Los Angeles, CA – November 1, 2018 – TRICOAST WORLDWIDE has acquired worldwide rights, excluding Italy, to represent Maurizio Gigola’s directorial debut of ‘THE GREAT ITALIAN’ – the food doc honouring Gualtiero Marchesi, the forefather of modern Italian Cuisine.
Written by Maurizio Gigola and Donatello Alunni Pierucci (Italia ’90: lavori in corso, Provvisorio quasi d’amore), THE GREAT ITALIAN immerses the audience into the life and career of Gualtiero Marchesi through the lenses of different countries, chefs and ingredients that acted as his inspiration.
Acquired by TriCoast Worldwide’s Daisy Hamilton at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2018, the Anglo-Italian production follows Marchesi from his humble beginnings in Italy to his travels to France and Japan, revolutionizing Italian cuisine and bringing it to the top of international gastronomy. In 1985, Marchesi became the first Italian professional to obtain three-Michelin stars. “From the beginning of his career, his dishes have been multi-sensory works of art, beautiful and revolutionary recipes that inspired legions of students and chefs to define and drive innovation in Italian cuisine,” wrote Fathom Away.
THE GREAT ITALIAN highlights Marchesi’s stress on the simplicity of the ingredients themselves, resulting founder and director of the international school of cooking in Alma di Colorno, located in the province of Parma. Marchesi is also credited for world-renowned restaurants – from the birth of the legendary restaurant, in Via Bonvesin de la Riva – to opening four restaurants in Milan in Monte Carlo. Despite Marchesi’s retirement in 2017, his hometown restaurant, Il Marchesino, still remains one of Italy’s best-serving Milanese foods. In the words of Marchesi, the first duty of a cook is to cook the ingredients well, wrote Vanity Fair, as he valued the material, without presumption and without destroying it. “The quality of the ingredient is essential,” stated Marchesi.
Inspired by past words from Italian film director, Ermanno Olmi, that cooking is the only art that blends with all forms of sciences, Marchesi gained worldwide success for his presentation of food as an art form. “The film, directed by Maurizio Gigola, is delightful and literal eye candy, but what had me at the edge of my seat were the vivid, jaw-dropping, close-ups of Marchesi’s signature dishes — Raviolo Aperto, Dripping di Pesce, Seppia in Nero, and Riso Oro e Zafferano — spliced side by side with scenes of Marchesi walking through galleries filled with Pollocks, Stellas, Warhols, Fontanas, and so many others. This art and food lover saw stars,” gleamed Fathom Away.
Gigola’s film is enriched with its original soundtrack, beautifully and emotionally composed by cellist, Giovanni Sollima. Alongside, THE GREAT ITALIAN boasts interviews the world’s most sensational and prestigious chefs, including one of the founders of Modern French Cuisine, Paul Bocuse. As a three-star Michelin Chef, Bocuse is best known for France’s Restaurant L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges. Additional insights are provided by members of the Troisgros family, the founders of the Nouvelle Cuisine Three-star Michelin chefs, and three-star Michelin Chef, Massimo Bottura. Bottura is world-renowned for his Restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, which received “S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards” and “World’s Best Restaurant” in 2018.
Photo from Fathom Away: Raviolo Aperto. Photo courtesy of Gualtiero Marchesi.
Signed by Food and Media in collaboration with the Gualtiero Marchesi Foundation, and with support from of Cantine Ferrari, Illy, Parmigiano Reggiano and San Pellegrino, THE GREAT ITALIAN was originally released in Italy during March 2018. The honorary food doc debuted with a special short screening at the Cannes International Film Festival to commemorate and celebrate the career of Italy’s most famous chef, who sadly passed a few months prior. “Marchesi himself brings us into wood-paneled libraries, fresco-covered billiard rooms, and contemporary kitchens to dish about his story, illustrated by enchanting diorama-styled animation from family photos and news clips,” remarked Fathom Away.
The 2018 American Film Market will be held from October 31st – November 7th. Available for worldwide rights excluding Italy, watch the trailer for THE GREAT ITALIAN here: https://vimeo.com/294822220.
Additional information can be found at TriCoast Worldwide’s booth #810 at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. To schedule a meeting for AFM, please contact Sales@TriCoast.com and for press inquiries, please contact jenna@tricoast.com
See TriCoast Worldwide AFM titles here: https://www.thefilmcatalogue.com/companies/tricoast-worldwide.
GUALTIERO MARCHESI: THE GREAT ITALIAN (2018, 80 min.) Directed by: Maurizio Gigola. Written by: Maurizio Gigola and Donatello Alunni Pierucci. Produced by: Maurizio Gigola, Anna Elettra Pizzi De Gaetano and Mauro Baffico. Edited by: Eva Contis. Original Music: Giovanni Sollima. Italy, UK. Italian, English subtitles. Food and Media, TriCoast Worldwide.
Produced by: Food and Media.
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