Genre: Drama

Language: Italian with English Subtitles

Director: Davide Ferrario

Cast: Giorgio Passotti, Francesca Inaudi, Fabio Troiano & Francesca Picozza

Released: 2004

Duration: 93 Minutes

Rating: M

Distribution: Palace Films

Berlin International Film festival 2004: Caligari Film and Don Quixote awards; Winner 2005 Italian Academy Award (David di Donatello): Grande Mela plus 8 nominations; Premio Saint-Vincent per il Cinema Italiano 2005: Golden Grolle for Innovation.

The magical Mole Antonelliana in Turin, the building housing the Italian National Museum of Cinema, is the setting and inspiration for an unlikely love story. Gentle, awkward Martino is the timid night guardian. But for Martino this is not just a job. After midnight he has the freedom to roam the Museum at will, satisfying his passion. An avid cinephile he spends his shift watching black and white flickering images of silent movies until day comes, when he retires to an abandoned office high up in the building. But one fateful evening his cocooned existence comes to an end. Martino reluctantly renders aid to Amanda, an enchanting woman on the run from the police. Martino's dreamy kingdom of silent movie characters becomes a sanctuary for Amanda, as she awaits rescue by her car-jacking boyfriend Angel. Martino and Amanda could not be more different. He is used to loneliness – and now he has to share his ‘home’ with a girl. On the other hand, she never thought a dreamland like the Mole could exist. Spellbound by the museum Amanda develops a surprising romantic connection with Martino, who until now has only found companionship in his celluloid dreams.

Love, film citations and subtle commentary about the differences between reality and cinematic fantasy poetically interweave with Ferrario's daring visual imagery to create a unique and touching homage to film.

"A movie that longs for a return to a cinema that rather than marketing, merchandise and corporate synergy, is about the mysteries that flicker to life after the lights go down." Ann Hornaday, Washington Post.

"A loving tribute to the moving image." Robert Dominguez, New York Daily New