In the heart of winter, a very ancient ritual to secure prosperity and good harvests is held throughout Europe, at the original core of what is commonly known as Carnival. This film is made under the assumption that Carnival reveals similar actions and similar characters, cast in very similar original patterns all over Europe. In this sense, Carnival's ephemeral kingdom of misrule can be said to be one of the longer lasting in European history, and Carnival himself a veritable "King of Europe".
Directors
GIOVANNI KEZICH
He studied anthropology in Siena and London and graduated with a dissertation research on peasant poets and popular rhyme. Since 1991 he has been director of the Museum of Costumes and Traditions of the Trentino People of San Michele all’Adige, the important museum for the ethnographic preservation founded by Giuseppe Sebesta. He also coordinates the Permanent workshop of Alpine ethnography (SPEA) with Pier Paolo Viazzo. He has created, produced and directed several anthropological films, including Mondent, il lavoro della malga (2005). In 2007 he founded Eurorama, the section dedicated to the best of European ethnographic films, included in the TrentoFilmfestival.
MICHELE TRENTINI
Michele Trentini works on research, visual anthropology and oral traditions at the Museum of Uses and Customs of the Trentino People (MUCGT) in San Michele all’Adige. He curates “Eurorama”, a collection of Europe’s best ethnography festivals. During his research, he has directed a wide range of documentaries, including “Furriadroxus” (2006) and “3 Carnevale e 1/2: Carnevalogia trentina in sketch” (2007).