Ismaelillo is the story of a young Bangladeshi-Italian, por-
trayed across time and between Chittagong and Venice.
In the summer of 2006, in Chittagong, Ismaelillo, a five-
year-old boy, spends his days playing in the village and on
the beaches, while Ahmed, his father, a former fisherman
now working at the world’s largest ship-breaking yard,
dreams of a better future by migrating and joining his
brother Salim in Venice. A sudden accident ruins this plan,
separating father and son irreparably.
In 2026, in Marghera, Venice, Ismaelillo is twenty-five and
employed in Salim’s team at Fincantieri, one of the world’s
major shipbuilding companies. He is tall and lean, with a
deep gaze and a bright smile. He lives with his uncle and
spends his free time listening to music, steering his small
boat with friends through the lagoon, and helping Mario,
an aging local boat mechanic and former fisherman.
After a romantic encounter with Priscilla, a young
working-class Venetian who rents apartments to tourists,
and upon discovering that she is preparing to leave for
Mexico to pursue her aspirations, he begins to question
whether the dreams he inherited are truly his own, and
what he really wants from life.