The Blue Knight: An Animated Journey Through the History of the Color Blue

A team of twenty illustrators, screenwriters, animators, and directors in Reggio Emilia has spent a year working on "The Blue Knight – Il Cavaliere Blu," an ambitious animated short film that traces the history of the color blue. Produced by Azabache Films and created by Delicatessen, the film follows a shape-shifting character who begins as a stone, becomes a knight, then fabric, and finally color. Rejected by the ancient Greeks and Romans, blue competes with rival colors throughout history. It crosses seas, colors Giotto's skies, appears in Ravenna's mosaics and Faenza's ceramics, and becomes Prussian blue in Van Gogh's palette. The story culminates in 1961 when Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin declares from space: "The Earth is blue! How wonderful, it's incredible." The short film is partially supported by Emilia-Romagna Film Commission with €24,500 and is now seeking additional funding through a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Producers Valentini and Ribezzo state they are looking for patrons and cultural production entities to keep local talent from emigrating abroad for work.