NOTTURNO Documentary

AFI Programmer Ken Jacobson leads a conversation with director Gianfranco Rosi.

Racked by war, the bordering areas of Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria and Lebanon have, in recent years, seen untold human suffering and devastation. But, even as a return to normal remains elusive, if not unattainable, life goes on. With this beautiful assemblage of arresting images and intimate character moments, Academy Award®-nominee Gianfranco Rosi (FIRE AT SEA) manages the cinematic equivalent of alchemy. He focuses his lens on the disassembled pieces of these war-torn societies and shows how simple acts of everyday life, ritual and performance can bridge the gap between despair and some measure of inner peace. The culmination of a three-year journey across the region, the symphonic brilliance of NOTTURNO firmly establishes Rosi as a bona fide master in the documentary world. –Ken Jacobson