After premiering at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios and Lincoln Center in New York, Oscar winner Giuseppe Tornatore‘s docudrama, “Brunello: The Gracious Visionary” – about Brunello Cucinelli, the fashion designer known as Italy’s “King of Cashmere” — is set to kick off its world tour, the next stop being the upcoming Shanghai Intl. Film Festival.
The elegant film, which combines interviews and archival footage with reenacted stories, chronicles Cucinelli’s rise from being a farmer’s son to becoming the creative director and executive chairman of a global luxury lifestyle brand with a market capitalization of more than $7.8 billion. “Brunello: The Gracious Visionary” will open theatrically on July 24 in the U.S. and Canada, and U.K. and Ireland, with more than a dozen international territories to follow.
“The Gracious Visionary” depicts key moments in Cucinelli’s career, showcasing his passion for Italian craftsmanship and commitment to a concept he calls “humanistic capitalism,” under which every stitch of clothing his company creates is made in Italy and mostly in the area where he comes from. Cucinelli, who is now beloved by celebrities and tech CEOs, also makes sure his factory workers are paid fair wages and feel like family. He has completely renovated the Italian village of Solomeo that is home to his headquarters.
“Love & Gelato” breakout Saul Nanni stars as a younger version of Cucinelli in the docufilm produced by Brunello Cucinelli S.p.A. and MasiFilm in collaboration with RAI Cinema that features a score by Oscar-winning composer Nicola Piovani (“Life Is Beautiful”).
Earlier this year, Variety took a trip to Solomeo to meet with Cucinelli and visit his headquarters, where employees are treated like family and overtime is forbidden.
On Friday, Cucinelli received the Golden Globes Prize for Documentary on behalf of Tornatore for “Gracious Visionary” at Italy’s Taormina Film Festival, during a ceremony in the Sicilian resort’s large open-air ancient Greek amphitheater in the shadow of Sicily’s active Mt. Etna volcano.
In Taormina, Variety spoke to Cucinelli about taking the docufilm to China, where he thinks his “human capitalism” mantra can resonate.
How do feel about the fact that this piece will soon be going around the world?
Well, yesterday we decided to prepare prints in 16 languages [some using dubbing, others just subtitles]. But my voice never gets dubbed. Giuseppe said: “We cab dub everyone except Brunello. If not, we will miss out on some of the narrative decisions I made. We would lose the film’s nuances.”
After premiering “Brunello: The Gracious Visionary” at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios and in New York, you are about to launch it at the Shanghai Intl. Film Festival. What are your thoughts about bringing your philosophy of humanistic capitalism to China with this film?
The first thing I need to point out is that I got to where I am thanks to that part of the world. Without the cashmere that I get from Mongolia [a fully independent country with a history that’s intertwined with China] I would not be able to do what I do. Also, you may not believe this, I’ve been studying Chinese culture. Fra Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, who was a medieval Italian Franciscan friar and explorer in 1244 went to Mongolia [as a papal ambassador]. He was born 10 kilometers away from where I was born. So there is this idea of a Franciscan who goes to Mongolia to establish a bridge. I went to China for the first time in 1989 and started doing business with them. They are very good business people, so I’ve always seen them from this perspective.
Yes, but how does your philosophy of humanistic capitalism jibe with China?
I have to tell you, we received a letter of invitation from the Shanghai Film Festival that was really quite moving. They praised the film for its deep commitment to beauty and cultural heritage. I can see how this film can be reflected in the Chinese mindset. Cultural values such as achieving harmony between cultures; and slow, gracious [economic] growth. I am not going to go into their methodology. But the values are there. When it comes to the Chinese youth, in this film they can see the possibility for young people to have more freedom to find their way. I think there are quite a few things they can see in it.
Besides being about your personal legacy, this piece is also in part a marketing operation, as you have said yourself. Are you noticing it starting to change the image of the Brunello Cucinelli brand?
Well, I think that young people, the new generations, before buying something, they find out how it’s been made. Did it damage environment? And so on. Just like St. Francis’ view of creation [in which nature is not something to be exploited by man]. The other day a very big U.S. executive came to lunch at my place in Solomeo, and he said: “Can I see the film?” So I sent it to him. The next day I got an email saying that he and his wife had been very moved by it. I think the brand stands for Italian manufacturing. We represent artisanal Italian manufacturing, because of our type of product that’s 65% hand made. But we also represent a different approach to the relationship between labor and company growth. I think a new world order is coming. I also think this is China’s century.
Filmitalia
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