Carlo and Gianpaolo Messina started their company Yesmoke in 2000. They sold the world’s most popular brands of cigarettes online at cut-rate prices. Their business did not sit well with Philip Morris: the conglomerate quickly filed a 500-million dollar lawsuit against the brothers. US officials tried to put a stop to Yesmoke products flooding into the country since they considered tax-free cigarettes to be contraband. That only got the Messina brothers going: they started growing their 100-million dollar business and blatantly asking even more trouble.
When Italy deregulated its tobacco monopoly, the Messinas were offered a whole new lifeline. Italy’s entire tobacco production was suddenly in the hands of British American Tobacco and Philip Morris, and Yesmoke became the only considerable domestic manufacturer. Full-on guerrilla war ensued.
Inhaling and exhaling suspense like an old-fashioned gangster pic, smoKings reeks of national pride, distaste for big corporations and bureaucracy, martyrdom, fag breaks while running and wonderful Italian derision. More important than multi-million dollar profits is the opportunity to get in Big Tobacco’s and the government’s face – partly for revenge, but mainly just for the kicks.
Text and translation: Tapio Reinekoski
Languages: Italy, English, German
Subtitles: English
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- Director: Michele Fornasero
- Country: Italy, Switzerland
- Year: 2014
- Length: 96 min
- Age limit: S
- Format: DCP
- Cinematography: Paolo Ferrari
- Editing: Jesper Osmund, Marco Rezoagli
- Audio: Gigi Miniotti
- Music: Giorgio Giampa
- Production: Simone Catania / Indyca
Showtimes:
- Maxim 1: Tuesday 27.1. at 20:15