Ennio
Director | Giuseppe Tornatore
Year | 2021
Duration | 156mins
Documentary | Italian with English subtitles
CAST | Ennio Morricone, Dario Argento, Bruce Springsteen, Bernardo Bertolucci, Lina Wertmüller, Marco Bellocchio, Joan Baez
Presented by The Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Sydney
Ennio Morricone may be the most influential film composer of all time, not only for the sheer number of iconic scores but also for his endless originality.
After 40 years of teaching in the metropolitan jungle of Rome, primary school teacher Michele Cortese (Antonio Albanese) moves to an idyllic village in the heart of the Abruzzo National Park, population 1800, to teach at a tiny school with only a handful of students aged seven to ten. He quickly has trouble adjusting to the local culture to entertaining results but gradually adapts, thanks to the school's friendly vice-principal Agnese (Virginia Raffaele) and its spirited pupils.
However, just as all seems well, unwelcome news arrives: the school has failed to meet its student enrolment quota for the next year and will be forced to close. So begins a race against time to save it whatever it takes...
Addressing the dynamics and challenges faced by small communities - and the vital importance of educational institutions for their survival - with sensitivity and lightness, this heartwarming story won over Italian audiences, becoming the #1 local box office smash of 2024.
Ennio Morricone, the Maestro of the movie soundtrack, gets the entrancing documentary he deserves.
Owen Gleiberman. Variety
WINNER
Best Documentary, David di Donatello Awards
Best Sound Design, David di Donatello Awards
Best Editing, David di Donatello Awards
Silver Ribbon, National Syndicate of Film Journalists
Best Documentary, Golden Globes Italy