A bitter awareness, man "always has the impulse to transform confrontation into conflict, to move from words to deeds, from deeds to blows, from blows to rubble. The tragic parable of a biped who wants to become the most king powerful than nothing." These are the thoughts with which Bruno Bozzetto, who we see as he creates at the drawing table, introduces his new animated work. 'Sapiens?' union of three enthralling mini symphonies of images and music in defense of the animal world and on a humanity that often continues to give its worst, punctuated by the music of Giuseppe Verdi, Chopin and Beethoven. The film, produced by Studio Bozzetto in collaboration with Rai Kids, will premiere at RoMics on 7 April and will debut on TV on Friday 19 April, at 4.15pm, on Rai 3, as well as being available on Raiplay.
"I fight for beings who don't have a voice" he explains to ANSA, speaking about the film, Bozzetto, who is also working on a return after decades of his most famous character, Mr. Rossi: "we will see him distraught, in a house where everything is automatic, between Alexa speaking and computers.... A fish out of water like many people, especially of a certain age, faced with increasingly complex technology."
In 'Sapiens?' mix of social criticism, creativity and irony, we start with a story to the tune of Un Giorno di Regno by Giuseppe Verdi. At the center is man's constant tendency towards war. A quick journey through the eras, from prehistory onwards, in conflicts driven by power and interest, with increasingly sophisticated weapons and increasing victims. A film that arrives at the right time: "On the other hand, even when I made 'Locusts' in 1990 which had conflicts as its theme and was nominated for an Oscar, there was war. I remember that at the ceremony in Hollywood we had to go for metal detectors...
It's an ever-present topic, unfortunately."
In the second part on Chopin's music (Etudes, Op.10 n.3) humor prevails: reminding us that there is also a species of spiders that has been on this planet for hundreds of millions of years before us ("in a hypothetical Darwinist race, they beat us 10 to zero" observes Bozzetto) we find a peaceful little spider that has found a home in a bathroom sink. When it is discovered, it triggers the anxiety of the human couple in the house to get rid of it, with tragicomic consequences. Finally, to close, the most painful chapter, accompanied by the overture to Beethoven's Coriolanus. It tells of the extermination carried out by men, from their appearance on Earth until today, of countless animal species. From the first needs, including food, linked to survival, to now being driven mainly by venal and selfish motives. "This humanity is not good, especially in the relationship with animals. They are our traveling companions and we treat them like objects, like things that we need - underlines Bozzetto, a vegetarian for years -. Either we exploit them or we kill them, causing damage irreparable for the environment". For Bozzetto "animals are pure, like children. When they attack they do it by instinct, unlike us. They don't have two faces like man, they don't cheat for money. Animals deserve respect, they have the right to life like us" . In 'Sapiens?' the profound affinity that the animator has with music also returns: "the film is what leads the spectators on a path, but the music is what lifts them off the ground, which takes them to a more spiritual dimension". Are you worried about the arrival of artificial intelligence in animation too? "I think it's even further ahead than we think. I certainly worry but I think that as with all technologies it depends a lot on the way people decide to use it. Control of creation must remain in man's hands." We must also be careful of the continuous acquisitions of Italian animation studios by foreign groups: "The risk is losing part of our identity... we, with Studio Bozzetto, are resisting".
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