Sentire l'aria
Feel the air
Italia / 2010 / 94 min / Colour
Andrea is 16 when he leaves school and chooses to become a nomadic shepherd in the Biella region, far from the collective rites of adolescence and the noise of society, but supported by a modern family (his father is a surgeon, his mother a teacher) who, with him, see in open-air life and contact with animals a key for understanding our existence, and a way to become a man. This is a voyage among images and sounds within the secret that links a boy to the solitude of the meadows, in search of a new identity. It is a documentary about the coming of age, which follows the true story of Andrea during a crucial phase of his existence, the span of time between 16 and 18 years of age. For nearly two years, as the flock moved from place to place, the film crew was with Andrea and his mentor, Niculìn, who took the youth with him and taught him the art and craft of shepherding and of the life it entails.
Manuele Cecconello
Director and photographer, born in Vercelli in 1969, he studied Film History and Criticism at the University of Turin. Since the late 1980s, he has worked in publishing and audiovisual media, leading training workshops, writing essays for journals, and making experimental films. Among others, he directed the documentary Il patto della montagna (2017).
Credits
Language Italian, Piemontese Dialect Subject Manuele Cecconello, Andrea Taglier Screenplay Manuele Cecconello Cinematography Manuele Cecconello, Claudio Pidello Sound Manuele Cecconello Editing Manuele Cecconello Music Andrea Dalla Fontana Producer Manuele Cecconello Production company Prospettiva Nevskij
