Umberto Eco: A Library of the World

a film by Davide Ferrario
2022, 80 minutes

Poster

Synopsis

A documentary immersion into all things Eco, Davide Ferrario’s film takes us on a tour of Umberto Eco’s private library, guided by the author himself. Combining new footage with material he shot with Eco in 2015 for a video installation for the Venice Biennale, Ferrario documents this incredible collection and the man who amassed it. As Eco leads us among the more than 50,000 volumes and his family reflects on his legacy, we also gain insight into the library of the mind of this vastly prolific and original thinker.

Reviews

"Umberto Eco: A Library of the World celebrates the man and his many bookshelves... a diverting and often enlightening pursuit."
-Nicolas Rapold, The New York Times

"Lively and engaging...The best way to explore Eco’s world is via his actual body of work, and this picture made me want to revisit some of his literary labyrinths immediately."
-Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com

"A timely epistemological rumination on the difference between knowledge and information, the relationship between memory and technology."
-Slant

"An affirming experience for those who line their living spaces with physical media in one form or another, Ferrario’s film also offers an apt memorial to Eco the avuncular public intellectual."
-Screen Slate

Press Materials

High Res Stills and Press Kit
Press Release

Where to watch

Playdates

June 30: Film Forum - New York, NY

Jul 7-10: Guild Cinema - Albuquerque, NM
Jul 14-20: Smith Rafael Film Center - San Rafael, CA
Jul 19-23: Dairy Arts Center - Boulder, CO
Jul 21-23: Portland Museum of Art - Portland, ME
Jul 22: Cleveland Cinematheque - Cleveland, OH
Jul 23: The Beverly Theater - Las Vegas, NV
Jul 28: New Plaza Cinema - New York, NY
Jul 28: Lark Theatre - Larkspur, CA

Aug 5-6: Oklahoma City Museum of Art - Oklahoma City, OK
Aug 12-13: Theatre N - Wilmington, DE
Aug 14-15: Laemmle Theaters - Los Angeles, CA
Aug 18: Lumiere Cinema - Los Angeles, CA

Sept 1-7: Amherst Cinema - Amherst, MA
Sept 1-7: Rose Theatre - Port Townsend, WA
Sept 3-6: Belcourt Theater - Nashville, TN
Sept 15-21: Upstate Films/Starr - Rhinebeck, NY
Sept 25-Oct 11: Dietrich Theater - Tunkhannock, PA

Oct 20-29: Vermont Int'l Film Festival - Burlington, VT
Oct 26-27: Lincoln Theater - Damariscotta, ME

Festivals & Awards

Official Selection - Rome Film Festival

Trailer

Related Films

Primo Levi's Journey

Davide Ferrario