SENTIRE L’ARIA - FEEL THE AIR

by Manuele Cecconello
94’, Italy, 2010

Andrea is 16 when he leaves school and chooses to become a nomadic shepherd in the Biella region, far from the collective rites of adolescence and the noise of society, but supported by a modern family (his father is a surgeon, his mother a teacher) who, with him, see in open-air life and contact with animals a key for understanding our existence, and a way to become a man. This is a voyage among images and sounds within the secret that links a boy to the solitude of the meadows, in search of a new identity. It is a documentary about the coming of age, which follows the true story of Andrea during a crucial phase of his existence, the span of time between 16 and 18 years of age. For nearly two years, as the flock moved from place to place, the film crew was with Andrea and his mentor, Niculìn, who took the youth with him and taught him the art and craft of shepherding and of the life it entails.

Manuele Cecconello Manuele Cecconello (1969) earned a degree in literature with a thesis on Andrej Tarkovskij. He collaborated for years with the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin, and then devoted himself to audio-visual production and teaching. After work experiences in education of the disabled, he founded the production house, Prospettiva Nevskij, which focuses on experimental photography and cinema.