‘Mister Universo - Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel’

Tairo is a tamer of ferocious animals who one day loses his talisman, a small piece of iron bent by Arthur Robin (Mister Universo, - the World's Strongest Man), which he has carried with him since childhood. And so begins a journey through the provincial circuses of Italy in search of his good luck charm. It is a journey marked by encounters with family members, through which he rediscovers his own life and celebrates being part of a world on the margins. Directed by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel and screened as part of the Close-up dedicated to them, Mister Universo was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize and received a Special Mention at the Locarno Film Festival in 2016.

Born in Bolzano in 1971, Tizza Covi lived in Paris and Berlin before studying photography in Vienna. She then moved to Rome, where she thrives as a photographer. Rainer Frimmel was born in Vienna the same year, where he also studied photography. Sharing his passion with Tizza, they combined their talents in 2002 to found Vento Films, an independent production company. Since then, their collaboration has been crowned with success, with their films winning numerous awards at prestigious festivals such as the Berlinale, Locarno, Cannes (Directors' Fortnight) and Cinéma du Réel Paris. In their work, which ranges from documentary to fiction, photography has a special place. Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel also regularly work with non-professional actors, who are invited to take part in a fictional story while playing themselves.