PRESS RELEASE

The 15th edition of Bif&st-Bari International Film&TV Festival will take place from Saturday 16th to Saturday 23rd March 2024 – under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic – promoted and financed by the Puglia Region through Puglia Promozione, produced by the Apulia Film Commission Foundation and directed by its creator Felice Laudadio. Bif&st also benefits from the support of the Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Bari and some private sponsors.

The program includes over 130 events over 8 days including screenings, cinema lessons, meetings, conferences, tribute to Marco Bellocchio, with the participation of 18 films from around fifteen countries around the world and dozens more Italian films which will be presented in the Petruzzelli, Piccinni and Kursaal Theatres while the Margherita Theatre will host workshops, press conferences, meetings on cinema and books.

PETRUZZELLI THEATRE

8 films are scheduled in the non-competitive section of the “International Premieres”, all (except one) absolute Italian premieres just like the 12 films in the competitive “International Panorama” section.

International Premieres

The artistic direction of Bif&st was hit by an unexpected avalanche of international films that applied by the deadline of January 15th. The selection commission has not yet finished seeing them all to choose the last two films to be included in this section. They will be announced later at the end of the work.

Two wonderful actresses, Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, are the protagonists of May December by Todd Haynes (distributed by Lucky Red) based on the Oscar-nominated screenplay by Samy Burch: this is one of the reasons – together with the excellent performances of Portman and Moore and the director’s talent – for which we chose the film for the opening night on March 16th. Danish director Lone Scherfig is the author of La contadora de peliculas (The Movie Teller), a French-Spanish-Chilean film, starring Bérénice Bejio and Daniel Brühl (18 March). In competition at the next Berlin Film Festival, Another End by Piero Messina with Gael García Bernal and, again, Bérénice Bejo (Indigo Film/01 Distribution) will have its Italian premiere on March 19th. Une affaire d’honneur (The Edge of the Blade) with Roschdy Zem and Doria Tillier is the most recent film directed by Vincent Perez, and starring him, scheduled for the evening of the 20^th. We have invited Perez, who will receive the Federico Fellini Award for Cinematic Excellence and who will be in Bari with the film’s screenwriter. Vincent Perez will hold a masterclass after the screening of another powerful film he directed, Alone in Berlin, starring Oscar winner Emma Thompson, Brendan Gleeson and Daniel Brühl. On the 22nd it will be the turn of two sacred monsters of British cinema, Michael Caine and the great actress Glenda Jackson who recently passed away, winners each of two Oscars, bringing to life on the screen the exciting story told in The Great Escaper by Oliver Parker (Lucky Red). Grand music finale, on the 23rd, with the intriguing first work of Margherita Vicario (granddaughter of the actress Rossana Podestà and of the film director Marco Vicario), author of a film of surprising directorial maturity, Gloria!, with Galatea Bellugi, Carlotta Gamba, Elio and Paolo Rossi, second Italian film chosen in competition by the Berlinale (Tempesta/Rai Cinema/01 Distribution).

International panorama

The jury composed of the film critics Maurizio Porro (president), Fabio Ferzetti and Federico Pontiggia, the producer Elisabetta Olmi and the actress Iris Peynado will confer three awards to the best director, the best actress and the best actor chosen from the 12 films of the “International Panorama” competition. On March 17: Je verrai toujours vos visages (All Your Faces) by Jeanne Herry with Leïla Bekhti, Élodie Bouchez and Miou-Miou (France) and Retour en Alexandrie (Back in Alexandria) by Tamer Ruggli with Fanny Ardant and Nadine Labaki (France/Switzerland/Egypt). On the 18th: Gondola by Veit Helmer (Germany/Georgia) and Sous le tapis by Camille Japy with Ariane Ascaride and Bérénice Bejo (France). On the 19th: Calladita by Miguel Faus presented by Steven Soderbergh, with Ariadna Gil (Spain) and The G by Karl R. Hearne with Dale Dickey (Canada). On the 20th: Body Odyssey by Grazia Tricarico, the penultimate film starring Julian Sands before his tragic death (Italy/ Switzerland) and Natasha’s Dance by Jos Stelling (Netherlands/Germany). On the 21st: El salto (Jumping the Fence) by Benito Zambrano (Spain/France) and Baltimore by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor (Ireland/Great Britain). Finally, on the 22nd: La tartaruga by Fabrizio Nardocci with Nello Mascia, Antonello Fassari and Anna Ferruzzo (Italy) and Stella. Ein leben (Stella. A Life) by Kilian Riedhof (Germany/Austria) with Paula Beer, one of the most popular young German actresses on the rise. Almost all film directors will be at Bif&st in person.

