Showing posts with label Gianfranco Rosi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gianfranco Rosi. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Pompei: Below the Clouds, The Intricate Universe of Naples

By José Alberto Hermosillo


AFI FEST REVIEW: “Pompei: Below the Clouds” is a remarkable achievement in filmmaking, complex and poetic.


Gianfranco Rosi’s acclaimed documentary skillfully weaves together the narratives of archaeologists, law enforcement, young students, a retired teacher doing homework in an old bookstore, an underground preservationist, black-market traffickers, and the engaged community of Naples, Italy.

 

According to Mr. Rosi, “Naples is a complex city that reflects on what it is, what it was, and what it will be.” 


People usually go about their daily lives— but when a chance becomes a necessity and a tremor strikes from nearby Vesuvius or the active Capri Flegrei volcanoes, the emergency services, police and fire department work together to meet the community’s emotional needs and bring calm, whether by phone or in person, by addressing people’s anxiety as humanely as possible. When people feel the need to connect out of fear, it is always precarious.


In the Neapolitan universe, the centuries-old ancient city of Pompei plays an important role in the lives of residents in the area. The greed of the Gomorra mafia, which controls the town’s economy, allows it to steal priceless Roman sculptures and break them into dozens of pieces that are hard to restore and easy to smuggle out of the country.


As this exquisite and somber black-and-white multilinear story unfolds, locals, tourists, educators in a bookshop helping kids with homework, worshippers, Japanese archaeologists, and students meticulously excavating in the fields resurface statues, fragments, and ruins. Then, Ukrainian and Syrian sailors delivering grain in enormous barrels create a moment of trust, something close to Babel’s tower, in analytical thinking.


The volcano destroyed the city of Pompei, yet it also preserved part of its history underground, where archaeologists and bandits work to bring the remains to the surface in their own ways. For example, one with science, the others do so recklessly.


The award-winning documentary was part of the Official Selection at the Venice Film Festival, La Biennale 2025, where it earned the Environmentalist Award and a special mention for Mr. Rosi for the Treatment of Issues Related to the Social Environment. 


Gianfranco Rosi. Photo by José Alberto Hermosillo, FestivalinLA

At the AFI FEST 2025 Q&A, the accomplished Gianfranco Rosi (“In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis,” “Notturno,” “Fire at Sea”) explains that he often begins filming without knowing where the story will take him - the narrative unfolds from the locations, the people, and all the other possible scenarios.

 

He chose a monochromatic palette to enhance the narrative’s poetic quality, an element that seamlessly bridges the present and the past in a timeless documentary.

 

Rosi’s filmmaking style is observational and poetically presents reality, often described as cinéma vérité. The problem is that Rosi does not believe in the genre in which everyone performs on camera. Gianfranco Rosi believes that cinéma vérité is “a manipulation of reality shown to the viewer,” and he does not want to be contaminated by those ideas, labeled, or boxed. This is completely fair for an experienced filmmaker at his level who does everything himself, giving him full control over his work and, above all, freedom of expression that every artist struggles to find.

 

There is an old movie theater that is falling apart, located near the ancient port of Pompei, a few kilometers from Naples, beneath the volcano. The owners let him use the theater for his project. There, he found clips which he projected onto the big screen. For him, film is also an archaeological find, evoking memories of the many movies made in the city and metaphorically linked to ancient Pompeii.


While attending NYU Film School, Gianfranco initiated a project focused on retirees in Miami. During that period, a colleague suggested creating a documentary in Naples. Following that advice, he spent three years producing “Below the Clouds” in that Italian region.


Born in Asmara, Eritrea, to Italian parents, he lived in Turkey and Italy before attending college in the United States. In the field, Gianfranco Rosi operates autonomously, occasionally collaborating with an assistant to form a formidable team.

 

The work he does with his editor, the consultant, and the producer is incredible. It is a metaphorical transformation of reality that elevates “Pompei: Below the Clouds” to a heightened sense of universality.

 

In most of his films, he follows five to six storylines. In his latest project set in the Port of Napoli, he has 10 shorts intertwined, raising the complexity of “Below the Clouds” to a higher standard of difficulty and, at the same time, creativity.

