Nel blu dipinti di rosso

The opening of the 30th Valsusa Filmfest will feature an event of great cultural and symbolic significance: the screening of the documentary *Nel blu dipinti di rosso*, directed by Stefano Di Polito.

LThe evening will be enhanced by the presence of the director and the participation of the Coro Popolare Giovanna Marini: named after the musician, researcher and leading figure in Italian folk culture who passed away in 2024, the choir continues its work to promote the country’s musical and cultural heritage, in keeping with a figure deeply dear to the Valsusa Filmfest, which awarded her the Bruno Carli Prize in 2019 and dedicated an event to her in 2025.

A finalist in the 2026 Nastri d’Argento Documentary Awards in the special ‘Music’ category, the film recounts the story of the Cantacronache, a Turin-based collective of musicians, writers and poets credited with pioneering the Italian singer-songwriter movement: from 1958 to 1962, they were the first in Italy to publish records and theoretical journals promoting a neorealist song style, in contrast to the light-hearted songs of Sanremo, capable of narrating current affairs and existential themes..

A central element of the narrative is the recovery of the original audio recordings from the first concert on 3 May 1958 in Turin; the film also draws on archive material and texts, including those by Italo Calvino, brought to life through meticulous animation. Through the first-hand accounts of Emilio Jona, the group’s theorist, and Fausto Amodei, one of the principal performers, the documentary reconstructs that extraordinary season, restoring its cultural and civic significance.

Polito’s work thus stands as a piece that successfully bridges the gap between memory and the present, offering a perspective that spans generations and languages.