Trifole

Our December film that concluded our 12 Season in 2025 was the italian pre-theatrical release, ‘Trifole.” Below are notes from the filmmaker’s statement.

Historical Background

In Italy’s Piedmont region, the rare white truffle hides deep in the forests around Alba. Igor, an aging truffle hunter, faces failing health and vanishing woodlands while struggling to keep pace with the modern truffle market. Into his quiet, tradition-bound world comes Dalia, his 28-year-old granddaughter from London, disconnected from her roots and searching for direction. Tasked with caring for him, their awkward reunion softens as she’s drawn into his passion for truffle hunting—and his world.

When an accounting oversight threatens Igor’s home, Dalia embarks on a quest to find a legendary “lightning-struck” truffle that could save everything. Guided by Igor’s notes and his faithful dog, Birba, she ventures into a magical forest, confronting rival hunters, unexpected danger, and her own awakening sense of purpose. Set against the earthly beauty of Piedmont’s autumn woods and the delirium of Alba’s centuries-old truffle fair, Trifole is a fantastical and profound adventure about family, tradition and finding one’s place in the world.

Trifole probes the enduring ethos of the Langhe, a region where farming and foraging still shape memory and identity. For generations, the white truffle has been a gastronomic delight and a marker of place, family and connection with the land. Set against the earthly beauty of Piedmont’s autumn woods and the delirium of Alba’s centuries-old truffle fair, Trifole is a profound adventure about family, tradition and finding one’s place in the world.

The story of Trifole is steeped in myth and rooted in truth. The filmmakers spent years researching the story by speaking with farmers and foragers, and the script evolved more like documentary than fiction. Igor Bianco exists; Birba the dog is also a real truffle hunter. The fair, the auctions, the truffle princesses and opera singers—all unfold in life and on screen. What emerges is not fantasy,but a portrait of a world both ancient and endangered.

Truffle hunting and extraction in Italy—featuring the skilled tartufai (truffle hunters) and their dogs following centuries-old oral practices—was inscribed in 2021 on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This designation underscores the cultural value and enduring tradition of truffle foraging, which remains a living practice deeply woven into rural life.

Cultural and Historical Roots in Langhe. Langhe, a rolling hilly area in Piedmont’s Cuneo and Asti provinces, is renowned for its white truffles of Alba—an emblem of regional gastronomic heritage alongside celebrated wines and cheeses. Historically, foraging served as a critical food source in a once-impoverished rural landscape, and the region’s terrain and traditions are prominently depicted in the literature of native authors like Cesare Pavese and Beppe Fenoglio.

In Italian, the word for “truffle” is tartufo, however in the Piedmontese dialect of the language, you’ll often hear trifola, where truffle hunters are referred to as trifolao. Trifole takes its title from this translation.

About Birba, the Dog

Born in August 2010 in the Piedmont village of La Morra, Birba was trained by her first owner Aurelio, a skilled and respected trifolau (truffle hunter), who raised her with love and discipline. From a young age, Birba showed exceptional talent and sensitivity, quickly becoming one of the most skilled truffle dogs in the region.

After Aurelio’s sudden passing in 2020, Birba was adopted by Marisa and Franco, who cared for her through her grief. Day by day, she rebuilt her trust and joy through truffle hunting, an activity that became both play and healing. Her new owner discovered not only a loyal companion, but a dog of extraordinary intelligence: Birba could distinguish different truffle species, gently retrieve them without damage, and even help at home by bringing objects like phones, keys, or slippers.

But Birba’s journey didn’t end in the woods, it continued on screen. In 2020, she made her film debut in The Truffle Hunters, which premiered at Sundance and explored the disappearing world of traditional truffle hunting in rural Piedmont.

Then, in 2024, Birba returned to the spotlight with a central role in Trifole; which was released theatrically in Italy and had its international premiere at the Palm Springs Film Festival in January, 2025. Alongside Marisa and Franco, Birba also took part in the Italian promotional tour of the film, winning hearts once again, both in the forest and on the red carpet. With her gentle temperament and intuitive nature, Birba has been called ‘a heart wrapped in soft fur’ and no description could be more accurate.