Caveman: the film about Filippo Dobrilla's hidden sculpture in the Apuan Alps

Tommaso Landucci's documentary 'Caveman, il gigante nascosto' premiered at the Venice Film Festival's Giornate degli Autori in 2021 and was released in Italian cinemas on February 24, 2022, distributed by Valmyn Distribution. The film explores the life and work of Filippo Dobrilla, an artist and speleologist who spent over 30 years carving a colossal marble sculpture 640 meters deep in a cave within the Apuan Alps in Tuscany. Landucci began filming in late 2014 and early 2015, first producing a short film before expanding it into a feature. The sculpture, described as the deepest artwork in the world, depicts a giant nude figure sleeping in the heart of the earth. Dobrilla, a contradictory figure—egocentric yet uncomfortable with attention—sought refuge in the cave to create pure art free from societal constraints. The film also addresses Dobrilla's homosexuality and his battle with a tumor, which ultimately led to his death. Landucci emphasizes that the film is not a biography but an investigation into Dobrilla's poetics, aiming to convey the sincerity of his art and the simplicity of his story.