Plot

After losing his farm during the floods of 1953, a romantic Dutch farmer is tired of getting his socks wet. He cycles to Italy and decides to grow tulips in the sweltering heat of Puglia.

TULIPANI tells the story of a romantic Dutch farmer named Gauke (Gijs Naber) who, after losing his farm during the floods of 1953, is determined to never ever have wet socks again. He cycles to the sizzling-hot south of Italy to start a new life and ends up at the outskirts of a small village in Puglia. Due to his fairylike and miraculous tulip trade, his passionate love-life, and his turbulent scuffles with the dubious local business practices, he becomes a living legend--then suddenly disappears. 30 years later, an Italian police inspector (Giancarlo Giannini) attempts to unravel the story, but struggles to distinguish fact from fiction. With help from young Canadian Anna (Ksenia Solo), he discovers what truly happened.—The Producers

A frothy, colourful, delightfully eccentric story of a young Canadian-Italian woman's mission to discover the truth about her origins, Tulipani: Love, Honour, and a Bicycle is a heart-warming pleasure (more Amélie than realistic story). Anna (the impressive Ksenia Solo) journeys from Canada to beautiful Italy, where she encounters an ambitious Dutchman who takes tulips to Puglia, run-ins with the Mafia, and even an exploding cave. A freewheeling, charming Euro-romp that tackles love, honour, friendship, and flowers, and is never less than breezy and engaging.—Edinburgh International Film Festival