 

The Italian documentary is comparable to a musical score, with elements of silence. Find the right moment to leave everything in suspense and then cut, like the combinations of the Rubik’s Cube. He likes to leave everything open to interpretation for the audience.

 

The collaboration with Academy Award-winning composer Daniel Blumberg (“Brutalists” and “The Testament of Ann Lee”) was close and productive. They worked together for two weeks in his London studio, recording with the saxophone and other instruments that gave his work an atmospheric touch of nostalgia and melancholy.


The only thing Gianfranco believes is on the frame and the person, cinematically speaking. For someone watching the documentary, it will feel like floating, with compelling camerawork and fantastic music, suspended in time and immersed in the Neapolitan community that preserves its past and its modern-day existence.

 

Gianfranco Rosi & critic José Alberto Hermosillo, FestivalinLA

POMPEI: BELOW THE CLOUDS/OFFICIAL TRAILER:


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Friday, March 31, 2023

In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis: A Message of Hope

By José Alberto Hermosillo


A profoundly moving, cohesive, and inspirational documentary. “In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis” is an exceptional collection of the Holy Father’s journeys over the past nine years of his papacy. Pope Francis aimed to connect with people and marginalized groups. He bravely faced political turmoil, natural disasters, poverty, war, migration, and many other human tragedies.

 

Regardless of our faith, we must acknowledge Pope Francis’s efforts to reach the vulnerable, build bridges, and foster reconciliation with other religions, faiths, and world leaders. With honesty, His Holiness asks everyone, “What would humanity do without faith?”

 

Pope Francis is one of the most progressive popes in history. As a leader of the Catholic Church states, “Never think that your struggles down here are completely useless. And above all, hold on to your dreams. Do not be afraid to dream of a world that cannot be seen yet but will certainly come.” 


The documentary begins with a powerful “narrative hook”: a communications tower in Italy transmitting SOS messages to African and Middle Eastern immigrants traveling on a fragile boat in the Mediterranean Sea at night. The tragedy claimed 250 lives. Addressing these urgent issues, the Pope starts his global pilgrimage.

 

Lampedusa, 2013

Pope Francis prays for the immigrants who found death instead of hope and asks parishioners, “Who cries for those lives lost? We are a society that has forgotten how to weep.”


Brazil, 2013

Upon His Holiness’s arrival in the South American country, on his way from the airport to the city, people in poverty and the army filled the streets. At a radio station, the Pope reached out to the crowds. Later, in the favelas, he met people in need in their small homes. In clear Portuguese, he told them, “You’re not alone.” More importantly, he emphasizes the creation of a culture of solidarity.

 

The wildfires’ destruction of the Amazon was another disaster, alongside poverty, that happened at the same time.

IN VIAGGIO: THE TRAVELS OF POPE FRANCIS, a Magnolia Pictures release. ©Archivo Vatican Media. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

Cuba, 2013

From Revolution Square to La Habana Vieja, the Pope, at the cathedral, tells the youth in Spanish, “Open up to the capability of dreaming, and if you do your best, the world will be different.”

 

USA, 2015

From the White House to addresses to the US Congress, in precise English, Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of dialogue and how money can help, much like Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., among others. His speech focuses on climate change, immigration, and poverty.

 

Then, the Pope calls for time for reflection and mentions that all the responsible people involved in the sexual abuse of minors by the priests and their families would be held accountable.

 

Chile, 2018

At the women’s, His Holiness refers to their lost dreams, and hopes by adding, “Dig it doesn’t. No one can be deprived of grace and dignity because it generates unworthiness of the human spirit.”

 

It is essential to note that Chile is a highly educated country, with a high percentage of its population having graduated from college. So, they went out to the streets to protest against the Pope’s visit and for not addressing the acts of rape by church members appropriately. Negligently, the Pope said he needed proof of the abuses. Later, back in Rome, Pope Francis admitted he was wrong.

 

Philippines, 2015

When Pope Francis decided to travel, it was to listen to the people. Listening makes him feel good, and it helps him make decisions. The decision comes from within, like a ripe fruit, and is a long process. That is why he decided to meet silently with the people of “The Pearl of the Orient Seas.”

