Academy Award-nominated director Luca Guadagnino brings his unique cinematic style to television for the first time in We Are Who We Are, an eight-part series which has been acquired for BBC Three.

An HBO-SKY series, produced by Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment and by Mario Gianani for Wildside, both Fremantle Companies, with Small Forward, We Are Who We Are tells the story of two American kids who live on a U.S. military base in Italy. The series explores friendship, first-love, identity, and immerses the audience in all the messy exhilaration and anguish of being a teenager – a story which could happen anywhere in the world, but in this case, happens in this little slice of America in Italy.

The cast includes Chloë Sevigny, Jack Dylan Grazer, Alice Braga, Jordan Kristine Seamón, Spence Moore II, Kid Cudi, Faith Alabi, Francesca Scorsese, Ben Taylor, Corey Knight, Tom Mercier and Sebastiano Pigazzi.

Jack Dylan Grazer stars as shy and introverted fourteen-year-old Fraser, who moves from New York to a military base in Veneto with his mothers, Sarah (Chloë Sevigny) and Maggie (Alice Braga), who are both in the U.S. Army. Tom Mercier (Jonathan) plays Sarah’s assistant.

Jordan Kristine Seamón stars as the seemingly bold and confident Caitlin, who has lived with her family on the base for several years and speaks Italian. Compared to her older brother Danny (Spence Moore II), Caitlin has the closer relationship with their father, Richard (Kid Cudi), and does not communicate well with her mother Jenny (Faith Alabi).

Caitlin is the lynchpin of her group of friends, which includes Britney (Francesca Scorsese), an outspoken, witty, sexually uninhibited girl; the cheerful and good-natured Craig (Corey Knight), a soldier in his twenties; Sam (Ben Taylor), Caitlin’s possessive boyfriend, and Craig’s younger brother; Enrico (Sebastiano Pigazzi), a playful eighteen-year-old from Veneto, who has a weak spot for Britney; and Valentina (Beatrice Barichella), an Italian girl.

The series was an official selection of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight.

Luca Guadagnino, says: “With We Are Who We Are we are attempting to portray the here and now of two families, few generations, many exciting people. To see the world from their perspective it is what I am delighted to share with UK audiences. To do so thanks to the prestigious and remarkable BBC is an accomplishment and a soothing encouragement.”

Sue Deeks, Head of Programme Acquisition, BBC, says: ““We are so delighted that this beautifully observed drama will be enjoyed by BBC viewers – it really is very special”.

Jamie Lynn, EVP, Head of EMEA Distribution, International, Fremantle, who brokered the deal with the BBC, says “As a longstanding fan of Luca Guadagnino’s work, it’s a joy to introduce his television debut to UK audiences with the BBC. The series is fast becoming one of the most anticipated shows of the year, exploring universal issues such as identity, culture, gender and diversity, making it the perfect addition to BBC Three and its young adult audience. We’re proud to bring a premium HBO original series, from two of Fremantle’s renowned drama labels, to its UK home on the BBC.”

Luca Guadagnino is a director, screenwriter and producer known for his visually arresting style and his affecting psychological portraits. His credits include the Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA-nominated “I Am Love,” “A Bigger Splash,” the Academy Award and BAFTA-nominated box office hit “Call Me by Your Name” and, most recently, the cult film “Suspiria.”

We Are Who We Are is a HBO-Sky 8 x 60 co-production acquired from Fremantle for the BBC by Sue Deeks, Head of Programme Acquisition, BBC. The showrunner Executive Producer, Writer, Director is Luca Guadagnino; the Executive Producer for The Apartment is Lorenzo Mieli and for Wildside is Mario Gianani, both Fremantle companies, with Small Forward. Other executive producers are Elena Recchia, Nick Hall, Sean Conway, and Francesco Melzi d’Eril. Paolo Giordano and Francesca Manieri write alongside Guadagnino. Fremantle is the international distributor for the series.

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