Artist-Rider Lupo Borgonovo Documents Lockdown in Documentary 'Riders Not Heroes'

The documentary 'Riders Not Heroes' offers a unique perspective on the Covid-19 lockdown in Milan, created through a collaboration between 2050+, an interdisciplinary studio founded by Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli (a long-time collaborator of Rem Koolhaas) along with Mattia Inselvini, Erica Petrillo, and Massimo Tenan, and -orama, a creative agency led by Davide Rapp, Andrea Dal Martello, and Giorgio De Marco. These two Milan-based entities partnered with artist Lupo Borgonovo, who is also a food delivery rider for a major platform. Borgonovo mounted a GoPro camera on his bicycle, capturing his journeys through the deserted city. The documentary focuses not on Milan itself but on the harsh reality of riders—essential yet precarious workers who played a crucial role during the pandemic. According to the filmmakers, Milan is the national capital of food delivery with an estimated 3,000 riders, mostly men aged 22 to 30, for whom food delivery is their primary income source, contradicting the notion of it being a student side job. Over half are migrants: 40% from Africa, 15% from Asia, and 5% from South America, cycling up to 50 hours per week.