ItaliaFilmFest/The Best of the Year

The Petruzzelli Theatre will also host screenings of the films from the ItaliaFilmFest/The Best of the Year section that have won the awards – assigned by the Bif&st critics’ jury – which will be conferred during the gala evenings. Sergio Rubini, winner of the Alberto Sordi award for best supporting actor, and Luca Bigazzi, winner of the Giuseppe Rotunno award for best cinematography for Felicità by Micaela Ramazzotti, will inaugurate the morning Meetings at Petruzzelli on March 16th with the public and press after the screening of their film. Then, one day after another: Io Capitano by Matteo Garrone, winner of the Mario Monicelli award for best director and the Fellini Award for Cinematic Excellence, will be presented, which at the end of the screening on Sunday 17 March will discuss it with the public and press together with Andrea Farri, Ennio Morricone award for the film’s music. It will be followed by C’è ancora domani by Paola Cortellesi, winner of the Ettore Scola prize for the directorial revelation which she greatly appreciated. If Cortellesi manages to find a free day in her intensive tour – for the release of her film in Europe – she will discuss it with Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Gangarossa, winners of the Franco Cristaldi award for best producer, and with Alberto Moretti, Piero Tosi award for costumes. Giorgio Diritti and his co-screenwriter Fredo Valla, winners of the Furio Scarpelli award for best screenplay, will speak after the screening of Lubo directed by Diritti. Best editors, and therefore Roberto Perpignani Award for Francesca Calvelli and Stefano Mariotti for Rapito by Marco Bellocchio which will be presented during the tribute dedicated to the great director. The best supporting actress winner of the Alida Valli award who will speak after the screening of Il Sol dell’avvenire by Nanni Moretti is Barbora Bobulova. And lastly, the two leading actors: Alba Rohrwacher, Anna Magnani award for Mi fanno male i capelli by Roberta Torre (22 March) and Pierfrancesco Favino, Vittorio Gassman award for Comandante by Edoardo De Angelis (23) who will talk to the public and press after the screening of their films.

 

​ PICCINNI THEATRE

ItaliaFilmFest/Nuovo cinema italiano

There are 8 films in world premiere (except one in national premiere), selected from many dozens of Italian films, which will be evaluated by an audience jury made up of 24 spectators and chaired by Donatella Palermo (producer among others of Tano da morire and Le favolose by Roberta Torre, Lettere dal Sahara by Vittorio De Seta, Le ombre rosse by Francesco Maselli, Maraviglioso Boccaccio by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Fuocoammare and Notturno by Gianfranco Rosi, Leonora addio by Paolo Taviani and upcoming Didi by Edoardo Winspeare). These are the titles in competition scheduled at 6.30pm with a repeat the following day: La seconda vita by Vito Palmieri with Marianna Fontana; Zamora by Neri Marcorè with Alberto Paradossi, Marta Gastini and Marcorè himself; La casa di Ninetta written and directed by Lina Sastri who also stars in it with Maria Pia Calzone and Angela Pagano; Sottocoperta by Simona Cocozza with Antonio Folletto and Maria Pia Calzone; Gli agnelli possono pascolare in pace by Beppe Cino with Maria Grazia Cucinotta and Massimo Venturiello; Lola Blue by Eleonora Grilli with Cinzia Cordella; Animali randagi by Maria Tilli with Giacomo Ferrara, Andrea Lattanzi, Ivan Franek and Agnese Claisse; and finally Il mio posto è qui by Cristiano Bortone and Daniela Porto, with Ludovica Martino and Marco Leonardi.

 

ItaliaFilmFest/Doc

In this non-competitive section, these 9 documentaries will be presented as absolute premieres: Kalavría by Cristina Mantis; Pretendo l’inferno by Eugenio Ercolani (about Luc Merenda); Flora by Martina De Polo; C’era una volta il Derby Club  by Marco Spagnoli; Eleonora Abbagnato. Una stella che danza by Irish Braschi; La canzone di Aida by Giovanni Princigalli, a work dedicated to the great sociologist Franco Cassano; E tu slegalo by Maurizio Sciarra (about Franco Basaglia); Approdi by Lorenzo Scaraggi; Pattini e acciaio by Rossella De Venuto.

Two short films are also planned: Coupon. Il film della felicità by Agostino Ferrente and Porajmos. In memory of the Roma and Sinti Holocaust by Giovanni Princigalli.

