Bestiari, Erbari, Lapidari

Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti’s monumental film essay takes us on a breathtaking cinematic journey, unfolding like a modern, deeply personal encyclopaedia that explores humanity’s complex relationship with the animal, plant and mineral worlds. Each chapter’s aesthetic shifts to mirror the nature of the element portrayed. The first, dedicated to the animal kingdom, blends archival footage with dialogues of on-screen archivists, showing how film technology shaped the human-animal bond. Depicting the changing seasons in Padua’s historic botanical garden, the second chapter is a contemplative documentary, enriched by botanist Stefano Mancuso’s voiceover to evoke the quiet supremacy of plant life. Opening with the intriguing notion of fossils as cinema’s earliest form, the final sequence forges a poignant link between 20th-century war and concrete, tracing the fabrication of Stolpersteine, the stones to commemorate Holocaust victims. The filmmakers’ observations guide us gracefully through this vast maze, as the film’s sublime pacing and flow, heightened by Massimo Mariani’s mesmerising score, carry us away: an invitation to reconnect with, and stand up for, the universe we live in. (Maria Giovanna Vagenas)

In the presence of Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti.

Massimo D’Anolfi, Martina Parenti (selection): I PROMESSI SPOSI (2007), GRANDI SPERANZE (2009), IL CASTELLO (2011), MATERIA OSCURA (2013), L’INFINITA FABBRICA DEL DUOMO (2015), SPIRA MIRABILIS (2016), BLU (2018, K), GUERRA E PACE (2020), UNA GIORNATA NELL’ARCHIVIO DI PIERO BOTTONI (2022, K), BESTIARI, ERBARI, LAPIDARI (2024)