'' The Tree of Wooden Clogs '' ( ) is a 1978 Italian film written and directed by Ermanno Olmi . The film concerns Lombard peasant life in a '' cascina '' ( farmhouse ) of the late 19th century . It has some similarities with the earlier Italian neorealist movement , in that it focuses on the lives of the poor , and the parts were played by real farmers and locals , rather than professional actors . It won fourteen awards including the Palme d'or at Cannes and the César Award for Best Foreign Film . The original version of the movie is spoken in Lombard ( the Bergamasque variety , an Eastern Lombard dialect )
Cannes
1978 Cannes Film Festival
The Tree of Wooden Clogs