Brunello Cucinelli Gets the Movie Treatment From the Director Behind Cinema Paradiso
The narrative also brushes against a broader social backdrop: post–World War II Italy, where rural life was hollowed out by industrialization and city-bound aspirations. “I missed the countryside’s silence, its slow rhythm, and watching the stars instead of the television,” he reflected. Even today, he prefers the crackle of a fireplace and losing himself in its flames to watching an after-dinner football match on TV. All his major decisions, he said, are made “in solitude, pacing around my studio and ruminating,” under the watchful gaze of his personal philosophical pantheon: Plato, Aristotle, Pericles, and company, all silently nodding along.
Tornatore, who turned to Oscar-winning composer Nicola Piovani for the film’s soulful score, was initially hesitant to take on the project, unfamiliar as he was with Cucinelli’s place in the fashion world. But after meeting the designer in person, he relented. “Brunello always gets what he wants,” chimed his wife Federica, clearly well-versed in her husband’s ways. “The movie is neither straight documentary, nor traditional feature film, nor corporate calling card, but something mischievously suspended among all three,” Tornatore explained. “Its aim is to explore Brunello’s life through a playful tug-of-war between forms: on one side, the familiar rigor of documentary; on the other, the staged narrative of a film that may, or may not, actually exist. The two threads overlap, blur, and ultimately fuse into a free-spirited cinematic experiment.”
Produced by Brunello Cucinelli S.p.A. and MasiFilm in collaboration with Rai Cinema, Brunello, The Gracious Visionary premiered in Rome on December 4, 2025. It will land in Italian cinemas on December 9 via 01 Distribution. The venue was Studio 22 at Cinecittà, where Fellini worked his magic and where Tornatore cut his cinematic teeth. The premiere drew a slew of Italian dignitaries and a sprinkling of Hollywood stars, including Jessica Chastain, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ava DuVernay, and Chris Pine, among others.