Luca Guadagnino surveys the life and work of luxe Italian footwear designer Salvatore Ferragamo in “Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams,” which opens at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Dec. 2.
Continuing is “You Resemble Me.”
“Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams” tells the story of Salvatore Ferragamo who grew up poor in Bonito, Italy, and began his career as a shoemaker before he was barely a teenager. Immigrating to America in 1915 at the age of 16, his work would soon help invent the glamour of Hollywood’s silent era as he created shoes for iconic films including “The Thief of Bagdad” and “The Ten Commandments,” and for stars including Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, many of whom became his friends.
Overcoming a Depression-era setback, Ferragamo rebounded and would define mid-century elegance for performers including Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth and Ingrid Bergman — all while embarking on a love story and warm family life with his wife, Wanda and their six children. In “Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams,” Academy Award-nominated, and BAFTA nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me by Your Name,” “A Bigger Splash,” “Bertolucci on Bertolucci”) tracks Ferragamo’s life from humble beginnings to California and to a storied studio in Florence, Italy. With Emmy-nominated actor Michael Stuhlbarg (“Call Me by Your Name,” “The Shape of Water”) narrating Ferragamo’s 1955 memoir; a trove of 100-year-old archival footage; an extraordinary “shoe ballet” created by stop-motion artist PES; and incisive commentary by Martin Scorsese, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Grace Coddington, Vogue creative director, Todd McCarthy, Variety Film Critic, Wanda Ferragamo and Wanda and Salvatore’s children and grandchildren, “Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams” is a portrait of a man whose vision, passion and craftsmanship made him “shoemaker to the stars,” an architect of Hollywood magic, and an enduring cultural, fashion and artistic influence.
“Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams” is rated PG and is showing through Dec. 15.
“You Resemble Me” wrings harrowing drama out of its fact-based coming-of-age story. The film tells the true story of Hasna Ait Boulahcen, a woman who was falsely accused of being Europe’s first female suicide bomber. Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world. Director Dina Amer takes on one of the darkest issues of our time and deconstructs it in an intimate story about family, love, sisterhood and belonging.
“You Resemble Me” is showing at the Ross through Dec. 8.
Learn more about the films, including show times and ticket availability.
