'Autumn Beat' is an Amazon Original feature film from Antonio Dikele Distefano an Italian director from Angolan parents. This film is a real historical milestone for Italy as it has the first all-black Italian cast ever illustrating the lives of second-generation black Italians celebrating black culture; rap is also the motivating force behind the movie as it is built around the story of two brothers who live in Milan and who are dreaming of breaking in the rap world, The duo is hungry for success, Tito a magnificent writer and Paco a born performer, are constantly tested by life, ambition, and the love for the same woman in this unique and powerful drama.
The film, which stretches through three decades, has a cast mostly made up of Italian rappers including Hamed Seydou, Abby 6ix, Geneme, Juliet Joseph, Dylan Magon, Mohamed Diallo, Marco Renna, Mamy Seny Gueye, Francesco Danquah, Mafoku Michelle Cloe Kengne, and music producer Gué Pequeno.
Antonio Dikele, who was born in Italy to Angolan parents, is one of the most versatile emerging talents in the Italian creative industry. “Autumn Beat” is his charming feature film debut with Amazon Prime. In 2021, the Italian rapper created “Zero” a Netflix original series that marked Italy’s first show centered around the everyday lives of black Italian youth.
Focused on the release, the author Antonio Dikele Distefano has featured a number of freestyles from different regions in Europe explaining:
The choice to involve rappers from all over Europe with bespoke freestyles related to the movie comes from a dream: unite afro-descendant communities in one ‘Afro-European’ culture; we, in fact, often create divisions within countries forgetting that we are all on the same path.
‘Autumn Beat’ speaks about the experiences of Afro-descendants in Italy but they are similar to the ones happening in Sweden, France or Germany hence me providing them a voice to speak their truth.
