"Profondo Nero" conquers the US: the only Italian work at the 2025 Seattle Hip Hop Film Festival.

Standing ovations overseas for Profondo Nero, the music video directed by Sardinian director Roberto Pili and produced by Francesco Pili, the only Italian work selected for the 2025 Seattle Hip Hop Film Festival.

This recognition elevates Italy's reputation on the international scene of hip hop and independent cinema, within the history-filled walls of Washington Hall, the heart of Seattle's urban culture.

The work – inspired by the story of Sardinian writer Davide Lai, aka NERO – delves into the depths of mental health and the power of art as a path to rebirth.

A visual and audio narrative that intertwines introspection and rebellion, darkness and light. The soundtrack, a previously unreleased track of the same name, features the powerful compositions of Danno (Colle Der Fomento) and DJ Ice One, legends of the Italian hip hop scene, and resonates with the footage shot in Cagliari, Rome, and Lido di Ostia.

The screening, enthusiastically received by the American public, took place at Washington Hall, a historic space built in 1908 and now home to 206 Zulu, an organization that promotes Hip Hop as a language of inclusion and community.

"Being the only Italian work in a festival of this caliber is a significant recognition," the Pili brothers say. "Profondo Nero was created to give voice to the darkness within, but also to show how it can transform into awareness and art."