The Treasure of His Youth: The Photographs of Paolo Di Paolo | Film Screening, Bucharest Photofest 2025

Titolo: The Treasure of His Youth: Paolo di Paolo
Regista: BRUCE WEBER
Cast: PAOLO DI PAOLO
Genere: Documentary
Durata: 1h 45m
Paese: USA, IT
Anno: 2022

The Treasure of His Youth: The Photographs of Paolo Di Paolo tells the story of Italian photojournalist Paolo Di Paolo, whose daughter Silvia discovered over 250,000 photo negatives, prints, and slides in the family basement approximately 20 years ago. These forgotten photographs, taken from the 1950s to the mid-1960s, captured Italy’s post-war cultural renaissance and included intimate portraits of luminaries like Pier Paolo Pasolini, Anna Magnani, Sophia Loren, and Marcello Mastroianni.

Paolo Di Paolo had been one of Italy’s premier photographers before mysteriously walking away from his career at its peak, seemingly without reason. He then became a professor of history and philosophy and was initially reluctant to discuss his photographic past. The documentary follows Weber meeting the 94-year-old Di Paolo and discovering the incredible story of a photographer who captured Italy’s dolce vita era before putting down his camera and turning his back on his artistic life.

The film chronicles Di Paolo’s rediscovery, culminating in his first photography commission in over fifty years—shooting a 2020 Valentino fashion show at age 94.

Bruce Weber (born March 29, 1946 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania) is an internationally acclaimed American fashion photographer and filmmaker. Bruce Weber (photographer) - Wikipedia He studied filmmaking at NYU and was introduced by Diane Arbus to photographer Lisette Model's classes at The New School, where he developed his humanistic photographic approach. Weber became famous for his iconic advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Versace, and Abercrombie & Fitch, with his editorial work appearing in Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, and Rolling Stone. His sun-drenched, nostalgic photographs conveyed a sense of freedom and often featured idealized imagery of youth. As a filmmaker, Weber earned an Academy Award nomination for his 1988 documentary Let's Get Lost, about jazz musician Chet Baker. He has published 53 books and his work has been exhibited in over 90 galleries and museums worldwide, with photographs in the permanent collections of London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the Photography Division of the City of Paris.