My Birthday, a Documentary Premiere, and a Simple Invitation

It’s not easy to explain what I do.

Circus arts.
Play.
Yoga.
Personal growth.
Community building.
Listening.

Yet what matters most to me can’t really be explained.
It has to be experienced.

A few days ago, I watched, for the first time, the documentary that the filmmaker Sara Pozzoli has made about the Giocosamente Festival.

After months of working on it one afternoon Sara asked me,
“Do you want to watch it? I need your feedback.”
”Now??”
”Yes!”

I sat next to her. Nervous and excited.
We pressed play.

I watched it with the awe of a small child and was deeply moved.
And at the same time I also felt deeply grounded. Centered. Happy.

For the first time, I felt that what I am building isn’t fragile or vague.
It has substance.
It’s real.
It’s embodied.

I often talk about play, community, listening, and vitality after 50.
But seeing all of this told from another perspective made me realise it’s not just an idea in my head.

It’s something that lives.

For me, play is saying yes to life.

Saying yes even when it would be easier to become harder, more serious, more bureaucratic.
Saying yes to staying open.
Saying yes to energy, even as we age.

Tomorrow I turn another year in my 50s.
I’ve been living these years with taste, with substance, without pretending to be a young man again—but without giving up strength, joy, or curiosity.

And that’s why I thought watching this documentary could be a lovely way to share my birthday with you.

From tomorrow, February 23, until March 1, it will be available online for free (link below).
It’s less than 20 minutes long.

If you feel like it, find a quiet moment tomorrow evening and watch it all the way through.
And if it moves you, you could leave a comment under the video.
Or share it with someone who you think might enjoy it.

For me, the most precious thing this film shows is that this vitality is real.

There are people who, even with responsibilities and commitments, have not given up their openness, curiosity, or presence.

In a world that often values efficiency and control above all, this might seem unusual.
But it’s not an idea. It’s real. It’s visible.

And this film shows it.

It shows that it’s possible to say yes to life, even now.

The documentary is in Italian, with English subtitles - you need to click on the CC button, bottom right on YouTube.

You can watch it here:

Thank you to those who have been there.
Thank you to those who are here.
Thank you to those who will be there.

Anthony