Among the most anticipated events of the 30th Valsusa Filmfest, an edition dedicated to Fabrizio De André, scheduled for Tuesday, April 28th at 9:00 pm at the Teatro Magnetto in Almese, will be a meeting with Mauro Pagani, a key figure in the contemporary Italian music scene: composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.
During the evening, hosted by journalist and cultural operator Enrico Deregibus, Pagani will engage with the audience, retracing the key moments of his career and his long artistic partnership with Fabrizio De André, of whom he was one of the closest collaborators, contributing to the creation of works that have profoundly influenced Italian music.
Following this, director Cristiana Mainardi will present the documentary "Andando dove non so. Mauro Pagani, una vita da fuggiasco," winner of the 2026 Nastro d'Argento for Best Documentary in the "Music" special selection.
The film begins with a particularly delicate moment in the artist's life—a temporary loss of memory—which unfolds as he reconstructs his identity through music, instruments, and interactions with friends and colleagues.
The result is an intimate and original portrait that transcends the traditional biography structure to deliver a candid and poetic, profound, and even entertaining tale, constructed through fragments of memory and reflecting on the relationship between memory, identity, and artistic creation.
Alongside Pagani, the documentary gathers testimonies from some of the most important figures in contemporary Italian music, including Dori Ghezzi, Ornella Vanoni, Manuel Agnelli, Luciano Ligabue, Mahmood, Marco Mengoni, Arisa, Giuliano Sangiorgi, and Badara Seck, as well as his life and work partner Silvia Posa, helping to construct a choral narrative that spans generations and musical languages.
Mauro Pagani's career began in the early 1970s with the founding of Premiata Forneria Marconi, a band that earned him widespread international recognition. Over the years, he has developed a diverse artistic career, collaborating with some of Italy's most important artists, composing film soundtracks, and playing a leading role as a producer and arranger. Central to this journey is his work with Fabrizio De André, with whom he contributed to the creation of highly significant, in-depth musical projects.
Director Cristiana Mainardi makes her directorial debut with this documentary, after a long experience in the world of film and communications. A professional journalist, screenwriter, and producer, Mainardi has developed a career path that intertwines storytelling, civic engagement, and attention to social issues. She has worked on numerous film projects, collaborating with directors such as Silvio Soldini and Marco Tullio Giordana, and, among others, wrote the screenplay for Nome di donna, which won a Nastri d'Argento award. With the documentary "Un altro domani," dedicated to the topic of violence in relationships, she launched a research and investigation project that has been widely circulated in schools and universities, as well as garnering significant television coverage. "Andando dove non so" represents a very important project for her, born from a personal and professional acquaintance with Mauro Pagani.
