Between Mount Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples, the ground shakes periodically and the fumaroles of the Phlegraean Fields taint the air. From the traces of history, memories of the subterranean world, and the concerns of the present, in black and white, a lesser-known Naples emerges and fills with voices, with lives. Below the clouds lies a territory crisscrossed by locals, worshippers, tourists, and archaeologists excavating a past that in museums will give new life and meaning to statues, fragments, and ruins. The train that rings Vesuvius makes its rounds as racehorses train along the shore. A teacher runs a makeshift afterschool for children and adolescents. Firemen in their command center calm the fears of the locals who call in, law enforcement tracks down tomb robbers, while in the port of Torre Annunziata, Syrian tankers unload Ukrainian grain. The land that skirts the gulf is a vast time machine.
Gianfranco Rosi
He was born in Asmara (Eritrea) and graduated from New York University's Film School. In 1993, he directed in India his first documentary, ‘Boatman’, which was screened at the Sundance, Locarno and Toronto film festivals. In 2008, he shot ‘Below Sea Level’ in California, a film which won the Orizzonti Award at the Venice Film Festival. His next work, ‘El Sicario - Room 164’ (2010), won the Doc-it award for best documentary of the year and the Fipresci award in Venice. In 2013, he made history with ‘Sacro Gra’, the first non-fiction work to win the Golden Lion in Venice, a milestone he achieved again in 2016 with ‘Fire at Sea’, which bagged the Golden Bear in Berlin and the trophy for best European documentary at the EFAs. With ‘Notturno’ (2020), he won several awards in Venice, and after ‘In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis’ (2022), he won the Special Jury Prize at the Italian competition thanks to ‘Below the Clouds’(2025).
DIRECTOR
Gianfranco Rosi
SCREENPLAY
Gianfranco Rosi
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Gianfranco Rosi
EDITOR
Fabrizio Federico
SOUND
Gianfranco Rosi, Stefano Grosso
MUSIC
Daniel Blumberg
PRODUCTION
Donatella Palermo, Gianfranco Rosi, Paolo Del Brocco
PRODUCTION COMPANY
21 Unofilm, Stemal Entertainment, RAI Cinema
RUNNING TIME
114 min.
TYPE
Largometraje
FORMAT
blanco y negro
YEAR OF PRODUCTION
2025
VERSION
V.O. Italian, Arabic, Japanese, Neapolitan, and English with English and Spanish subtitles.
COUNTRY
Italy
CONTACT
The Match Factory
IN SPAIN
Mubi
Screenings
V.O. Italian, Arabic, Japanese, Neapolitan, and English with English and Spanish subtitles.
