“I’m Not Scared” / 「ぼくは怖くない」, Original Japanese Movie Poster 2004, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) I369
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the 2004 Japanese release of I’m Not Scared / Io non ho paura / 「ぼくは怖くない」, Gabriele Salvatores’s acclaimed Italian coming-of-age thriller.
Adapted from Niccolò Ammaniti’s bestselling novel, the film combines childhood adventure with a gradually unfolding mystery about kidnapping, betrayal, and moral courage.
Film background
During the scorching summer of 1978, ten-year-old Michele Amitrano lives in a tiny, isolated village surrounded by the wheat fields of southern Italy.
While exploring an abandoned farmhouse with his friends, Michele discovers a concealed pit. At the bottom lies Filippo, a frightened young boy who has been chained and left in darkness.
Michele begins visiting him secretly, bringing food and water while trying to understand why he is being held captive. His investigation gradually reveals that the kidnapping is connected to people within his own community—including adults he has always trusted.
Forced to choose between obedience and conscience, Michele confronts the frightening discovery that adulthood may contain cruelty, deception, and moral cowardice.
The film was directed by Gabriele Salvatores, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind Mediterraneo.
The screenplay was written by Niccolò Ammaniti and Francesca Marciano, with music composed by Ezio Bosso and Pepo Scherman.
The principal cast includes:
Giuseppe Cristiano
Mattia Di Pierro
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
Dino Abbrescia
Diego Abatantuono
The film was selected for the official competition at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival and received widespread praise for its evocative landscape photography, restrained suspense, and young Giuseppe Cristiano’s central performance.
Poster design
This exceptional Japanese poster uses the film’s defining image: a view from inside the dark underground pit looking upwards towards Michele.
The boy leans over the opening with both hands pressed against the earth, his face framed by an immense blue sky filled with brilliant white clouds.
The extreme low-angle perspective places the viewer in Filippo’s position. Michele appears simultaneously as a curious child, a possible rescuer, and the only connection between the darkness below and the open world above.
The composition is divided dramatically between the radiant sky and the near-black interior of the pit. This contrast expresses the film’s central movement from childhood innocence into the concealed violence of the adult world.
The festival notation at upper left reads:
「2003年ベルリン国際映画祭
コンペティション部門正式出品作品」
Translated:
“Official Competition Selection at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival.”
The white tagline across the centre reads:
「その夏、少年は大人への扉を開けた」
Translated:
“That summer, the boy opened the door to adulthood.”
The original Italian title:
“IO NON HO PAURA”
appears in enormous white lettering across the lower section.
The Japanese title:
「ぼくは怖くない」
is printed above it in vivid orange.
The lower promotional line reads:
「アカデミー賞受賞監督ガブリエーレ・サルヴァトーレスが
イタリア文学界最高峰小説を完全映画化！」
Translated:
“Academy Award-winning director Gabriele Salvatores brings one of the great works of Italian literature completely to the screen.”
The result is a beautifully composed Japanese arthouse poster whose striking viewpoint, bold negative space, and vivid blue-and-black palette capture the film’s themes of fear, discovery, and lost innocence.
Condition
Excellent condition. A highly attractive and well-preserved example, retaining vivid blue sky, clean white cloud detail, deep black tones, sharp typography, and excellent overall display impact.
There are only light signs of age and handling consistent with an original Japanese theatrical poster from this period.
Reference: I369.
Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.
This is an original Japanese theatrical poster from the film’s 2004 Japanese release campaign, not a reproduction or reprint.
It is now over 20 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
