Rai Documentari

An in-depth documentary into the life of renowned Italian composer Nino Rota, who wrote the score for 16 films directed by Federico Fellini, including “La Strada,” “8 1/2,” “Juliet of the Spirits” and “Amarcord,” besides “La Dolce Vita.” He also composed music for Franco Zeffirelli’s “Romeo and Juliet” and the Sicilian-inspired theme for “The Godfather,” whose “Part II” score won him his only Oscar. Rota’s 150 films also included collaborations with King Vidor (“War and Peace”) and Luchino Visconti (“The Leopard”). Rota died at 68 in 1979.

A documentary crossing all aspects of Sophia Loren's life: cinema, entertainment, private life, triumphs, challenges, suffering. How was the star born? How was a cinematographic archetype built? Childhood during the war in Naples, a beloved family, her mother Romilda, her beginnings at Cinecittà, her triumphs of Hollywood and her great love with Carlo Ponti.

A documentary exploring the life and legacy of renowned Italian actor Gian Maria Volonté, featuring insights from his colleagues, family, and never-before-seen footage, highlighting his artistic journey and political activism.

In 1061, a handful of Norman mercenaries, led by the son of a noble family from Hauteville-la-Guichard, a village in the Normandy bocage, set foot on the Sicilian coast. Roger de Hauteville and his troops had been commissioned by the Pope to reconquer the island from the Arabs, who had seized it in 831. These fearsome warriors took thirty years to achieve their goal, but when they finally entered Palermo in 1071, their leader became an enlightened ruler. Relying on the high quality of the local Arab administration, particularly in tax matters, he set about building what was to become one of the most prosperous and advanced kingdoms of his time.

Christmas 1951. In the vast halls of Palazzo Filomarino, in the heart of Naples, the elderly Benedetto Croce is surrounded for the last time by his loved ones, his wife, daughters, and grandchildren. Among them is the youngest, Benedetta Craveri, now a famous writer, who takes us into the life of her grandfather: a philosopher, historian, and literary critic who dominated a century of Italian life with a culture as vast as the library in his home.

Shot between Milan and Viareggio, in the places tied to Giorgio Gaber’s life, the undisputed protagonist of one of the most precious chapters in Italian entertainment, spanning from light music to teatro canzone. An intimate and exclusive journey.

Liliana Cavani's "The Night Porter" is a film that, fifty years after its release, continues to spark debate and mixed reactions. The story, set in Vienna in 1957, follows doorman Max Aldorfer and his former concentration camp prisoner, Lucia, who reunite after years in a hotel.

A friend of Jodice, Martone recounts the story of the great Neapolitan photographer: a film made for the exhibition at the Gallerie d'Italia in Turin, Mimmo Jodice. Timeless.

“La Valanga Azzurra” traces the unparalleled journey of the Italian national alpine skiing team of the 1970s, led by the legendary coach Mario Cotelli and spearheaded by champions like Gustav Thöni and Piero Gros. Through victories that rewrote the history of Italian sports, such as the conquest of five World Cups and numerous medals across the Olympics and World Championships, the documentary celebrates internal rivalries, contrasting personalities, and the sacrifices that made this team invincible. The previously unseen testimonies of the protagonists, intertwined with the narration of Giovanni Veronesi, who, in this context, reveals his past as an aspiring champion, bring to life the unique saga of a sporting cyclone, from its glorious beginnings to its inevitable decline.

Domenico, Roberto, and Mario are men with different backgrounds, united by the desire to build a future in which the male cultural model moves away from abuse of power and is based on listening to emotions. This is the story of their association, Il Cerchio degli uomini (The Men's Circle), based in the Casa del Quartiere di San Salvario in Turin.