Competition 2024
Regional preview
In the heart of Irpinia, human presence is becoming increasingly rarefied and wind turbines are growing in place of wheat. Vito, however, has decided to stay and take care of the Mefite spring, in a relationship that forcefully expresses the precarious balance between human beings and nature.
First preview
Stella sails continuously until she lands on the slopes of a mountain. Here, continuing her journey, she arrives in Pentedattilo, a ghost town in Calabria, and thanks to Rossella and Maka, the only inhabitants of the village, she discovers the ancient practices linked to the rural world. Between known and unknown, the young woman challenges her limits, immersing herself in a lifestyle antithetical to that of the city, in the hope of being able to find answers regarding her future.
Regional preview
As a magical moon creeps in the twilight, different timelines entwine in the town of Manzanillo, located in the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. The youth and the elderly unite and collide in a tale where the town is able to exist as it is: both beautiful and forgotten, mysterious and monotonous. As if in a dream or a memory, mixing a documentary style and science fiction, this story is a search for the complexities of what it means to grow up in a place like Manzanillo.
European Preview
The inhabitants of Cahuasquí, in Ecuador, face the constant threat of losing their territory to mining companies that want to exploit the moorland. A group of local people has decided to prevent their advance by placing a checkpoint on the road, which they call “La Cadena”. This documentary is about a night of the watchmen in the resistance. As the vigil intensifies, they will cheat fatigue, fear, and uncertainty.
Italian Preview
Rumours has it that there are more bicycle thefts in Oslo, than in Paris. Who are they? And why do they make us so mad? When director Simen Braathen discovers that his bike is stolen, an all consuming hunt for the thief begins. With the help of his children they find clues that help them in the further investigation. A series of unexpected events leads to an unusual friendship.
A funny and moving detective film that gives us a new impression of the bicycle owners and thiefs of the city.
Regional Preview
Antarctica (1988): a ship must escape from the grip of the ice to reach Terra Nova Bay.
The Italian icebreaker Laura Bassi, in 2023, follows the same route and reaches the southernmost point on the planet ever reached by a ship.
Four Sicilian folk festivals tell of ancient, spectacular, often little-known traditions and rites that survive precariously, almost always pointed out by the public order as dangerous. In a cyclical alternation of the seasons, the communities involved, whether they are made up of fishermen or farmers, dedicate months of preparatory work to the festivals and find in the days of the celebrations full expression of their collective identity. The ancestral bond with their territory is identified with a precise element of nature, representative of that precise place, with which the people celebrate their essence.
The documentary Romina tells the life of a second-generation young woman, raised in Bologna. Immersed in everyday normality, juggling work, boxing, and evenings with friends, Romina’s life takes a dramatic turn when her mother, Berta, is arrested. The film weaves unexpected challenges, guiding us through Romina’s transformation, as she is compelled to reconsider the meaning of her life. The injustice of the prison system materializes through Berta’s detention, shedding light on a contentious aspect of our society. ‘Romina’ paints a realistic portrait of suburban life, marked by social fragility, precarity, and incarceration.
Italian Preview
The Finnish architect Pekka Helin is assigned to plan a new city for 600,000 people in Nepal.
Mr. Helin is known for his elegant urban modernism. Now, towards the end of his career, he wants to create something “that has never been made before”. The New City should be characterized by green areas, sustainable energy and quality housing, combining tradition with modern styles. A paradise for its inhabitants! Soon enough cultural conflicts arise. The Finns & the Nepalese don’t understand each other. A clash between Western dreams and reality of a poor Asian country emerges. A PLAN FOR PARADISE is an intimate look at the work process of a renowned architect and his closest colleagues. It’s a study on cultural differences and people trying to overcome those differences. The film asks relevant questions – but with a humorous tone.
Italian Preview
Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine is a feature documentary about the legendary—and largely forgotten—Canadian singer and musician who fought for her right to play the slide guitar, a male-dominated instrument in a male-dominated world. Eight months after arriving in Greenwich Village with no prospects, she found herself opening for the biggest blues legends in the world, like Odetta, Richie Havens, and Mississippi John Hurt. But it’s the six magical nights a young fearless redheaded Ellen ignited the stage with Jimi Hendrix that changed the course of her life. Goddess of Slide is an intimate look at a pioneer performer whose road trip to stardom and long career deserves a rightful place in music history.
The film collects and elaborates more than 1500 hours of archive material shot over 25 years by Gianfranco Cabiddu and his crew in the various editions of Time in Jazz, a music festival created and directed by Paolo Fresu in his hometown of Berchidda, Sardinia. Mellara, Rossi and Cabiddu edit the largely unreleased material to compose a concert film spanning almost forty years, a blend of music and places, emotions and memories. A unique cinematic experience, a precious musical legacy.
Regional Preview
A portrait of the community of Erto, a small village in the Dolomites, which 60 years ago suffered a huge human disaster, due to external ambitions and greed, and which still today fights for dignity and recognition. Over more than 10 years, the director filmed the mayor who fights together with his community not to be forgotten by national institutions. Through the voice of Bosco, we see the efforts of the community, which at a certain point is divided because of a project that aims to create a work of art on the dam, at the origin of the disaster: while for the mayor and the art curator it is a way to lift the country and look forward, for some it would be another step to make people forget the tragedy.
Regional preview
“When I see Rome I see my mother. It’s been like this since she died.” One summer evening many years ago: the city is deserted, the final of the soccer world cup is underway. A woman, Teresa, reaches the Tevere river and lets herself go with its current. The abyss swallows her and her daughter Virginia, in the darkness of the night, crosses Rome: she wants to find her and save her.
Virginia must cross the depths of the waters, of history, of myths, of misfortunes and of the vital flashes of a timeless Rome. So she can see her mother again who emerges from the darkness of the Tiber to fly towards Amor, “the planet of care” surrounded by water and where the streets, squares, fountains recall those of Rome and animals are free to roam.
