Sydney Sibilia's 'The Incredible Story of the Island of Roses' on Netflix

Sydney Sibilia's film 'L'incredibile storia dell'Isola delle Rose' premiered on Netflix on December 9, 2020. The movie recounts the true story of engineer Giorgio Rosa, who in spring 1968 built a steel platform off the coast of Rimini, outside territorial waters, and declared it an independent state. The island attracted international media attention and young people from around the world, prompting reactions from the Italian government and the Holy See. Sibilia, together with producer Matteo Rovere at Groenlandia, constructed a full-scale platform at Malta's aquatic studios, using a kilometer-long blue screen to create the illusion of open ocean—a first for the Malta studios. The cast includes Elio Germano, Matilda De Angelis, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, and Luca Zingaretti. Sibilia co-wrote the screenplay with Francesca Manieri. The film is described as a comedy that highlights the absurdity of the state's swift demolition of the island, contrasting with typical slow bureaucratic processes.