Filmmaker Vania Cauzillo presents her Documentary “La ricerca della forma, Il genio di Sergio Musmeci” in her hometown of Potenza

He is best known for the design of a monumental structure in the early 1970’s and now he is being celebrated by a whole new generation of admirers.

Italian engineer Sergio Musmeci is credited with the design of the Basento Bridge or Musmeci Bridge over the river Basento near Potenza in southern Italy. Musmeci designed the structure in 1967. The construction took place between 1971 and 1976, weighing heavily on the engineer’s theories of minimum structural design. The bridge was built on the main route of transportation between the industrial and residential areas of the city.

Fast forward some 40 years later and a young filmmaker named Vania Cauzillo is presenting her documentary film on Sergio Musmeci in the city in which his bridge stands.

Born and raised in Potenza, Cauzillo’s documentary, “La ricerca della forma, Il genio di Sergio Musmeci” premiered to a packed house last Friday in Rome at the MAXXI Museum, a haven of art and cinema located near the banks of the Tiber River. Tonight, the film will be shown in her hometown. I asked Vania Cauzillo about this fascinating topic and how the idea for the documentary came about. “The project was started by Sara Lorusso and Michele Scioscia, the two producers and founders of Effenove, the film’s production company. I was then given the story and I just tried to tell this extraordinary tale to the best of my ability. It was important for me to celebrate the human ideational path and to understand why it makes sense to talk about it today.”

With the support of the Lucana Film Commission and the region of Basilicata, producers Sara Lorusso e Michele Scioscia seized the opportunity to put a team in place to tell the intriguing story of Musmeci and the construction of this unique and famous bridge.

As for Cauzillo, she is currently working on her third documentary film, titled, “Il mondo è troppo per me” (The World is Too Much for Me). It’s the story of Vittorio Camardese, a musician from Potenza that she describes as “one of the best guitarists in the world.”

“La ricerca della forma, Il genio di Sergio Musmeci” will be shown tonight at 7:00pm at the Teatro Stabile in Potenza. Admission is free. Watch the trailer.

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