The documentary on Vittorio De Sica and the other "classics" of the Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Classics section presents restorations of the past, titles to be rediscovered and documentaries dedicated to the Seventh Art
Key points
The only Italia film in the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will be presented in the Classics group: it is 'Vittorio De Sica - La vita in scena', a new documentary by Francesco Zippel, which will have its world premiere on the Croisette.
After having made films dedicated to the likes of Sergio Leone ("The Italian Who Invented America" in 2022) or Gian Maria Volonté ("The Man of a Thousand Faces"), Zippel focuses this time on retracing the life, work and legacy of Vittorio De Sica, mixing the intimate portrait of the author's existence with his extraordinary and immortal art.
Thanks to exclusive access to the De Sica family, rare and previously unseen archive material and the testimony of contemporary artists and directors from all over the world, the film reveals the modernity of a filmography that is still highly topical and capable of influencing our way of seeing reality: theatre actor, immortal interpreter of film roles ranging from drama to Italian comedy and, of course, director of masterpieces such as 'Ladri di biciclette' and 'Umberto D.', Vittorio De Sica is among the figures who have most influenced subsequent cinema, and this is also why there are numerous testimonies from fundamental contemporary figures called to pay homage to his memory.
These include names of the calibre of Wes Anderson (also executive producer of the film), Isabella Rossellini, Ruben Östlund, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Francis Ford Coppola, Carlo Verdone, Nicola Piovani, Dominique Sanda, Asghar Farhadi and even Andrej Zvyagintsev, the Russian director who will be in competition at Cannes with 'Minotaur'.
Their reflections join the memories of family members, from son Christian to grandchildren Andrea, Brando, Maria Teresa and Eleonora.
