Franco Battiato commemorated with TV documentaries one year after death

One year after the death of Franco Battiato, two television documentaries will air on May 18, 2022, to honor the Sicilian singer-songwriter. On Sky Arte at 21:15, the four-part documentary "Invito al viaggio" revisits the tribute concert held at the Arena di Verona on September 21, 2021, exactly 40 years after the release of his album "La voce del padrone." Curated by Stefano Senardi and Edoardo Rossi, directed by Pepsy Romanoff, it features performances by Alice, Vasco Brondi, Carmen Consoli, Fiorella Mannoia, Subsonica, and Paola Turci, interspersed with interviews and readings by Francesco Messina from his book "L'alba dentro l'imbrunire." Also on May 18, Rai 1 at 21:20 will broadcast "Il coraggio di essere Franco," a documentary written and directed by Angelo Bozzolini, narrated by Alessandro Preziosi, with contributions from Battiato's niece Cristina Battiato and archival material from Rai, Cineteca di Bologna, Universal Music, and family archives. Fabrizio Zappi, director of Rai Documentari, expressed satisfaction with the project. Battiato died on May 18, 2021, at age 76 after a long illness.