A 90-minute documentary film about the roots and rise of the most popular revolutionary song in the world.
A 90-minute documentary film about the roots and rise of the most popular revolutionary song in the world. Thanks to an exclusive international collaboration, Millstream Films producers have secured full access to worldwide music rights of "Bella Ciao" and more than 20 unique interviews with the larger than life figures, past and present, in Italy and abroad, who helped make this iconic protest anthem famous around the globe. Millions may now recognise the tune thanks to the commercial popularity of the Netflix series Money Heist, but few know the fascinating full story behind Bella Ciao.Bella Ciao has a long history rooted in popular culture and, like all folk songs, touches deep emotions of ordinary people. In all its versions, With more than 20 interviews on three continents, this historic documentary traces the cultural history of the song and investigates its international success, using archival film and performances of its different expressions, including the secret of how it became an anthem for the series "Money Heist" as told from the series' creator, Alex Pina, in Madrid. From a historical point of view, the documentary tells the story of how the Ernesto De Martino Institute collected recordings of folk songs of Italy and distributed them as "I Dischi del Sole", and how the communist song writer Fausto Amodei transformed the song into the anthem of the partisans. The filmmakers head to the south of France to interview the wife and son of Italo-French cabaret singer Yves Montand, who first made the song famous, and film in his hometown, Montsummano Terme. They also travel to Berlin and Rostock to interview Festival of Political Song founder Lutz Kirchenwitz about how he learned the Bella Ciao with German lyrics from an East German songbook in 1958. It tells the story of how Cesare Bermani discovered that it was the Brigata Maiella Partisans adapted a traditional song to the new words and brought it to the mountains of Emilia where it spread among local resistance fighters.It take the viewer to first performance of the song at the "Festival of Democratic Youth" in Prague in 1947 through the eyes of participant Laura Siglienti, confirming its popularity as a resistance anthem. We interviewed the great Italian folk singer and musicologist Giovanna Marini who participated in the first "Bella Ciao" show as well as 96-year-old Italian partisan Paolo Orlandini, who shared rare and precious details about Bella Ciao, Fischia il Vento and other songs sung on the battlefield during the epic fight against fascism during the winter of 1944. ANPI President Gianfranco Pagliarulo adds historical context and author Ruggero Giacomini reveals new details from his book "Bella Ciao" and provides precious research. The film also features performances by Chilean folk musician Jose Seves (Inti Illimani) Deborah Kooperman, guitarists for Francesco Guccini, British singer Skin and Cristiano Godano, frontman for Marlene Kuntz as well as unique archival footage from Yves Montand, the first "Bella Ciao" show performance at Spoleto in 1964 and rare performances of Bella Ciao in 1972 Festival of Political Song in East Berlin.Filmed on location in South America, the Middle East and Europe, and secured all associated music and archival rights.
