Italian sales company True Colours has picked up world sales rights outside Italy for A Common Story (Una Storia), the directorial debut of actress Anna Foglietta, ahead of the film's premieres at the Venice and Toronto film festivals in September (Variety).

The film stars Alba Rohrwacher as Erika and Guido Caprino as Mauro, a couple whose quiet countryside life is upended when their daughter Irene leaves to study at a university abroad. Foglietta, best known to international audiences for her performance in Perfect Strangers — which earned her a David di Donatello nomination — also served as the official emcee of the 77th Venice International Film Festival. Now she steps behind the camera for the first time.

A Common Story will world-premiere in Venice's Horizons section, a sidebar dedicated to newer voices and bolder forms, before crossing the Atlantic for a North American launch in Toronto's Discovery programme, which spotlights first or second features. The dual festival booking gives True Colours, whose chief is Elliot Gustin, two high-profile market windows — Venice's late-summer corridor and Toronto's sprawling industry showcase — to sell the film to distributors worldwide.

True Colours, based in Rome, was founded by Italian companies Lucky Red Distribution and Indigo Film. The company has been active across the festival circuit this year, having previously announced sales on titles including U Are the Universe, headed to Toronto, and Familia, a Venice Horizons selection (Screen Daily).

Back home, A Common Story is produced by HT Film, Indigo Film, Tenderstories and Blu One Lab, with backing from RAI Cinema and HBO Max. BIM Distribuzione will handle the Italian theatrical release. The involvement of HBO Max points to a streaming component beyond Italy, though specific territory deals remain to be set as sales unfold at the festivals.

For Foglietta, the Venice premiere carries a particular symmetry: she hosted the festival's ceremony in 2020, and now returns as a first-time director with her own film in the official selection.