Inside Giuseppe Tornatore’s Portrait of Brunello Cucinelli, The Gracious Visionary Redefines Fashion Storytelling​

The Gracious Visionary is the new documentary film about Brunello Cucinelli, presented at ROME’s historic Cinecittà Studios, where the magic of cinema has shaped Italian and global film for nearly 100 years. Written and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore, with music by fellow Academy Award winner Nicola Piovani, the film blends documentary and fiction to retrace the life and philosophy of the so‑called “King of Cashmere.”​​

A cinematic tribute at Cinecittà

The film’s premiere at Cinecittà, in ROME, marked the opening of the new Teatro 22, one of the largest and most advanced soundstages in EUROPE, underscoring the project’s ambition and cinematic scale. Guests walked a striking double white carpet illuminated by candle walls and a supermoon backdrop, an atmosphere designed to mirror the documentary’s themes of beauty, harmony, and contemplation.​

For Brunello Cucinelli, presenting his story at Cinecittà carries symbolic weight, connecting his vision of “humanistic capitalism” with a place synonymous with Italian cultural imagination and classic films such as La Dolce Vita and Cleopatra. The event also positions the documentary not as a niche corporate film, but as a major cultural release in the Italian and international cinema calendar.​

Story of a “gracious visionary”

Brunello, il visionario garbato (“Brunello: the Gracious Visionary”) traces Cucinelli’s journey from a childhood in the UMBRIAN countryside to building a global luxury house rooted in the hilltop village of Solomeo. The film intertwines staged scenes—with actor Saul Nanni portraying a young Brunello—with archival footage and contemporary testimony, creating a hybrid between classic documentary and lyrical docu‑drama.

Throughout, the narrative highlights how Cucinelli fused craftsmanship, philosophy, and business, championing the dignity of work, social justice, and respect for people and nature as the pillars of his “capitalism with a soul.” Reviewers describe the tone as openly admiring, even bordering on hagiographic at times, but consistent with the film’s intent to celebrate a “gracious” leader who has kept values at the center of growth.​

Produced by Brunello Cucinelli and Italian partners

The documentary is produced by Brunello Cucinelli S.p.A. and MasiFilm in collaboration with Rai Cinema, reinforcing its dual identity as both an intimate brand portrait and an Italian cinema project. Official materials describe the structure as a symbolic card game between Brunello and a mysterious opponent; as each card is played, a different chapter of his life and work unfolds.​

The film was shot over roughly two years and then edited for about one year to reach its final feature‑length cut, underlining the depth of the archival research and visual reconstruction. After its ROME world premiere on December 4 2025, it was released in ITALIAN cinemas on December 9–11 2025 via 01 Distribution, with international expansion, including English‑language positioning under the title “Brunello: the Gracious Visionary,” expected from 2026.​​

A fashion house with cinematic storytelling

The documentary arrives at a time when Brunello Cucinelli, the brand, continues to grow, surpassing €1.0196 billion in sales over the first nine months of 2025 and projecting full‑year revenue growth of about 11–12% at constant exchange rates. Since opening flagship stores in Milan. In the 1990s, New York, Paris, London, and Hong Kong, the house framed its cashmere-rich collections as vehicles for a broader cultural and ethical message.

In that context, “Brunello: the Gracious Visionary” works as both a cinematic self‑portrait and a philosophical statement, inviting audiences to see fashion not only as a product but as a narrative about community, place, and time.