Penelope Cruz is ready to showcase her Italian language skills…

The 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress, who recently earned an Academy Award nod for her Spanish language role in Parallel Mothers, will star in the Italian drama L’immensita, which is currently in post-production. A first look photo of Cruz in the film has been released.

Emanuele Crialese’s film is set in 1970s Rome. The Borghetti family has just moved into one of the many freshly-built apartment blocks in the city. Despite the beautiful, sweeping views of the city from their top floor apartment, the family is not as close as they once were. Clara (Cruz, who speaks Italian) and Felice (Vincenzo Amato) are no longer in love, but are unable to leave each other. Clara finds refuge from her loneliness in the shelter of her special relationships with her three children. The oldest, Adriana, an unknown child in their new neighborhood, deliberately presents as a boy to the neighborhood children, pushing the family’s bond towards breaking point.

The film is produced by Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Gangarossa for Fremantle’s Wildside with Dimitri Rassam for Chapter 2.

Warner Bros Italia is also co-producing and will distribute the film in Italy.

France 3 Cinéma and Pathé are also co-producing in France, and Pathé will release the film in France and Switzerland.

Writers are Crialese, Francesca Manieri and Vittorio Moroni

Cruz last week scored a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers. It was the Spanish actress’s fourth Academy Award nomination.