It’s no secret that Gabriel Omar Batistuta, the BatiGol of Fiorentina, has a love affair with Florence and with the “viola” fans. The novelty is that the Antica Torre Tornabuoni was chosen as one of the scenarios to tell this “love story” in the Docufilm El Numero Nueve, a Sense Media production by the director Pablo Benedetti. He is the narrating voice in the history of Gabriel: as a man, as a sportsman and as an unforgettable myth.

In order to have a clear idea of what we will see on the big screen, we asked Pablo Benedetti to tell us a little about the inspiration and then the realization of El Numero Nueve. This is the exclusive interview he gave us:

Why did you choose the Antica Torre Tornabuoni as one of the sets of your documentary? What could you tell us about this medieval palace?

Pablo Benedetti – I chose this location because I was looking for a new place, something that was not too obvious and that revealed an original point of view of the city. The tower is a fascinating place that allows you to observe Florence at 360 degrees, the same philosophy of the narrative system of my story, that wants to show Batistuta in every new aspect, both human and sporty.

The building absorbs you and evokes a feeling of family art, immersing yourself in such a genuine and strong splendor, a place no easy to live without suffering its effect. All the environments involve you and relax, magically free you from every modern distraction as today is a simple smartphone, making you free to enjoy thoughtless what surrounds you. Above all the Tower where I wanted to recreate an intimate relation between Gabriel and Irina, in the moment of a breakfast marked by a suspended time. The intimacy of a table for two lit by a sun that can wrap and warm the tones of Florence, a unique panorama interrupted on the horizon by Brunelleschi’s Dome, which you can touch with a finger from the top of that tower. The real magic for the spectator is to feel involved in a fascinating scenario.

Batistuta has a beautiful love story not only with Florence but also with the Florentines. What are the most important moments of this enduring and passionate relationship, from your point of view?

In all the love stories you always remember the first day, the butterflies in the stomach and the glow of that light that you will never forget. When you fall in love with someone or something, you never forget the details, the things you watch and observe on the first day will catch you until you fall in love. In my vision shared with Bati, I narrate that first meeting which contains in itself unique moments that make us humanly divine; Bati shared with Florence and the Florentines the birth of his children, the growth of his family and the personal one, the road that led him to be a man; so values ​​like friendship, sense of belonging, the willpower ended in altruism, as well as the simple happiness to deal with everyday life. Bati is Argentinian and loves his land, his people and his origins, but Florence and the Florentines are a second home for him, and a second family with whom he shared joy but also difficulties, what led him to success, happiness that once matured becomes eternal, unforgettable. You never say goodbye, but always say goodbye.

What can we expect from the documentary El Numero Nueve? Can you tell us a little about what we could see on the big screen?

I usually talk a lot, but to a question like this, beautiful and very intimate, I prefer to oblige myself to say a little. Why? For the simple fact that I need to tell through images, emotions, times stretched in a rhythm more congenial to me than words can be. I will tell you what you want to see according to your perception and life experience. What you can expect from the documentary is a discovery for yourself through a special person, because it is the people that no one imagines that eventually do something unimaginable. Bati is one of them.

When will the documentary be released?

Another difficult question to answer … you always know when you start a documentary, but you cannot oversee the navigation to the goal, you must follow the creativity and the opportunities that happen to you to do your job better. But if I must answer in a production level, the idea is to end it in 2019, maybe with a nice preview at an important Festival in Italy, and obviously a special screening for Florence.