In 1961 a group of intrepid scientists set off on an expedition to the unspoilt Italian region of Calabria. Hidden in the Pollino mountains lies an uncharted cave.

For the first time, they explored the bottom of the Abisso del Bifurto, which is seven hundred metres deep. Observed by an old shepherd, the speleologists slowly descend into the darkness. Where the shepherd knows the area like the back of his hand, they literally grope in the dark.

In Il Buco, director Michelangelo Frammartino (Le Quattro Volte) masterfully recreates an expedition to the bowels of the earth where time stands still and man and nature merge. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where its mystical beauty was awarded the Jury Prize.