming and reckless social media superstar. The synopsis reads: Two opposing forces, come together to try to predict, and possibly tame, the immense power of tornadoes.

Taormina runs from July 12 to July 19.

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