Gianfranco
Barberi
Bio
Gianfranco Barberi (Turin, 1944), after studying art, made his debut in Turin's underground cinema scene in the mid-60s with his first Super 8 film at the New American Cinema Festival. He was one of the founders of New Italian Cinema. From 1969 to 1978, he lived and worked in Rome as a screenwriter for film and television. His meeting with Mario Bava sparked a true partnership. Together, they wrote several stories and screenplays, including Ecologia per un delitto (1971) and Shock (1977). Returning to Turin in 1980, he continued to direct and made several social documentaries for the public administration and for Rai 3. From 1984 to 1993, together with Marco di Castri, he founded the production company Catalogue, with which he made numerous documentaries on contemporary art; he participated in several international festivals, and many of his works were broadcast on RaiSatArt. From 1999 to 2002 he was responsible for the Doc competition for the TorinoFilmFestival.
Filmography
Türkiye, History of an Oppressed People (16mm Documentary, 1976)
Memories of the Present (1/2" video documentary, 1978)
But we will still be ourselves (doc., Bvu, 1980)
Shadow of the Day (docufiction, 16mm. 1982)
Overture (doc. U-Matic, 1984)
Now I Know Snow (doc., U-Matic, 1986, Silver Seagull at the Festival
International Preview of Bellaria)
Joseph Beuys. A new Idea of Art (doc., Bvu, 1987)
Claes Oldenburg. The Knife Course (doc., Bvu, 1987)
Standing Sculpture (doc., Bvu, 1988)
The Dress of the Revolution (doc., video 1”, 1988)
Michelangelo Pistoletto. I Have a Mirror, You Have a Mirror (doc., 1-minute video, 1988, in competition at the Festival International du Film sur l'Art de Montréal, 1989, and at the III Biennale du Film sur l'Art de Paris, 1992)
Donald Judd in Rivoli (doc., U-Matic, 1988)
Daniel Buren. On the Color of Architecture (doc., U-Matic, 1988)
Jean Tinguely (doc., Video 1”, 1988, 1st prize at the Asolo Film Festival on Art, 1991)
Jannis Kounellis. One must have a certainty as immovable as a star (doc., U-Matic, 1989)
From the Easel to the City. Russian and Soviet Art (doc., video 1”, 1989)
Magiciens de la Terre (doc., Video 1”, 1989)
Mario Merz. Elevated Earth (doc., Beta, 1990)
Claudio Parmiggiani. A Sculpture (Documentary, Video 1”, 1991)
Scalabrun (docufiction, Beta, 1995, Third Prize at the Jazz and Image Festival in Rome, 1995)
Felice Casorati. Conversations (doc., Beta, 1996)
Christo. Covering to Rediscover (doc., Beta, 1998) Traveling with the Art of Luigi Mainolfi (doc., Beta, 1999)
Portrait of a Friend (medium-length film, Beta, 2000, presented at the TorinoFilmFestival)
Marco Gastini: The Open Hand of Painting (doc, DV, 2001)
Mimmo Jodice: the mind's gaze (doc., DV, 2001)
Vincenzo Foppa, a Protagonist of the Renaissance (doc, DV, 2002)
Requiem (doc, DV, 2003)
