Film on Luigi Ghirri tours Italian cities to mark 30th anniversary of photographer's death

The documentary on the great photographer Luigi Ghirri (Scandiano, 1943 - Roncocesi, 1992) entitled Infinito. The Universe of Luigi Ghirri, made on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his death and directed by Matteo Parisini with the voice of Stefano Accorsi, will be featured in an Italian tour, thanks to the support of Marazzi Group. The bond that unites Marazzi Ceramiche, founded in Sassuolo in 1935 by Filippo Marazzi, and photographer Luigi Ghirri, who moved to a hamlet of Sassuolo with his family soon after the end of World War II, is not represented only by the territory between Modena and Reggio Emilia that serves as the backdrop for the growing fortunes of the factory and the photographer’s life, but it became a true partnership that for ten years, from 1975 to 1985, opened the doors of the factory to Ghirri, allowing him to experiment with and explore new aspects of his research. This bond was the focus, in 2021, of the project Luigi Ghirri. The Marazzi Years 1975 - 1985, which saw the production of a volume and the creation of an exhibition focus and two exhibitions.

Supported by Marazzi, the documentary, after its presentation at the Rome Film Festival 2022, then embarks on its Italian journey making stops at some of the most important festivals dedicated to cinema and in places linked to art and art cinema: on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m.15 at Cinema Masetti in Fano; Friday, Nov. 18 at 9 p.m. at Cinema Rosebud in Reggio Emilia; Saturday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. in the spaces of Fondazione Museo Pino Pascali in Polignano a mare; Monday, Nov. 21 at 9:15 p.m. at Terminale Cinema in Prato; Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 9:15 p.m. at Cinema Eden in Carpi. On Friday, Nov. 25, big date for two screenings at 4:30 p.m. (Sala President) and 9:30 p.m. (Sala Rubino) in the presence of Adele Ghirri and director Matteo Parisini at Cinema Anteo in Milan, on the occasion of the Milano Design Film Festival, with the film’s participation within MDFF Official Selection. It will continue on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 9 p.m. with a screening at Supercinema in Santarcangelo di Romagna and then on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022 at 9 p.m. at Cinema Eliseo in Cesena; Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 again at 9 p.m. at Cinepark Apollo in Ferrara; and Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 at 9 p.m. at Cantieri Culturali Zisa in Palermo; Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022 at 9 p.m. at Multicinema Galleria in Bari; Saturday, Dec. 17 at 5 p.m. at Cinema D’Azeglio in Parma in the presence of director Matteo Parisini (reservation recommended App Parma 2020+21, free admission); and Friday, Jan. 27, 2023 at 9 p.m. at Colonne 28, Parma.

In opposition to the trends of the time, Luigi Ghirri pursued his own personal path and continued to question throughout his life the meaning of the image through the written word. A prolific writing (as many as sixty-nine texts in nineteen years), which is at the same time a poetic statement, an existential argument, a diary that interrogates the present.

“The reflective aspect is a fundamental element of Luigi Ghirri’s work,” says director Parisini, “and just as his thought closely intersects with his photographs, in the same way I wanted to shed light on Ghirri as both man and artist.” In an intense work of synthesis, the director chisels out his thought to which Bologna actor Stefano Accorsi lends his voice.

Ghirri’s words accompany the entire documentary, which traces the main nuclei of his career in a journey through the Italian province of the 1970s, still poised between a rural past and the economic boom, and in the landscapes of the Po Valley.

“Of Luigi Ghirri, in addition to his beautiful photos, I was struck by his ability to analyze and synthesize even with words,” commented Stefano Accorsi. “It’s as if he was able to capture exactly what he was seeing and telling. He was able to tell the mystery behind the image.”

The documentary places alongside the photographer’s words the testimonies of key figures who accompanied him on his journey. Such as conceptual artists Davide Benati and Franco Guerzoni, with whom he roamed the province in an old car, his first printer Arrigo Ghi and art historian Arturo Carlo Quintavalle. No less important are the intimate stories, such as those of his family, his anchor “to stay attached to the world,” and of musician Massimo Zamboni (CCCP, CSI), with whom the photographer collaborated.

The film is enriched by numerous unpublished images and videos from theEredi Ghirri Archive.

Infinity. The Universe of Luigi Ghirri is produced by Lorenzo Cioffi for Ladoc with the collaboration of Adele Ghirri, Eredi Luigi Ghirri, with the support of the Municipality of Modena and the Emilia-Romagna Region through Emilia-Romagna Film Commission, with contributions from Marazzi and Bper Banca, in collaboration with the Municipality of Reggio Emilia and Film Commission Regione Campania and Regione Campania, Sky Arte and Rai Cultura.

International distribution is by Rai Com.

Film on Luigi Ghirri tours Italian cities to mark 30th anniversary of photographer's death

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