Carlo Ancelotti stars in Paolo Sorrentino’s new documentary

The Oscar-winning Neapolitan director will shoot an intimate portrait of the Italian coach’s life and career. Two geniuses, two ways of conquering the world, one single story.

There are encounters that go beyond the obvious. When Paolo Sorrentino, the Neapolitan filmmaker who has dazzled the world with works such as The Great Beauty and The Young Pope, turns his gaze toward Carlo Ancelotti, we are not looking at a simple sports documentary. We are witnessing the convergence of two of the most extraordinary minds Italy has given the world in recent decades. Two men who, each from their own field, have redefined what excellence means.

Sorrentino has been fascinated by football his entire life. It is no secret. His film The Hand of God, nominated for an Oscar, drew precisely on that passion to build one of the most intimate and powerful portraits in recent Italian cinema. Now, that love for the beautiful game leads him to Carletto. And the choice could not be more fitting: few figures in the history of football carry as much humanity, depth and untold stories as the coach from Reggiolo.

Five decades of an extraordinary life
The documentary, confirmed at the Cannes market, promises to be an intimate and unprecedented portrait of a five-decade career. From his beginnings as a midfielder at Parma, through Roma and AC Milan, to becoming the most decorated coach in history, with 26 titles and five Champions Leagues won. Archive footage will be interwoven with sequences shot in Italy, Spain and Brazil, culminating in the great stage of this summer: the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Ancelotti himself expressed what this project means to him: “It is an honour to tell my story alongside the great Paolo Sorrentino. I have always admired his masterpieces and his commitment to artful storytelling.”

Italy, at its finest
Behind the camera, a world-class team: Francesco Melzi d’Eril, producer of Guadagnino’s Suspiria, Bones and All and Call Me by Your Name, alongside Tart Productions and MeMo Films. FilmNation handles international sales.
When Sorrentino films, the world pays attention. When Ancelotti speaks, football listens. Together, what is to come promises to be as memorable as everything they have each built apart.