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Gianfranco Rosi’s Sotto le Nuvole Debuts in Venice Competition

Shot over three years, the black-and-white portrait of Naples’ volcanic hinterland unfolds as interlaced vignettes.

Overview

  • The film is in contention for the Leone d’oro at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, marking the return of the 2013 winner of Sacro GRA.
  • Rosi frames everyday lives across the Gulf of Naples, Vesuvius and the Campi Flegrei through a collage structure compared by critics to Sacro GRA.
  • Subjects range from a firefighters’ call center and a street teacher to Japanese archaeologists and Syrian sailors unloading Ukrainian grain.
  • The director says he shot in black and white as a narrative choice to emphasize perception and silence, filming without a script and editing in parallel.
  • Italian theatrical release is scheduled for 18 September via 01 Distribution, following the Venice bow.