Scripted

OUR FILMS, the Mediawan-owned production company, presents Be Brave, directed by Francesco Carrozzini, out of competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The 85-minute documentary is produced by OUR FILMS and OUR AI, with Lorenzo Mieli, Mario Gianani and Gabriele Immirzi producing.

The film is an unconventional portrait of Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel and OTB, and retraces the vision behind a business and creative career built around provocation, independence and the refusal to follow established rules. The documentary opens with a key moment in Diesel’s international expansion: its arrival in the United States in 1996, when the brand challenged Levi’s on Lexington Avenue in New York. From there, Carrozzini builds the story through interviews with friends, colleagues, artists and creatives who have worked alongside Rosso over the years.

What makes Be Brave particularly distinctive is the use of generative artificial intelligence as a structural element of the film’s visual and narrative language. The production describes the project as its first documentary developed through an extensive use of generative AI, not simply as a technical effect but as a creative tool reflecting Rosso’s own disruptive approach to fashion and communication.

AI was used to reconstruct episodes, environments, archive material and memories that were not available through traditional footage. At the same time, the filmmakers stress that every AI-generated element was developed, checked, refined and integrated by creative professionals, with the technology remaining under full directorial and production control.

The project is entirely Made in Italy and originated from an idea by Lorenzo Mieli, with Francesco Carrozzini directing, Michele Abatantuono and Lara Prando writing, and Roberto Beragnoli serving as Creative AI Director. It was developed with Blackstone, an Italian VFX company specialised in applying AI systems to audiovisual production. Marco Pianigiani served as Senior Creative Producer, while the music is by Ralf Hildenbeutel, cinematography by Matteo Vieille, and editing by Rocco Bernini and Nicole Pagin.

At the heart of the film is also a broader reflection on the relationship between technology and creativity: Be Brave uses AI provocatively, while ultimately placing human vision, passion and imperfection at the centre of the creative process.