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Antonio Bido has always been passionately interested in the cinema, being a member of the CUC (Centro Universitario Cinematografico) in Padua since he was very young. From his early teens he was busy making various shorts such as "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer" (20 min.), and "Day by Day" (40 min.), in 8mm and with sound.
During his university period, he realized two "ante litteram" video clips: "Moto perpetuo"and "Capricci" experimenting with a new technique combining kinetic energy and cinematic art. These two shorts received prizes at various film festivals. Also at university he produced two full length films:
- "DIMENSIONI" and "ALIENO DA"
scripted, directed, photographed and edited by him.Two films "d'auteur" in fact. They both received a lot of recognition at national and international film festivals among which first prize in Montecatini (70 and 71), Salerno (70), Turin (70) and Kelibia (71); they were also regularly inserted in experimental film festivals of the period.

Began his professional life in 1972 as director of photography for various documentaries by Giuseppe Ferrara one of which, LA CITTA' DEL MALESSERE, won the Nastro d'Argento.
Since then he has gained experience in every branch of the entertainment field; from full length films for the cinema to cultural and educational documentaries; theatre and music, and making promo films and tv commercials.
In 1973 (while doing his military service at the cinematographic centre at the Ministry for the Defence) he made a long-short (50'), where he was not only director but also scriptwriter and photographer. The short was called VENTIQUATTRO MESI (24 MONTHS) and won first prize at an international documentary film festival for technical development in the armed forces (Mifed '74).

In 1975 he was first assistant director for Ferrara on "Faccia di Spia" with Mariangela Melato and Adalberto Maria Merli.

Between 1974 and 1980 he directed many other documentaries and was once again also scriptwriter and photographer.These include: "Vita nel Kuwait", "Failaka Islands", "Chivasso -Aosta", "A 300.000 Km al secondo", "Una marcia in più", "Non tutti i pesci vengono a galla", "Angelo Beolco detto il Ruzante", "La volta meravigliosa", "Idrovia Padova-Venezia", "L'isola delle statue", "Praglia, piccolo mondo moderno", "Sordità infantile: un problema?", "Il dì s'appressa", " Da Galileo ai satelliti", "La luce oltre il buio", "Asolo e le sue regine", "il sogno di Icaro", "I cani a scuola", "Il Genio".
He continued to win recognition and prizes and in 1976 CHIVASSO-AOSTA won the Medaglia Anica as best informative documentary at the first National Film Festival for young people in Siracusa.

 

Also in 1976, as Director and Co-Writer, he made the mystery thriller:

IL GATTO DAGLI OCCHI DI GIADA
("Cat with the Jade Eyes" or "Watch me when I kill")

with Corrado Pani, Paola Tedesco, Franco Citti and Bianca Toccafondi.
Produced by Elis-Webi, distributed by P.A.C.


This was followed by another thriller:

SOLAMENTE NERO
("The Bloodstained Shadow")

in 1978 with Lino Capolicchio, Stefania Casini, Craig Hill, Massimo Serato. - Prod. e Distrib. P.A.C. Once again Bido was co-writer as well as director.
"Il gatto dagli occhi di Giada"(one of the most successful Italian thrillers at the box office) and "Solamente Nero", have been distributed all over the world, including America, and have become cult movies among thriller lovers, in fact they can be seen regularly as part of "retrospective" film shows of the genre on an international level.What's more they are often quoted in flattering terms in books specializing on the subject and various websites give a lot of space to them on the internet.Recently they've been re-issued on DVD in the States.AnchorBay did a very good remastering job on "Solamente Nero"("The Bloodstained Shadow") with an interesting interview Antonio Bido gave to Gary Hertz.

Shortly after the success of "Solamente Nero" he was called by Cineriz to direct another thriller but for personal reasons chose not to accept.

Between 1980 and 1983 he directed thirty or so documentaries for institutions, industry and general culture. Once again he received praise and recognition and also gained a few more prizes, notably all of his cultural documentaries won the Ministry of Tourism Quality Prize. While working on a highly spectacular documentary for the Ministry of Defence he enriched his experience by flying on almost every military jet and accumulated 400 flying hours on every kind of helicopter. He also directed impressive scenes with hundreds of men.

A particular nomination was for his documentary PROTAGONISTI DEL CIELO, winner of first prize in its category at an international festival at Lucerne. Here there were more than 30 countries represented and over 80 films selected on the subject of armed forces all over the world. These included the major nations: U.S.A., USSR, CHINA etc. so it was a very prestigious award.

He added another feather to his cap in this period by directing two theatre shows.
"POETA SALTIMBANCO" a recital with Franco Califano which after its première in Turin had a very successful national tour.
PING PONG from a text by Mrozek. It starred Gianfranco Bullo and Patrizia della Chiesa and toured for nearly a year.


In 1983 he directed and co-wrote the ironic and grotesque film:

BARCAMENANDOCI

with Gianfranco Bullo, Isabelle Illiers, Patrizia della Chiesa. - Prod. Enterprise Film Distrib. P.A.C.

Between 1984 and 1986 he concentrated on a number of documentaries the most notable of which were:"Effetto Azzurro" about the famous acrobatic team of military airplanes the "Frecce tricolori". This won the special jury prize at the international film festival of Lucerne in 1986. "San Marco", which won the GRAND PRIX at the same festival and was something of a first as no other Italian film has had that honour, also because America, England and France are usually far and away the leaders in this sector.
Another documentary worth mentioning is MARINAI DEL CIELO which won first prize at the 25th International Festival of Cine-TV documentaries. (Milano Mifed 1986).


