I Babelici
The Babelics
Alessandro Quadretti / Italy / 2018 / 63 min / Colour
A small population of undocumented, self-taught artists lives and works among the hills of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines, at the edge of the axis traced on the territory by the Via Emilia. They are singular and unrecognised men, who have dedicated decades of their lives to the creation of total works of art. Dinosaur gardens in stone, menageries of metallic creatures, pseudo-Gallic tombs crammed with odds and ends: isolated and impossible citadels, the result of a stubborn and joyful effort that has collected and preserved what the world rejected as garbage; of hands that expertly assembled wood, stones, iron, concrete, scraps and common objects. The documentary allows these men to speak, to tell their stories, inhabited by an "abusive" creativity that suspends them between the craftsmanship and art brut - builders of a Babel which, unlike the biblical one, speaks a common language of dedication to a unique and free artistic vision.
Alessandro Quadretti
Born in Forlì in 1974, Alessandro Quadretti graduated in film directing at the School of Cinema, Television and New Media in Milan. Director, editor and teacher, he founded the production and distribution cooperative Officinemedia, with which he made the documentary I Babelici. He has also worked in the feature film area with the self-produced Espero (2015).
Credits
Subject Alessandro Quadretti, Gabriele MinaScreenplay Alessandro Quadretti, Gabriele MinaCinematography Alessandro QuadrettiSound Gianluca De LorenziEditing Alessandro QuadrettiMusic Massi AmadoriMain cast Elio Cangini, Emilio Padovani, Renato ManciniProduction company Officinemedia Soc. Coop.