“Agalma”, life at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, documentary film written and directed by Doriana Monaco with the voices of Sonia Bergamasco and Fabrizio Gifuni
already selected for the 17th edition of the Venice Days 77, it will be broadcast for the first time on Sunday 28 February on Sky Arte (Channels 120 and 400) at 22,15pm and streamed on NOW TV, and will be available on demand from 1 March.
Produced by Antonella Di Nocera (Parallelo 41 Produzioni) and Lorenzo Cioffi (Ladoc) with the National Archaeological Museum of Naples directed by Paolo Giulierini, executive production by Lorenzo Cioffi and Armando Andria, with the contribution of the Campania Region and the collaboration of Film Commission Regione Campania, the film is the result of three years of work on the daily life of one of the most important museums in the world, which opened its doors to the young director, a student of FilmaP – Atelier di cinema del reale in Ponticelli. Agalma is also a tribute to the classic “Viaggio in Italia” by Roberto Rossellini: at the center of the story is the secret and ever-new relationship that arises between visitors and the wonders of Greco-Roman antiquity, but also the passionate breath of those who plan the life of the Museum every day. Everything makes the MANN emerge as a large productive organism, which reveals its nature as a material and intellectual construction site.
“After so many documentaries produced in these 20 years of activity, we are very happy that a first work made by a woman and a team of young talents has achieved significant visibility and national diffusion on Sky Arte. It is even more important for us because the author, Doriana Monaco, was discovered during a training course, FilmaP – Atelier di cinema del reale. Agalma is a documentary of observation and creation that reveals the life of the museum in the making, applying an aesthetic rigor that is uncommon in documentary cinema. The project represents a circle that closes because it unites two production teams, an expression of the territory and of a coherent work on the documentary, but with strong international ties, the contribution of the Regional Cinema Law, the growth of young people and the valorization of a place that is the flagship of the Campania cultural heritage”.
The producers Antonella Di Nocera e Lorenzo Cioffi
“The Agalma project was created as part of our digitalization plan, shortly before the closure of museums imposed by the pandemic in 2020. We wanted to tell the story of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, custodian of the wonders of Pompeii and Herculaneum, of the Farnese collection, of the weapons of the Gladiators, of the treasures of Magna Graecia, as a living community in the heart of the city, a true factory of culture. Created with immense passion by Doriana Monaco, embellished by the important voices of Sonia Bergamasco and Fabrizio Gifuni, Agalma can ideally represent the great work of all Italian museums, inviting us to reflect on their central role in the country's restart”.
Paul Giulierini, Director MANN
Synopsis:
“Agalma” (from the Greek “statue”, “image”) captures the beauty of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples not only in the evidence of its enchanting treasures of classical art, but also in the intimate and invisible relationships that take place within it. In the illusory immobility of the large Bourbon building that houses the Museum, a vortex of activity offers new breath to statues, frescoes, mosaics and finds of various kinds. The film observes what happens every day in the rooms of the Museum, focusing on the daily life of the workers, grappling with extremely delicate interventions that require care and time, and constant maintenance. The works that have lived and vibrated for centuries are monitored like living bodies. All this happens while visitors arrive, under the apparently impassive eye of the works that are protagonists and spectators in turn of the great human labor.
Teamed with director Doriana Monaco, sound engineers Filippo Puglia and Rosalia Cecere, composer Adriano Tenore, assistant directors Marie Audiffren and Ennio Donato and for post-production editor Enrica Gatto and colorist Simona Infante. The film received a special mention at Perso Lab 2019.
Article published on 23 February 2021 - 15:28
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