“Reality is always original in the way it shows itself”. On the occasion of receiving the Pardo d’onore 2004, self-taught filmmaker and impassioned teacher Ermanno Olmi talks about the storytelling, vision and working method that made him one of the most acclaimed Italian auteurs of recent times. In clear and simple terms, he explains how to forget the medium and learn to use one’s gaze and curiosity to draw inspiration from reality, avoid the vicious circle of “film for film’s sake” and achieve genuine originality.