FIFA presents Ralph Loop’s documentary ​“Botticelli Inferno”

On the occasion of the 21^st Week of the Italian Language in the World, October 18 – 24, 2021, the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Montreal are pleased to co-present the documentary Botticelli Inferno, directed by German filmmaker Ralph Loop. This feature-length film will be accessible free of charge – and with registration – on FIFA’s webcasting platform, ARTS.FILM, from Wednesday, October 20, to Friday October 22, 2021.

For everyone who adores Italian arts and culture, the documentary revisits the extraordinary career of the Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli (1445 – 1510), who devoted more than a decade to painting and drawing hell as described by the poet Dante (1265 – 1321). Seven hundred years after Dante’s death, the film takes film lovers on a journey through the nine circles of hell with fascinating and exciting glimpses of Botticelli’s art – and its hidden history, as described by Dante.

“FIFA is proud to partner with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Montreal to celebrate the Italian language, culture, and rich heritage,” remarked Philippe U. del Drago, Executive and Artistic Director of the International Festival of Films on Art. ​“This is a natural step for the Festival, which, since its foundation, has had the honour of presenting countless works by talented directors from Italy and to join major institutions and national events, following the example of Festival Asolo in 2019 and Palazzo Grassi this month. Italy is truly rooted in the history and the heart of FIFA!”

Quoting ​“Fatti non foste a viver come bruti” from Inferno XXVI, from the famous Canto d’Ulysses, Sandro Cappelli, Director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, likes to remind us that ​“Ye were not form’d to live the life of brutes, but virtue to pursue and knowledge high.”

MORE INFORMATION ON THE FILM
Botticelli Inferno by Ralph Loop
Italy/​Germany | 2016 | 1 h 36 m | German/​English/​Italian V.O | Subtitles: English
Free viewing offered from Wednesday, October 20, 2021, at midnight to Friday, October 22, 2021, 11:59 p.m. (eastern time). For more information.

Excerpt of the review by Philippe-Jean Catinchi published in Le Monde on September 16, 2021:
​“An unexpected insight into the work of Dante, through the eyes of his compatriot Sandro Botticelli, a century and a half after the poet’s death. This other divine Florentine stuck to his task for more than a decade – perhaps until his death. And left the work unfinished. His Map of Hell is a fascinating synthesis that has not yet given up all its clues and secrets.”