Spanning Milan, New York, and Buenos Aires, this six-part saga follows the De Santis family as they confront old secrets, and the impending loss of their matriarch— unraveling a tapestry of love, betrayal, and reconciliation that culminates in music, memory, and quiet resolution.
R.I.P pilot opens with a flashback to 1975: a brutal attack on a group of gay men on an Italian beach, with Claudio—then in his 40s—among them. In the present day, 2025, the story moves between New York and Milan. In New York, Giulia navigates her vibrant city life: long hours at a luxury fashion store owned by a friend, elegant dinners, late-night dancing, and biking through the streets. Yet her most pressing challenge is clearing out the family’s Long Island house with her ex-husband-to-be, Steven, so they can finally put it up for sale. On the beach she begins her day with yoga before returning to the emotional labor of packing—records, mirrors, carpets—while Steven is of no help. A call with her brother Stefano reopens family history and unresolved tensions, as their parents, Francesca and Claudio, have just been evicted and must urgently be resettled. Meanwhile in Milan, Francesca and Claudio’s quiet rituals carry on. By the end, Giulia and Steven leave the emptied house, her friends in New York help her resettle, while in Milan Francesca is wheeled into the hospital, setting the stage for what’s to come.
French writer-director Vanessa Ly starts making films when she moves to New York after studying Modern Literature at the Sorbonne. Self-taught in cinema, she is the recipient of the Jameson Short Film Award and the Best Short Film Award at the Bangkok Film Festival with Mekong Interior. Festivals/Screenings include: Edinburgh, Rotterdam, Palm Spring, Côté Court Pantin, Rencontres du Moyen Métrage de Brive (France), Anthology Archives (NYC), Her short films were shortlisted at the Critic’s Week and Director’s Fortnight in Cannes. Her debut feature Memories of the Future wins the Best Philip K. Dick Feature Award. The Lost Continent will be her second feature.
Shelby Siegel