 

Central Africa Republic, 2015

On his tour to Africa, His Holiness asks to stop the violence, vengeance, and hate in the name of religion. In this republic, 50 percent are Protestant, Christian, and Catholic, 35 percent belong to indigenous beliefs, and 15 percent identify as Muslim.

 

Kenya, 2015

Pope Francis claims that refugees and migration are due to environmental degradation. Therefore, “Man’s lives are lost, and we have no right to let the migrants die in the middle of nowhere,” he said.

 

Israel, 2014

At the Wailing Wall and the memorial of the Shoah, the Pope prayed for the victims of the Holocaust.


IN VIAGGIO: THE TRAVELS OF POPE FRANCIS, a Magnolia Pictures release. ©Archivo Vatican Media. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

Palestine, 2014

He prays for peace at the border wall with Israel. Then, the Pope meets with Orthodox leaders at the Holy Sepulchre in one of the most significant acts of his Pontificate.

 

Cuba, 2016

The historic meeting with the Russian Orthodox leader ended a thousand years of conflict between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

 

Mexico, 2016

At the border town of Ciudad Juárez (where hundreds of women disappeared and were killed near the maquiladoras, also known as “Las Muertas of Juárez”), the Holy Father visited the women’s shelter and comforted those in need of hope. At that place, the Pope said, “Our biggest worries should be the people’s. The insecurity problem is solved by going to the roots of the problem, not incarcerating people.” Then he went to the border wall to pray for immigrants and the humanitarian crisis, a global issue. 


Armenia, 2016

The celebration of the centenary of the Metz Yeghérn/The Great Evil and the tragedy of the genocide in Armenia. The Pope’s recognition caused a diplomatic rift between the Vatican and Turkey.

 

Later, the Pope clarified that, in his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI’s view, it was the recognition of a single genocide. However, he corrected himself by affirming that the Turks had committed those crimes against humanity three times.

 

United Arab Emirates, 2019

World peace is essential because war often results in poverty and instability.

 

Madagascar, 2019

At an elementary school where instruction was in French and Italian, Pope Francis addressed the issue of child labor to over 8,000 children and authorities, saying, “Pov “rty is not inevitable.”

 

Japan, 2019

Footage of the atomic explosion and the thousands of children affected was edited into a montage. Pope Francis stated, “The possession of nuclear weapons is immoral.’ He quoted Saint Francis of Assisi:

 

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.”



Canada, 2022

In an introductory meeting with survivors, the Pope prayed for the lives lost at the Canadian residential school and for the suffering of thousands of children taken from their parents. Many were abused and killed. Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the cultural devastation inflicted on indigenous tribes in the name of Jesus on the continent.

 

Vatican City, 2020

During one of the most challenging moments of his leadership, due to COVID-19 deaths in Italy, Europe, and around the world, Pope Francis prayed alone in an empty Saint Peter’s Square for the end of the pandemic, wars, and injustice.

 

Space Station, 2020

The crew of the International Space Station felt honored to speak live with the Holy Father about the benefits of working together across borders and creating a peaceful environment for a better future.

 

(Fifteen months after the pandemic began, flights resumed.)

 

Iraq, 2022

In front of the country’s leaders and people, the Pope urged Iraq to end military violence and religious conflict.

 

Malta, 2022

On his most recent trip to the Mediterranean island, his first as Pope, His Holiness said, “Since the day I visited Lampedusa, I have not forgotten you.” He continued, “You are always in my prayers,” and then added, “Every war is born from injustice,” referring to the war in Ukraine.

 

During his papacy, Pope Francis has made 37 trips to 59 countries.

 

The award-winning Italian filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi (“Notturno,” “Fire at Sea”) condensed over 800 hours of material into a stunning 80-minute documentary about the Pope’s journey.

 

In the documentary “Lighthouse: The Travels of Pope Francis,” the Italian filmmaker depicts a pilgrim Pope in motion, confronting the world’s major issues and bringing comfort and unity to those in need everywhere.


Gianfranco Rosi and film critic José Alberto Hermosillo. FestivalinLA ©2023

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