Luca Guadagnino‘s Salvadore: Shoemaker of Dreams, a two-hour biopic of legendary shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo, will screen out of competition at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. Ferragamo makes hand-crafted luxury shoes for people who value style and comfort. The business is based in Florence.

Wiki excerpt: “The company is owned by the Ferragamo family, which in November 2006 included Salvatore’s widow Wanda, five children, 23 grandchildren and other relatives. There is a rule that only three members of the family can work at the company, which has prompted fierce competition.”

Luca’s film is about the journey of the founder, who was born in Benito, Italy in 1898 and died in 1960 — only 62. Not the brand or the family business (which also manufactures watches, perfumes, handbags, eyewear, silk accessories and a ready-to-wear clothing line) but the man. The second YouTube clip is from Luca’s film.

No one is more admiring of Italian shoemakers than myself, especially in the realm of brown suede lace-ups. I bought my first pair of Bruno Magli Oxfords in Venice 20 years ago, and while my all-time favorite Bruno Magli suede lace-ups were ruined by a thoughtless West Hollywood shoe repair guy, I still have them in my closet. And yet my current suede favorites were made by Wolf and Shepherd.

I’ve bought Italian-made shoes that cost $350 or so, but some of Ferragamo’s Oxford lace-ups run $1500. Good Lord!