In the autumn of 2024, Marco Paolini staged Mar de Molada, a performance exploring the connection between water and land through the story of hydrological and geological transformations in the Veneto region. In four open-air, itinerant performances, from the Marmolada to the Adriatic, Marco Paolini wove together storytelling, science and poetry to raise awareness about the urgent need for sustainable water resource management. The documentary film of the same name, directed by Marco Segato, follows the artistic process behind the performance, bringing to life the relationship between landscape, theatre and civic awareness — a longstanding focus of the Venetian artist’s work.
Written and directed by Marco Segato, the film features cinematography by Lorenzo Pezzano CCS, editing by Tomaso Semenzato, original music by Giovanni Frison, and sound by Alberto Cagol and Marco Zambrano. It is produced by Jole Film.
We asked Lorenzo Pezzano for a cinematographer’s note on the project:
“Mar de Molada marks my second collaboration as cinematographer on a project featuring Marco Paolini and directed by Marco Segato, following our previous work on La fabbrica del mondo in 2022. The documentary traces the creative process that led Marco Paolini to stage a performance exploring the relationship between water and land, through the story of hydrological and geological transformations in the Veneto region. Documenting this artistic journey, between the summer and autumn of 2024, required a kind of total immersion that went beyond a purely technical approach. It became a travel diary that involved every crew member in an active role, capturing rehearsals and meetings with the many artists involved. One of the main challenges was achieving visual consistency, often in situations we had little control over. We also always aimed to preserve spontaneity, making ourselves as unobtrusive as possible. I sought to maintain this visual continuity mainly through composition, favouring foregrounds and elements that could enrich the frame, and always looking for the best angle of light. I chose to shoot with a Red Komodo camera paired with compact DZO Film zoom lenses — a solution that allowed for agility without compromising image quality, and gave me broad flexibility during colour correction. With a minimal lighting setup (HMI and LED), I was able to recover depth in more critical indoor settings. For the recordings of the travelling performances, where a second camera was added, I could count on the valuable support of my friend and fellow DoP, Francesco Giacomel CCS.”
The first screening of Mar de Molada is scheduled for 26 April at the Trento Film Festival.
Cinematographer and camera operator: Lorenzo Pezzano CCS
Second camera operator: Francesco Giacomel CCS
Camera assistant: Antony Reolon
Drone operator: Claudio Zavagno
Technical supervisor: Marco Busetto
