Eni "Special Partner" at Los Angeles Film, Fashion and Art Fest

Directed by Giuseppe Ferrara, commentary by Leonardo Sciascia. Edition: 1964, color.

The oil discovered in Sicily by Agip, induced Eni, in keeping with the policies of intervention in the south, to construct a large petrochemical plant in Gela. These were the years of that impressive migration from the South of the country to the large cities of the North, which caused a deep economic and cultural transformation never before experienced in Italy. Alongside extraordinary economic results, this process produced unavoidable contradictions in the new social set-up. This climate can be felt in the documentary. A strong, constant inspiration, - in the commentary by Leonardo Sciascia - allows the director to describe the construction of the plant, presenting, with great sensitivity, the theme of necessary industrial development versus the strong values of a culture which does not want to lose its roots.

An interview with Giuseppe Ferrara

A  film, directed by Valentino Orsini, with the collaboration of Tonino Guerra for the script. 1984, color.

The film shows the reconstruction of the ICAM ethylene plant in Priolo, Sicily, after the fire of May ‘85. We do not need to introduce the authors, especially the Taviani brothers. We have already met them, when very young, together with the great director Ivens, on the set of Italy is not a poor country. From that first extraordinary experience with Eni, twenty-five years ago, things have radically changed in Italy, even the way the cinema looks at the world of labor and private enterprise has changed. The Priolo plant was rebuilt in the record time of eleven months. This was possible due to special technologies, to the cooperation of various Italian companies and to the great commitment of Eni's workers. Like the reconstruction, the documentary proceeds fast in the narration of the enterprise. The musician Lucio Dalla composed a piece of music for the soundtrack.

An interview with Tonino Guerra

Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. Edition: 1984, color.

In this film, Gillo Pontecorvo, one of the internationally most acclaimed directors, depicts an exemplary portrait of Agip, a successful company constantly operating on the world scene. The shots in this extraordinary documentary narrate a fascinating course, always set in different times and space, in environments and places which identify an extremely broad and border-free range of action.  A field as big as the world, in which men, cultures, and different experiences merge in the daily effort of "energy hunting". Agip - the film shows - goes wherever energy is, in the sea or in the earth, taking there its men and technologies, with a constant will to cooperate, which has always been one of the major reason for its success.

An interview with Gillo Pontecorvo