Salvatore Ferragamo To Debut A Film At Venice Film Festival

Tracing the iconic shoemaker’s life path in “Salvatore, Shoemaker of Dreams.”

“That has been my life’s work: striving to learn to make shoes that always fit and the refusal to put my name to any that do not fit.”

Those are the words of maestro Salvatore Ferragamo himself, written in the preface to “Shoemaker of Dreams: The Autobiography of Salvatore Ferragamo.” Today, the Italian luxury goods company is bringing the story full circle with the announcement of a forthcoming documentary film by Luca Guadagnino, set to debut at the 77th Venice Film Festival this coming September.

Titled “Salvatore, Shoemaker of Dreams,” the project is a beautiful tale of a pioneer craftsman whose creative genius remains as unrivaled and timeless to this day. “We were overjoyed to learn that the film about my father’s life would be presented at the Venice Film Festival,” announced Ferruccio Ferragamo. “It is an honor for me and my entire family that a director of Luca Guadagnino’s caliber would take an interest in our family history, adapting it for the big screen.”

In addition to tracing Ferragamo’s artistic journey, the feature tells the story behind the man through the two deeply interwoven worlds that he inhabited: Italy and America. From his birthplace in the Southern Italian region of Campania to the United States; from apprentice shoemaker in Naples to owner of the Hollywood Boot Shop in California. This is the story of a life forever marked by genius and intuition — the very traits that helped him overcome the difficulties he faced along the way.

It all started back in 2017 when Luca Guadagnino got inspired by his reading of Ferragamo’s autobiography and reached out to the Ferragamo family, proposing to make a film out of it. For three years, Fondazione Salvatore Ferragamo, Museo Salvatore Ferragamo and the Ferragamo family worked with the director and screenwriter Dana Thomas, sharing family anecdotes, historical expertise and more.

“What is genius? How does a system begin, be it film or fashion? And how does an intense obsession with the constant search for new ideas and creation meld with tradition and family values? The life of Salvatore Ferragamo (1898-1960), a leading player and observer of the 20th century, is the answer to these questions.”

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