Umberto Eco - A Library of the World
Director | Davide Ferrario
Presented by Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Sydney
The world-famous philosopher, scholar, novelist, and polymath, Umberto Eco stated “libraries are mankind’s common memory”.
In this surprisingly excellent documentary, director Davide Ferrario combines archival footage of the charistmatic Eco with contemporary interviews from family and scholars, while exploring Eco’s own personal library of over 30,000 titles and 1500 rare and ancient books.
2022 | 80 mins | Documentary | Italy | Italian with English subtitles
CAST Giuseppe Cederna, Niccolo Ferrero, Paolo Giangrasso, Walter Leonardi
Umberto Eco was unconventional and had a unique sense of humour, his personal library is filled with a staggeringly large collection of antique books, especially on unexpected and obscure topics. Umberto has been gone for ten years now and I feel his library was his personal legacy, a kind of metaphor for his own vast knowledge. Eco’s love for exploring anything that captured his interest is infectious; he exudes his idiosyncratic wisdom with a refreshing lightness and clarity of thought. Even if you have not read any of his books, this documentary will give you a sense of Umberto Eco’s worldwide impact as a thinker and truly captivating personality.
A documentary about old books might sound stuff, but ‘A Library of the World’ is surprisingly fun.
POV Magazine
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
Paola Cortellesi
Cortellesi debuted in the show business at the age of 13, as a singer for "Cacao meravigliao", the jingle of the popular RAI TV show "Indietro tutta!" by Renzo Arbore. At 19 she began studying as an actress at the Teatro Blu in Rome (the same theatre school that Kim Rossi Stuart, Gianmarco Tognazzi, Claudia Gerini, Stefania Rocca, and Claudio Santamaria, among others, have attended).