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Alfredo Leonardi

Alfredo Leonardi

Directing

Biography

Alfredo Leonardi (Voghera, Italy, 1938) studied literature in Milan, initially becoming involved in theatre and later in cinema. After moving to Rome in the early 1960s, he worked as an assistant director to Ugo Gregoretti. He worked as a director on cultural programs for RAI and made several experimental short !lms for the producer Enzo Nasso, as well as the feature !lm Amore amore (1966). From 1967 to 1970, he self-produced a number of experimental !lms and was a member of the Cooperativa Cinema Indipendente. In 1969, he spent time in the United States writing a book on the New American Cinema, entitled Occhio mio dio (Feltrinelli, 1971). In 1971, together with Guido Lombardi and Anna Lajolo, he formed the group Videobase, with which he produced several videos documenting social struggles ignored by the mainstream media up to 1975. In 1996, he settled first in Milan, and finally in Turin.

Known For

La casa è un diritto non un privilegio

The documentary deals with the struggle s to obtain decent housing in a metropolis such the capital city of Italy in which the right for all to an acceptable dwelling is met with by all kids of serius obstacles-the chaotic increase of urbanization, the building speculation, the degradayion of suburbs, the magnitudine of slums with their unfortunatle inhabitants whose living condition have been dramatic for years. Starting from the Roman situation, the documentary faces the general housing problem in the country as whole and therefore the problrm of the struggles which people support - also through new structures such as People's Councils and Commitees - on the entire national territory in oder to attain one the primary goals of a decent society: a home whorty of its name for all its citizens.

La casa è un diritto non un privilegio

1970Movie
L'isola dell'isola

A television experiment, filmed with the first portable video recorders, in the Ligurian community of Carloforte, on the island of San Pietro: for two months, the small crew lived in close contact with the people and their daily lives. They created a collective portrait, featuring former ore carriers, seafarers, salt workers, fishermen, tuna fishermen, industrial workers in the Sulcis area, young men and women from the nautical and teaching sectors, and the women, "white widows," wives of sailors, entrusted with raising their children. Three years later, in light of the changes, that first portrait—comprising life, work, feelings, and hopes, past and present—was shown to the islanders in the streets, squares, workplaces, and schools. Reactions and comments were filmed and incorporated into the final edit, which showcases the process and working method. Video is used as a means of recognition, identity, participation, and horizontal dialogue, a pioneering "street television."

L'isola dell'isola

1977Movie