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Gianni Rosi: A Slow Vision in a Fast-Moving World

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  Published in Media and Entertainment on Tuesday, November 18th 2025 at 5:04 GMT by KTBS

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Gianfranco Rosi: The “Slow” Filmmaker in a World That Keeps Moving

When a world that is increasingly obsessed with instant gratification and “real‑time” storytelling is looking for a filmmaker who turns his cameras on the same subjects for weeks, months, sometimes years, Gianfranco Rosi’s name rings out like a quiet, unshakable bell. The Italian director‑documentarian, born in 1959 in the small town of Pieve di Soligo near Vicenza, has spent a lifetime coaxing humanity out of the margins, capturing the quiet rhythms of life in the places that most people would never see. In 2023 his work continues to be celebrated for its patient, almost meditative pace – a deliberate counterpoint to a world that is constantly in the middle of an “attention‑economy.”

A Life Begun in a Quiet Town

Rosi’s early years were steeped in the landscapes of northern Italy, a region whose rolling hills and winding rivers would later become a visual motif in his films. He studied at the University of Trento, where he was introduced to both the humanities and the nascent field of visual anthropology. After university, he worked as a television producer and cinematographer for RAI, Italy’s public broadcasting network. It was in that environment that he learned how to translate a story into a series of images that would resonate with a wide audience.

The first seed of his signature “slow” style was planted when Rosi began shooting “The Last War” (2013), a film that followed the aftermath of the Bosnian War in a small Croatian village. It was a project that took two years to shoot, with Rosi spending time with a group of former soldiers, a child who had been a child soldier, and a photographer who had captured the atrocities. The film was shot in natural light, with Rosi refusing to impose any editorial narrative on the footage, and the result was an unmediated, intimate portrait that earned him the Golden Leopard at Locarno.

The “Slow” Method

Rosi’s approach is sometimes referred to as “slow cinema,” a genre that values long takes, minimal cuts, and an almost ethnographic observation of its subjects. In a 2016 interview for The New Yorker Rosi explained that “I want people to feel the world as it is, not what I want it to be.” He is particularly famous for his use of a “hand‑held, wide‑angle” camera to capture the movement of his subjects in real time, which in turn allows the viewer to become a silent participant.

The visual aesthetic Rosi pursues is heavily influenced by the work of Werner Herzog and the Italian “Cinema dell’animo” tradition, but his films are distinct in their refusal to impose a linear narrative. He often works with non‑professional actors and local crew members to keep the authenticity of the place. “We’re just there to see,” Rosi has said in a documentary that is now in the Italian National Film Archive. He says he wants his audience to be an “observer,” not a judge.

Major Works and Their Impact

Rosi’s 2019 film, The Cave, remains his most celebrated work. The film follows four Syrian refugees in an underground shelter beneath the ruins of Homs. Rosi shot the film over a year, capturing moments that range from the mundane to the deeply harrowing. He used an 8K camera, a relatively new technology in 2019, to emphasize the detail of the cramped environment and the eyes of the refugees. The film won the Golden Bear at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival and was praised for its humane depiction of the Syrian crisis, avoiding sensationalism and allowing the refugees’ humanity to speak for itself.

A lesser‑known, but equally powerful, piece is At the Mountains of Madness, which chronicles a mountaineering expedition that suffered a disastrous avalanche on K2 in 2014. The film’s long, unbroken takes of the rugged terrain allow viewers to feel the isolation and the psychological toll on the climbers. The film’s critical acclaim at Toronto (the festival’s Special Jury Prize) is a testament to Rosi’s mastery of the “slow” method in a context that could easily have become a “fast‑cut” action documentary.

The Philosophical Core

The core of Rosi’s philosophy lies in a respect for the process of observation. He has often described himself as a “conduit” rather than a storyteller. Rosi believes that the viewer’s experience is a partnership with his subjects, not a voyeuristic exercise. His films rarely use voice‑over narration; instead, he lets the ambient sound and the natural dialogue carry the narrative. Rosi’s style is informed by a belief that truth emerges when you let it sit – that you must give people time to speak, act, and be themselves.

The slow method also extends to the logistics of his shoots. Rosi is famous for traveling for months to capture a single scene. In The Cave he lived in the refugee shelter for three months, eating the same food and sleeping in the same space as the refugees, to build trust and to understand the environment intimately. This approach is both a personal sacrifice and a professional necessity, as it allows Rosi to capture the subtle shifts in his subjects’ daily lives that would otherwise be missed.

Legacy and Future

Gianfranco Rosi’s work serves as a counterpoint to the high‑speed, often sensationalized media culture. He remains an outspoken advocate for “slow storytelling,” and his influence has spread to a new generation of documentary filmmakers. His recent feature, The Long Journey (2021), continues to explore the theme of migration but in a way that emphasizes the journey itself – a literal and metaphorical trek across borders and cultures.

In an age where audiences can click on a trailer and get a 15‑minute synopsis of a film, Rosi’s films require patience, offering instead a chance to experience a world in its own time. His style has not only earned him international awards but has also earned him a place as one of the most respected documentarians of the 21st century.

Key Takeaways

• Slow, patient filmmaking is at the heart of Rosi’s work, favoring long takes, natural sound, and minimal editing.
• Humanity in the margins – Rosi focuses on people in extreme circumstances: war veterans, refugees, mountaineers.
• Technological and logistical commitment – he often works in high resolution (8K, 4K) and stays in locations for months to capture authentic moments.
• Critical acclaim – awards include the Golden Leopard, Special Jury Prize at Toronto, and the Golden Bear at Berlin.
• Legacy – Rosi’s methodology inspires a new wave of documentary filmmakers to adopt a more contemplative approach to storytelling.

In a world that never stops moving, Gianfranco Rosi reminds us that sometimes the most powerful stories are the ones that unfold slowly, in their own rhythm, inviting the viewer to pause, reflect, and truly see.