In 1986/'87 he directed a sentimental adventure film:

M A K P 100

Interpreted by Cristophe Bouquin, Rosita Celentano, Jonathan Horn.
Produzione Azzurra film, Italiana film, Rete Italia. Distribuzione Medusa.
Shown many times on Mediaset television with high ratings.


In 1989 he was responsible for the second unit and shooting the aerial sequences for the television series "AQUILE" directed by Ninì Salerno (Rai 2).


In 1990/91 came the science-fiction adventure film:

BLUE TORNADO

with an international cast: Dirk Benedict, Patsy Kensit, David Warner, Ted McGinley. Once again he was director and co-writer.
It was distributed worldwide including America and is still seen regularly on important tv stations in Japan, France, Germany, Austria and the US.

After refusing a couple of films which didn't meet with his approval, Bido for various reasons (mostly practical - it was getting more and more difficult to produce films of this nature or 'genre') abandoned the cinema for a period and concentrated his talents on advertising directing commercials for leading companies e.g. Q8 and public institutions. These were produced by Filmaster, BBE Politecne, New Partner, etc.. He also realized many documentaries, in particular VESPRI SICILIANI (anti-Mafia military manoeuvres in Sicily) which won outright the prestigious Primo Premio Assoluto in 1995 - equivalent to the OSCAR FOR FILMS OF A MILITARY NATURE - at the international film festival in Bucharest where participants came from nearly every country in the world.

In 1993/94 he decided to try his hand at television fiction with a miniseries called "CINQUE MESI ALL'INFERNO" for Adriano Ariè at Solaris. This was an ambitious and dangerous project as it was set in Somalia during the war.Bido was ready to direct it and had co-written the script when the new 'powers that be' at the Rai decided it was too risky to shoot in a war zone and the project was shelved.

Bido went back to advertising and to making documentaries without losing sight of his aim to make a tv miniseries. In 1999 he co-writ and directed "VOGLIA DI MARE", a docu-fiction in 12 parts for Telemontecarlo with Salvatore Marino and Paola Rota in the lead roles.
Again in 1999 he was co-writer of a miniseries for the Rai which is still to be produced: "FALSA PARTENZA".

Bido is also a passionate lover of the sea with his own sailing boat. He has collaborated for many years with the magazine Nautica and has realized innumerable innovative navy documentaries on a grand scale (too many to mention). Of these "UNA SQUADRA CHE FUNZIONA" and "INCURSORI" won first prize at the International Festival of Esercito e Popoli in 2002 and 2003, one of the most highly qualified sectors on a world level.

Now,in 2004, together with Marisa Andalò, he has finished co-writing the screenplay of the thriller "IL TARLO DEL MALE" (TheWorm of Evil) which he will also direct.
 
BIBLIOGRAFIA

AAVV, Cine fantastico y de terror italiano, Donostia Kultura, 1997
AAVV, Incubi notturni, Erga edizioni, 1998
AAVV, Le strane occasioni del cinema italiano, Mediateca Regionale Toscana, 1987
A. Bruschini, A. Tentori, Profonde tenebre-Il cinema giallo e thrilling italiano, Granata Press 1992, Mystero/Profondo Rosso 2001
A. Bruschini, A. Tentori, Mondi incredibili-Il cinema fantastico-avventuroso italiano, Granata Press, 1994
A. Bruschini, A. Tentori, Operazione paura-I registi del gotico italiano, PuntoZero, 1997
G.Luca e Giancarlo Castoldi, Il cinema splatter e l'horror di fine millennio, Tarab, 1997
G.Luca e Giancarlo Castoldi, La guida definitiva al cinema splatter, Mystero/Profondo Rosso, vol. primo e vol. terzo, 2004,
M.Colombo, A.Tentori, Lo schermo insanguinato-Il cinema italiano del terrore 1957-1989, Solfanelli, 1990
P.Farinotti - Dizionario dei film, Sugarco edizioni, 1990
M. Giusti, Dizionario dei film italiani Stracult, Sperling & Kupfer, 1999
E. Lancia, Dizionario del cinema italiano-I film vol. 6 dal 1990 al 2000, Gremese, 2001
G.Mistretta, R. F. Esposito, M.Monteleone, Fantasmi di luce, Mystero/Profondo Rosso, vol. quinto, 2002 e vol. decimo, 2004
A. José Navarro, El giallo italiano, Nuer, 2001
L. Palmerini, G. Mistretta, Spaghetti Nightmares, M&P edizioni, 1996
R. Poppi, Dizionario del cinema italiano-I registi dal 1930 ai giorni nostri, Gremese, 1993
R. Poppi, M. Pecorari, Dizionario del cinema italiano-I film vol. 4 dal 1970 al 1979, Gremese, 1996
R. Poppi, Dizionario del cinema italiano-I film vol. 5 dal 1980 al 1989, Gremese, 2000
L. Rea, I colori del buio-Il cinema thrilling italiano dal 1930 al 1979, I.M.E., 1999
L., L.e M. Morandini, il Morandini, Dizionario dei film, Zanichelli, 2000
G.P.Brunetta, Storia del cinema italiano - Vol. quarto - Editori riuniti 2001

 
 
   

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