Documentary 'Éphémère' Celebrates Franco Maria Ricci's Legacy

On December 8, 2017, at Teatro Regio in Parma, the documentary 'Éphémère. La Bellezza inevitabile' premiered to celebrate the 80th birthday of Franco Maria Ricci. Directed by Simone Marcelli, Barbara Ainis, and Fabio Ferri, the film traces Ricci's multifaceted career as a graphic designer, publisher, art collector, and bibliophile. Ricci, born in Parma in 1937, was inspired by Giambattista Bodoni and began publishing in 1963 with an anastatic reprint of the 'Manuale Tipografico'. He designed logos and advertisements for major Italian and international companies. His renowned book series include 'I Segni dell’Uomo', 'Morgana', 'Quadreria', 'Luxe, calme et volupté', 'Curiosa', 'Iconographia', 'La biblioteca blu', 'La Biblioteca di Babele', 'Guide impossibili', and 'Grand Tour'. The magazine 'FMR', published from 1982 to 2004 and called by Federico Fellini 'the black pearl of world publishing', brought him global fame. The documentary's visual metaphor is the labyrinth, his last monumental work inaugurated in 2015 in Fontanellato. The event was organized by the Labirinto della Masone team with support from Fondazione Teatro Regio and Comune di Parma. The film was produced by Catrina Producciones with support from Smeg, Fratelli Berlucchi, and SCIC, and technical partnerships with Fujifilm, American Airlines, and OnClassical. The screening was free and open to the public.