Many news stories worldwide are reporting that movies from the United States are not being represented at the upcoming Venice Film Festival due to the writer’s strike. One movie from American film maker Ramin Bahrani is making its debut at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. Goodbye Solo is the anticipated film from acclaimed director and 2008 Independent Spirit Award winner Ramin Bahrani. Ioncinema.com named Goodbye Solo the #32 film on their Top 100 Most Anticipated Films of 2008.Goodbye Solo tells the story of Solo, a kindhearted and friendly 34-year-old Senegalese taxi driver in North Carolina, who is hired by William, a tough 70-year-old white southerner, to drive him in two weeks time to a mountaintop from which William plans to jump to his death. But Solo decides to charm his way into William's life by becoming his driver, and this odd couple begin an unexpected friendship as Solo hopes to change the old man's mind before the two weeks are up.
Newcomer Souléymane (Solo) Sy Savané was born in the Ivory Coast to a Woloff mother and a Mandingo father. Souléymane’s early desire to travel lead him to live in Paris, and later on, to take a job as a flight attendant with a Pan African airline. Eventually, he landed in New York where he lived for 7 years. It was while in Gotham that he decided to study acting and would book the lead role in Goodbye Solo, his first feature. Now Souléymane lives in Los Angeles and looks forward to a promising acting career.
Goodbye Solo will premiere at the Venice Film Festival (Aug 27th to Sept 6th).
(Photo Credits: Michael Simmonds)
