Ricardo and the Painting

Ricardo et la peinture

26th TIDF: Greek Premiere
In this documentary two true masters intersect. Barbet Schroeder, a filmmaker with a long and prolific career, and Ricardo Cavallo, an exquisite Argentinian painter who has been living and working in France for years. What connects these two men is something beyond a mere appreciation for one another’s art, but a 40-year-old friendship which is palpable, present, tangible throughout every moment in the film. It is an act of love from Barbet to Ricardo, as well as a gesture of extreme generosity from Ricardo to Barbet. The painter, a nearly ascetic hermit, opens up his house, along with a window into his thoughts, his technique, and his ideas for art and life, to his friend who in turn always offers him first choice in all things. Barbet manages to capture the agony and the ecstasy of creation, the grandeur of Ricardo’s work, as well as the disarming simplicity of his life in an understated yet revealing manner. What began as a visit to a friend’s house with a camera at hand, turned into a film that through two years of observation recorded something almost magical. A journey delving into the history of art, and the trajectory of a surprising way of life.
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Barbet Schroeder
Cinematography: Victoria Clay
Editing: Julie Lena
Sound: Elie Peyssard
Music: Hans Appleqvist
Actors: Ricardo Cavallo, Pierre Astier, Philippe Pech de Laclause, Sascha Koshnevis Balkan, Appolinaire Le Vot
Production: Bande à Part Films, Les Films du Losange
Producers: Lionel Baier, Régine Vial, Charles Gillibert
Co-production: RTS Radio Télévision Suisse, Unité des films documentaires, SRG SSR
Co-producers: Steven Artels, Bettina Hofmann
Format: DCP
Color: Color
Production Country: Switzerland, France
Production Year: 2023
Duration: 107'
Contact: Les Films du Losange

Barbet Schroeder

Filmography

1969 More (fiction)
1972 The Valley, Obscured by Clouds (fiction)
1975 Maîtresse (fiction)
1987 Barfly (fiction)
1992 Single White Female (fiction)
1997 Desperate Measures (fiction)
2001 Our Lady of the Assassins (fiction)
2007 Terror's Advocate Jacques Vergès
2014 Amnesia (fiction)
2017 The Venerable W.
2023 Ricardo and the Painting