Sold aut at Cilea in Reggio Calabria, on the occasion of the viewing of the docufilm Semidei created by Carlo Degli Esposti and Nicola Serra for Palomar Media, directed by Fabio Mollo and Alessandra Cataleta and co-financed by the Calabria Region – Department of education, training, equal opportunities – and by the Calabria Film Commission Foundation, on the occasion of the celebrations dedicated to 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Riace Bronzes.
The final gem, one of the most exciting moments of the evening, was the moment of delivery of the plate – signed by the president Robertoocchiuto Occhiuto and the vice-president Giusi Princi – which the Calabria Region wanted to deliver to the Calabrian master goldsmith Gerardo Sacco for his 60-year career: “To Gerardo Sacco, master goldsmith who for six decades shaped his destiny in the suggestions of Magna Graecia, creating jewels that tell millenary stories. His path, intertwined between tradition and innovation, has brought prestige to Calabria in Italy and around the world, inspiring new generations with a shining example of resourcefulness, perseverance and courage.”
“Gerardo Sacco – remarked the vice-president of the Calabria Region Giusi Princi during the evening – is the emblem par excellence of a hard-working and virtuous land, which knows how to stand out and emerge despite all the difficulties. With great stubbornness and determination, starting from nothing, with his unique strengths, accompanied solely by creativity and passion, the Maestro has become the artist who, in his 60-year career, through his jewels, has been able to best represent the Calabria, its history, Magna Graecia, the peculiarities that characterize each territory of the five provinces. In addition to art – he highlighted -, his career has been characterized by his great human qualities: he has always embraced many humanitarian projects, supporting with great generosity all causes aimed at supporting social issues, meritocracy, the growth of young people . And he always remained humble. And this is also his great gift. Yet his jewels have been worn by the most important national and international cinema stars, his artistic artefacts have honored famous personalities worldwide, his ideas have enriched high state ceremonies as well as international entertainment events. All of this – vice-president Princi-la finally observed – has never affected her humanity and her typical being down to earth. She has decided to invest in Calabria and in Calabria, always carrying her identity and her roots high. The Region says thank you to the artist, to the humble, generous and respectable man, for having always proudly told and represented, in Italy and in the world, the most beautiful image of Calabria and its people”.
Semidei was previewed at the 20th edition of the “Giornate degli authors” in the “Venetian Nights” section at the Venice Film Festival. It was also presented in Nairobi, Kenya, in the coming months also in Japan in Tokyo, in Portugal in Lisbon and in other important international festivals”.
Written by Armando Maria Trotta, Giuseppe Smorto, Massimo Razzi and Fabio Mollo, it retraces half a century of history by telling the story of the Riace Bronzes, the two mysterious warriors who re-emerged from the sea of Riace in 1972, after two thousand years spent underwater. Through interviews, unpublished documents, direct testimonies and the story of a present in turmoil, the documentary will retrace significant historical periods thanks to precious archive materials and the evocative testimonies of experts and historians.