The Book in the House

World Premiere
Directed by
Giovanni Di Nino, Danilo Marabotto
starring
Franco Leo. Lino Burlando
19 mins
 | 2020
 | Italy
 | Italian
 w/English subtitles

A centuries-old forest, an archaic waterfall that could be anywhere and a mature man who, to escape the noise of civilization, look for a space for reflection in inaccessible places. In a house of apparently abandoned stone awaits him - as if he had an appointment - a homo selvaticus which, as readers of the original story recall (The Picture in the House, H. P. Lovecraft, 1920), will mark the most radical emotional turn of his life.

[excerpt from an article in il fatto quotidiano, translated from the original Italian]

This film was begun 35 years ago. In the spring of 1985, after having printed a working copy destined for editing, the production was interrupted and the material shot was lost. It was rediscovered in 2010 and with the help of some friends, a digital copy was made. In 2020, more scenes were shot and the film was finished.

Franco Leo is the extraordinary protagonist of the story, but time - 35 years of it - has become his stunt double, has carved out his face and entered the plot by moving the original script to another level.

The film is a journey through time also for Gianni Di Nino and Danilo Marabotto who wrote the screenplay, direction and photography: with this short they return for a moment to the cinema after a life spent on television. In fact, both began as cinematographers of the Rai headquarters in the Aosta Valley and both shot the first images of the film 35 years ago.

Previously screened at: