Exclusive: Sideshow and Janus Films have set a December 25 U.S. theatrical release date for Venice Silver Lion winner Vermiglio. The drama from writer, director and producer Maura Delpero is also Italy’s submission to the Best International Feature Film Oscar category. Delpero is the first woman to represent the country in 19 years.

A portrait of a sprawling family, Vermiglio is set in 1944, in the titular high-mountain village of the Italian Alps where war looms as a distant but constant threat. The arrival of Pietro (Giuseppe De Domenico), a taciturn Sicilian soldier who hides out in town after deserting the army, disrupts the dynamics of the local teacher’s family, changing them forever. He develops a romance with the eldest daughter, Lucia (Martina Scrinzi), which ends up having unforeseen consequences for everyone. As the world emerges from its tragedy, the family will face its own.

Also starring are Tommaso Ragno and Roberta Rovelli.