Alex Ardenti on his film SUPPS: The Movie

The Sports Nutrition Summit in San Diego kicked off the first night on a strong note with producer/director and bodybuilding aficionado Alex Ardenti. The filmmaker presented a condensed version of SUPPS: The movie, a documentary film about the supplements industry.  

“Since 1990, I have been creating advertising content for all the major brands in the industry as a freelancer. This has allowed me to observe the growth of the industry and witness all the major trends while keeping an objective view,” he explained, adding he did not accept any funding for product placement and no one from the supplement industry donated either. 

A two-year project 

Pre-production for SUPPS kicked off in 2017. From the day he announced it on social media, Ardenti said the film took about two years, “mostly because I self-funded it.”  

Speaking to NutraIngredients-USA, Ardenti said making the film made him realize how quickly the industry has grown, “since it wasn’t around before the early 1960s.”

Ardenti began weightlifting as a teenager growing up in Italy, inspired by Joe Weider, Arnold Schwarzeneggar and other big names in sports nutrition. 

By the age of 17, he became the country's youngest Mr. Italy. Ardenti followed that victory by winning the European Junior Bodybuilding Championships at 19 during his tour of duty in the Italian Military Police. 

Setting the stage for the movie SUPPS, Ardeti moved to California to work as an actor, editorial photographer, and filmmaker. In 2007, he founded Ardenti Films, a production company specializing in the health and fitness industry.

Watching the supplement industry evolve firsthand

Ardenti used his fitness background and photography chops to create SUPPS, an entertaining and informative feature length film that lays out the origin and evolution of some of the iconic brands and names in the fitness business. 

Kris Gethin, Ric Drasin and Rehan Jalali were just a few familiar faces captured in the documentary.

“I was surprised at how many people were eager to give me their original story on-camera and how helpful all the interviewees were in the production of the documentary.”

Ardenti said the purpose behind producing the documentary was to show that the vast majority of big brands in the sport supplement industry care a great deal about the quality of the products they put into the market.

“I’d like the audience to appreciate the sport supplement industry a bit more and see how everything evolved throughout the years while having an enjoyable experience watching it. As a filmmaker, I hope they are entertained. ”

Supps: The Movie is available on all digital streaming platforms. 

Stay tuned

Ardenti told us, “I am currently filming a new documentary series called ACCESS MUSCLE that explores the fitness world in its entirety. One of the episodes will be SUPPS 2.0 so stay tuned.”