 

Cinema&Science. Stardust

In this now consolidated section of Bif&st curated by Orsetta Gregoretti and Silvia Mattoni, six morning meetings will be hosted (from 18 to 23 March) which will follow the screenings of films and documentaries. Meetings dedicated, in particular but not only, to secondary school students and students of the Aldo Moro University and the Polytechnic of Bari. Each day will have a thematic focus. It will begin on March 18 with Iride and her brothers with the participation of Giovanni Sylos-Labini, CEO of Planetek Italia, moderator Marco Spagnoli. On the 17th we will talk about Martian Gardens with the scientist Alberto Battistelli, research director of the CNR, and with the scientific journalist Lorenzo Pinna, author of tv program Superquark, who the following day will be busy discussing with the scientist Ettore Perozzi, senior scientist of the Italian Space Agency, of Space debris. On March 21st it will be the turn of astrophysicist and science communicator Gianluca Masi to deal with the Science of the sky after the screening of the film Galileo by Liliana Cavani. Stars and comets are the topic that will be addressed on March 22nd by the scientist Marcella Marconi, research director of the Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory (Inaf) and the following day (March 23rd) we will talk about the fascinating topic The Moon with other scientists and science popularizers.

 

KURSAAL SANTALUCIA THEATRE

History, memory. Tribute to Marco Bellocchio

The great director Marco Bellocchio has chosen 16 of his films, to be presented, two each day, at the Kursaal Theatre from 16 to 23 March. Between one film and another Bellocchio – accompanied by the critic Enrico Magrelli – will talk about his work as a screenwriter, director and producer, retracing these films: I pugni in tasca (1965), La Cina è vicina (1967), Nel nome del padre (1972), Matti da slegare (1975), Il gabbiano (1977), Salto nel vuoto (1980), Enrico IV (1984), Diavolo in corpo (1986), L’ora di religione (2002), Buongiorno notte (2003), Vincere (2009), Sorelle mai (2010), Marx può aspettare (2021), Sangue del mio sangue (2015), Il traditore (2019), Rapito (2023).

Various personalities from the world of cinema and culture will discuss the films together with Bellocchio.

 

SPECIAL EVENTS

There will be two special events hosted in Petruzzelli Theatre: in honor of the historic president of Bif&st, Ettore Scola, there will be the presentation of Cinzia Lo Fazio’s documentary Tutte le cose che restano. Studio E. L. a Cinecittà, where E. stands for Ettore and L. for its historic set designer Luciano (Ricceri); and the doc Il ritorno di Maciste by Maurizio Sciarra, former president of the Apulia Film Commission Foundation, with Giuseppe Abbagnale and Steve Della Casa.

Three special events are planned at Piccinni Theatre: N.E.E.T. by Andrea Biglione with, among others, Caterina Murino, Fabrizio Biggio, Pietro de Silva and Mietta on the government’s proposed reintroduction of compulsory military service for one million young people under 30 who do not study, do not work and do not look for work; Bangarang by Giulio Mastromauro filmed among the children of Taranto, the city which has hosted the largest steel mill in Europe since the 1960s and is now at risk of closure; and the world premiere of W Wolinski by Mauro Cappelloni, a satirical comedy but above all a tribute to George Wolinski, perhaps the best-known of the satirical cartoonists killed in the attack carried out in 2015 in the Paris office of “Charlie Hebdo”.

Another special world premiere event, scheduled at the Kursaal Theatre on the evening of March 16, is Stolen Moments by Stefano Landini, a docufiction with Pupi Avati and with real actors and fake interviews that tell the story of Sabino, a young Apulian jazz lover who opens in Turin a jazz club, the Stolen Moments, in a warehouse intended for the families of Southern Italy emigrants.

Finally, the Niccolò Piccinni Conservatory of Bari will organize a free concert at the Nino Rota Auditorium on the evening of March 20th, specifically dedicated to a selection of soundtracks for cinema, a concert in which the students of the Conservatory will play. This event will take place in collaboration with the City of Bari which, together with the Councilor for Culture Ines Pierucci, is working on the organization of the great Fuori Bif&st event spread throughout the city.

 

MARGHERITA THEATRE

The famous theater which stands on stilts on the waterfront will host, as always, the press conferences relating to all the films scheduled which will be held every day from 1pm onwards.

It will also be the venue for the traditional presentation of books dedicated to cinema with the presence of the authors.

The Margherita Theatre will also host the limited-number workshop dedicated this year to writing for cinema led by screenwriter Silvia Napolitano, teacher at the National Film School of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.

The Bif&st 2024 program was prepared and implemented by Felice Laudadio, Enrico Magrelli, Giuliana La Volpe, Patrizia Prosperi, Orsetta Gregoretti, Silvia Mattoni, Marco Spagnoli, David Grieco, Maurizio Di Rienzo, Francesca Turrisi from Rome. And from Angelo Ceglie, Angela Bianca Saponari and Alessandra Rizzi from Bari.

Rome-Bari, 3 February 2024