Ivana Masetti’s film Nadro tells the story of writer, poet, storyteller and artist, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré (1923 - 28th January 2014), who developed a multifaceted body of work over sixty years. On 11th March 1948, following a ‘divine vision’, he became Cheik Nadro, the revealer. From that time on he dedicated himself to the mission of passing on what he has learned and exposing the richness of African culture to the world. His creative effirts are all directed toward that goal.

Inspired by the strange stones of Bekora, a village in the west of the Ivory Coast, he invented in 1956 an alphabet which is capable of transcribing all of the world’s languages, and which graphically represents his native language, Bete. Through writing and drawing he has set down legends and ancestral myths. In other writings he displays his poetic thought, which is fraught with mysticism.

Italian Film Director Ivanna Massetti was born in Todi, a small village in Italy where Cheik Nadro’s close friend Alighiero Boetti owned a house and studio. As a child Ivana, with other children, used to spy on this famous man who painted huge canvasses before which they would stand speechless, overwhelmed by their grandeur, their mystery. After meeting Cheik Nadro in 1996 Ivana felt the need to make a film describing this timeless individual, his thoughts, his inner life, his densly significant imagination, his art, his reliousness, his mysticism. Nadro earned awards and high praise in film festivals all over the world. It is studied as an example of excellence in filmmaking at the University of Film and TV in Sydney, Australia.

Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard composed, performed and recorded original music for Nadro. The soundtrack was not commercially released however two compositions became available on Bourke and Gerrard’s cd single The Human Game released on the 4AD label.