What is the life of a truffle hunter like? And what about their special dogs? If you have any of these questions or you often find yourself dreaming of a delicious tagliolini al tartufo, Luca Guadagnino’s film about the daily life of a truffle hunter with the selfsame title – The Truffle Hunters – has all the answers. This week, Guadagnino premiered the film at the Sundance Film Festival for the World Cinema Documentary Competition. It is a documentary about elderly truffle hunters in northern Italy, that shows an in-depth picture of their lives in romantic, colorful tones.
Luca Guadagnino
The Italian filmmaker came to support the screening, though he was not behind the camera this time; for this documentary, he is the documentary’s executive producer. The doc is directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (The Last Race, 2018 Sundance Film Festival).
Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck from Truffle Hunters (ph Emily Assiran/Getty Images for Pizza Hut)
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide rights to The Truffle Hunters. In a statement regarding the documentary, Sony stated,"This is one of the freshest, most beautiful films ever. It will be embraced by audiences the world over. Thank you to the filmmakers for making us a partner in what promises to be a grand adventure. Really. This major artistic achievement will make the world smile."
The Truffle Hunters, still 1 (courtesy of Sundance Institute)
Luca Guadagnino, who recently bought a house in Piedmont, was interviewed about The Truffle Hunters at length by Deadline – where he explained his point of view: "I was struck by the idea of a disappearing landscape and the story of someone who is not in sync with contemporary life, but who is in step with the holistic experience of living." Most interesting is Guadagnino’s association of the film with Martin Scorsese's last work: “The film talks about an end of days…in a way, it's a companion piece to The Irishman."
The Truffle Hunters poster
In the Deadline interview, Guadagnino confirms that he has the sequel to Call Me By Your Name on his agenda. The director is currently working on post-production in Paris for the HBO series We Are Who We Are and other projects, such as Blood On The Tracks (inspired by Bob Dylan's 1975 seminal album) and the new Lord of the Flies movie for Warner Bros.