NADO, 68min., Italy
Directed by Daniele Farina
NADO is an intimate and powerful journey through the life and work of one of the greatest Italian sculptors of the twentieth century. A story of resistance and courage, a human parable of will and joy that spans a whole century.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
The story I came across is one of courage and resilience—something you simply can't ignore. It's also a story with a strong cinematic impact.
At the time, I was coming off a few professionally unfulfilling years, and this opportunity came at just the right moment. It was exactly what I needed to challenge myself again and push my vision and skills to the next level.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
We shot the film over 17 days, spread out across six months. Then we spent another six months editing, also on and off, since most of us were juggling other jobs at the same time.

3. How would you describe your film in two words?
Resilince-inspiring and a story of courage.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
We made this film with almost no budget, which meant my crew was basically just two or three people. Pulling off the kind of result you saw, with so little, was definitely a big challenge for us.
At the same time though, we were really lucky to have an amazing composer on board for the original score. Morgan—who had also worked on a film directed by Asia Argento—is a well-known artist in Italy. His music is so intense and elegant, and it became a real strength of the film.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It's always a beautiful and emotional experience to see your film through someone else's eyes!

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Anyone who gets into videomaking starts off inspired by cinema or music videos—which are really just a condensed form of cinema. But as you go deeper into professional videomaking, you often face frustration because clients are usually only focused on performance and profit. Quality becomes less and less of a priority.
So having personal projects that bring you back to the reasons you started—those early dreams—is essential. It helps you stay connected to your identity and reminds you why you chose this path in the first place.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
The first "Rocky", hands down. It's a love story, full of poetry and raw humanity. That film has inspired thousands of people to overcome life's challenges and believe in themselves and their dreams. For me, it was a huge life lesson.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
This is actually my first foray into the world of film festivals. The response has been overwhelming—we've won over 30 awards in the first 40 days! Honestly, when we submitted it, we weren't expecting to win anything. The goal was just to get the film out there.
I really loved the audience feedback video, and I think it would be amazing if festivals also shared a few note explaining why a film was selected or awarded—what stood out to them and what influenced their final decision.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site?
It's been great. FilmFreeway works perfectly and makes it super easy to keep track of how the film is doing across different festivals.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Onion rings, BBQ sauce... and basically anything that's totally unhealthy!

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Last year I directed a trilogy of investigative music documentaries, featuring many well-known musicians from Italy.
The first film tells the story of Italy through music, from 1960s to today. The second one tackles current issues, and the third looks ahead to the future—with all the concerns and questions that come with the market's evolution and the growing impact of AI on art. They'll be released over the next three years.
Besides that, I already have 4 or 5 concepts ready for new documentary films about some very interesting artists like Nado Canuti, but i'd like realize each of them with a different style. I hope the recognition "Nado" is getting will help us find the support to bring those projects to life.