The documentary film "Il Mecenate" (The Patron) by Massimiliano Finazzer Flory, produced by the Augusto Rancilio Foundation, is headed to the United States for two screenings.
On Monday, November 3 it will premiere at the Italian Cultural Institute in Miami, Florida, and on Wednesday, November 5 at 6:30 p.m. it will be shown at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The film draws inspiration from the legacy of Leonardo da Vinci and his Codex Atlanticus, exploring the life of what is considered the first modern patron of the arts, Galeazzo Arconati. Arconati serves as an enduring model of values and civic engagement - not only for art lovers in Italy, but for American philanthropists as well. The documentary features filming at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana and highlights the works of Leonardo. Among the interviewees is Pietro Marani, one of the foremost experts on the Renaissance master.
The goal of The Patron is to promote high-quality cultural tourism toward Italian art destinations, specifically Villa Arconati, which was established by Galeazzo Arconati in order to house his precious collection of artworks and ancient sculptures.
Meanwhile in the U.S., Finazzer Flory is also wrapping up filming on another documentary at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy in Washington. This project, titled Operation Bathyscaphe Trieste, tells the epic story of January 23, 1960, when Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh piloted the bathyscaphe Trieste to the deepest point on the planet - 10,916 meters below sea level. The documentary features not only the children of the two pilots, Bertrand Piccard and Kelly Walsh, but also Italian eyewitnesses of the historic mission, which began in 1953 and involved locations such as Trieste, Monfalcone, Castellammare di Stabia, Capri and Ponza. Operation Bathyscaphe Trieste is scheduled for release in American and Italian theaters at the end of January 2026.
