Authors:
Francesca Cassanelli
Anna Chiari
Maria Elena Franceschini
Bianca Montanaro
Genre: Docuseries
Format: 6 episodes, 52 minutes each
The eyes of the guardians watch over and protect places that appear desolate and forgotten around the world. Amid rarefied atmospheres, suspended time, and extraordinary natural landscapes, these silent custodians of the earth lead solitary lives.
SECOND SEASON
We will follow the footsteps of six new characters. From the most famous Parisian cemetery, we will be guided by the call of the muezzin in the mosque of Fès, witness the passing of every hour in the Swiss night of Lausanne, enter the mysterious night of the Suicide Forest, observe the creation of figurines that guard Thai temples, and finally travel into the sacred lakes of Siberia.
By following the lives of these guardians, we will gain a deeper understanding of modernity—one from which they are, in some ways, excluded, and which they therefore manage to illuminate. Their testimony embodies the survival of a role that will never disappear, despite the encroachment of technology. Through them, we will understand more about modern spirituality, the contradictions of a frantic life, the eternal triumph of the human hand over the robotic, and the reasons why.
Episodes:
1- The Guardian of Père-Lachaise
2 – The Guardian of the Suicide Forest
3 – The Muezzin of Fès
4 – The Night Watchman of Lausanne Cathedral
5 – The Creator of Sacred Guardians in Thailand
6 – The Shaman of the Sacred Lake — the Last of the Ostyaks
EPISODE STRUCTURE
• Opening credits + Reporter intro: already on location (0:00–0:05)
• Guardian introduction in their environment: establishing shots + morning ritual with voice-over from interviews
(0:05–0:11)
• Alternating interviews (only guardian’s answers), guardian’s activities, location shots, and moments of interaction/
conviviality. Topics: nature of the job, family and social ties, hobbies/leisure, solitude, technology. Here the reporter
interacts with the guardian (0:11–0:45).
• Reporter’s closing remarks (0:45–0:48).
• Guardian’s closing scene: most emblematic image of their role + wide shot of the guardian + close-up of their eyes
(0:48–0:51).
• End credits (0:51–0:52).
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Each story will begin with a brief introduction by the reporter, who will then fade into the background, leaving space and voice to the true protagonists: the guardian and the extraordinary natural landscapes surrounding them. Nature will act as a co-protagonist of the narratives. Through wide shots, we will portray the places where these characters live; through close-ups, we will reveal their daily routines. Most of the footage will be shot on a tripod, to create static, fixed images consistent with the suspended, rarefied atmosphere. These will be alternated with drone shots, representing the elevated perspective of the guardians themselves.
The reporter’s role will serve only as a frame to the narration, reappearing briefly before the end, after which the focus returns to the guardian—alone once again before the vastness of the place they watch over. The narrative will close with a wide shot of the character blending into the landscape, followed by a close-up of their eyes.
Reporter
- Paul Salopek: journalist and writer (National Geographic, Out of Eden Walk), traveler, expert in environmental and social issues.
- Adele Tulli: anthropologist, filmmaker, and documentarian, attentive to social themes.
- Erika Cuéllar: Bolivian biologist, National Geographic explorer.
VISUAL AND NARRATIVE REFERENCES
The Story of God (National Geographic Channel)
The Trader (Tamta Gabrichidze)
For Ever (Alina Marazzi)
Into Great Silence (Philip Gröning)
The Night I Swam (Damien Manivel)
