Sonaggios
Guests Expected
Director Pietro Mereu is expected to attend for a post-screening Q&A.
Description
After watching this entrancing documentary, the next time you hear Christopher Walken shout “More cowbell!” in that classic SNL sketch, your thoughts will inevitably lead to Sardinia. There, in Tonara, two families continue the tradition of handcrafting the item. The name “cowbell” is a bit of a misnomer. The bells most often decorate the necks of sheep, providing music for the shepherd as well as a way to locate strays. A discerning shepherd can even identify a sheep by the sound of its bell. Aware that theirs are the last shops standing in a town that used to be rife with them, the families seek to widen their customer base through online sales, social media, and identifying other uses for the bells. They also decide to work together to ensure the survival of their craft. Pietro Mereu’s film is a delight, full of musical sheep and artisans’ passion. —Pam Grady
IN COLLABORATION WITH
Pietro Mereu studied screenwriting at Milan’s Civic School of Cinema, TV and New Media. He worked as a production assistant and writer for Italian television before writing and starring in the documentary Disoccupato in affitto (2010). After directing the TV series I manager di Dio (2017) and the TV documentary Il club dei centenari (2017), he made his feature documentary debut with Il clan dei ricciai (2018).
Film Details
LanguageItalian
Year2024
PremiereWorld
Runtime84
CountryItaly, Canada
DirectorPietro Mereu
ProducerFrancesca Cimolai, Marco Chiappa, Martin Cadieux-Rouillard
Executive ProducerMarco Chiappa, Francesca Cimolai
EditorGeoff Klein
CinematographerSamir Ljuma
MusicAlain Savoie
Print SourceStudios Saint-Antoine
Closed CaptionsClosed Captions are not currently confirmed for this film
Audio DescriptionAudio Descriptions are not currently confirmed for this film
American Sign Language (ASL) InterpretationAmerican Sign Language Interpretation is not currently scheduled for this film
