Below The Clouds

Below the Clouds is a documentary by Gianfranco Rosi about Naples and its predecessor Pompeii. In black and white, he weaves everyday scenes into a portrait of the city, its inhabitants, and the fragile beauty of what is disappearing.

Rosi is the only documentary filmmaker to have won both the Golden Lion of Venice (Sacro GRA, 2013) and the Golden Bear of Berlin (Fire at Sea, 2016). For this film, he spent three years exploring the above and underground world between Mount Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples. Neapolitans live in the midst of their city's bustle, yet always aware that Vesuvius could erupt - the living and the dead exist side by side, and the past continually echoes in the present.

Rosi follows tomb raiders digging illegal tunnels beneath Pompeii's ruins to sell ancient artifacts on the black market, children receiving tutoring from an elderly bookseller, and emergency call centre staff who use wit to calm the fears of callers whenever the ground shakes. The music is by Oscar winner Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist), and the cinematography is by Rosi himself. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival 2025.