Palomar announces biopic 'Volevo Nascondermi' on painter Antonio Ligabue

Production company Palomar, led by Carlo Degli Esposti, has announced a new film titled 'Volevo Nascondermi' dedicated to the life of Italian painter Antonio Ligabue (Zurich, 1899 – Gualtieri, 1965). Directed by Giorgio Diritti, the screenplay is co-written by Diritti, Tania Pedroni, and Fredo Valla. The film will explore Ligabue's entire artistic journey, from his solitary childhood to his discovery of painting, focusing on his naive and imaginative style featuring tigers, gorillas, lions, and jaguars. Filming begins in May 2018, primarily in the province of Reggio Emilia, retracing the key locations of Ligabue's life. Actor Elio Germano, who previously starred in 'Il Giovane Favoloso', will portray Ligabue. The announcement follows Palomar's success with 'Il Giovane Favoloso' (over €7 million box office, 5 David di Donatello awards, premiered at Venice Film Festival) and ahead of releasing 'The Happy Prince' by Rupert Everett (Sundance 2018, Berlin 2018 special event). Previous film and TV works on Ligabue include a 1960 Rai documentary by Pier Paolo Ruggerini, a 1965 documentary by Raffaele Andreassi, a 1977 three-episode TV drama 'Ligabue' starring Flavio Bucci, and a 2015 docufilm by Ezio Aldoni. Musicians such as Augusto Daolio of Nomadi, Marco Ongaro, Caparezza, and Fabri Fibra have also referenced Ligabue in their songs.