Among the films presented at the Umbria Film Festival chaired by Terry Gilliam, “Master Cheng”, the latest feature film
at Mika Kaurismaki, ‘Bacurau’ di Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles, Jury Prize in Cannes and the Franco-Algerian "Don't know Papicha", debut of Mounia Meddour
Other initiatives include children's shorts and the Drawings project 2020 by Lone Scherfig, the seminar on migrants, but also the Best Italian Casting Award and the Screenplay and Documentary Photography Courses
from 5 al 9 August if you have Montone (Perugia), the Umbria Film Festival, under the artistic direction of Vanessa Strizzi, the organizational direction of Chiara Montagnini and Marisa Berna and the presidency of director Terry Gilliam. The festival, which will take place in the new panoramic location of Piazza San Francesco, to take advantage of a greater space for the distancing of the public and guests, will present premieres of feature films and will not miss the section dedicated to short films for children. As per tradition, also the round table on migrants, dedicated for this edition to the exploitation by the corporal. An important award is inaugurated this year, the one for the Best Italian Casting Director, created in collaboration with the UICD – Italian Union of Casting Directors.
The festival program opens on Wednesday 5 August at 21:00 with the screening of the short film resulting from a new initiative, dedicated to the little ones. Imagined during the quarantine period, in full virus emergency, in fact, the Drawings project was born 2020, based on the idea of Danish director Lone Scherfig, guest of the festival for years and in 2019 awarded the Honorary Citizenship of Montone. A project that starts from the idea of seeing represented, on any surface and with any tool, thoughts and wishes for the future on the part of children. "We have, so, contacted - explain Strizzi and Scherfig – the teachers of the Montone school, who enthusiastically welcomed the project and put us in contact with families ". Eighteen children then joined Drawings 2020 and the result is a delicate and exciting short film, in which children stage different visions of the future: the freedom of a balloon, islands with rainbows, travel around the world, ma, mostly, the desire to get back together. Drawings 2020 was conceived and supervised by Lone Scherfig, with music by Francesco De Luca and Alessandro Forti. The organization is by Rachele Parietti and Cristiana Rosini, collaborated on the Paolo Panella project. Following the screenings of the children's shorts with works from Germany, Netherlands, Australia, France and Spain and the hours 22:20 the Italian premiere of the feature film Moothon, di Geetu Mohandas, Indian action thriller following the story of a child in search of his older brother who stunned viewers at the Toronto Film Festival.
Thursday 6 August at 21:30 the evening includes five short films for children from France, India e Russia. All 22:20, the Brazilian feature film “Bacurau”, direct to quattro mani by Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles. The film, that 'draws an apocalyptic image of Brazil', is played by Sonia Braga and Udo Kier, and is winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival 2019, the Best Director Award at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival and the Black Panther Award for Best Film at the Noir in Festival. Between western and socio-political styles, the feature film tells of a small Brazilian village, Bacurau, who undergoes strange events following the death of 94-year-old matriarch Carmelita. The revolt against a local politician, who took control of the water, it is linked to the disappearance of the village from satellite maps and the discovery of corpses drilled by shots.
Friday evening 7 August opens at 21:30 with children's shorts, from Japan, Germany, France, South Korea and Australia. All 22:20 the screening of Mika Kaurismaki's latest feature film, “Master Cheng”, delicate comedy starring Chu Pak Hong, Anna-Maijia Tuokko e Vesa-Matti Loiri. In the wake of the Finnish director's style, a story that goes beyond the borders of nationalities, in which food shows all its thaumaturgical power. After the death of his wife, Chinese chef Cheng arrives in Finnish Lapland with his son to find an old friend, that, But, no one in the village seems to know. Sikka, owner of a coffee shop offers the two accommodation and in exchange Cheng helps her in the kitchen by preparing Chinese dishes. Gradually Cheng becomes a celebrity in the village, and the expiring tourist visa mobilizes the community so that father and son can stay…
Saturday 8 August, at 21:30 children's shorts with 6 films from Germany, Switzerland, France and Hungary, followed by the award ceremony for the Best Italian Casting Director, created in collaboration with the UICD – Italian Union of Casting Directors. All 22:20 the English feature film "Days of the Bagnold Summer", debut feature by comedian Simon Bird, presented at the Locarno Film Festival, the delicate portrait of the relationship between a teenager addicted to heavy metal and his mother, the person he least tolerates, told over a summer.
The last day of the festival, Sunday 9 August, opens at hours 21:30 with the shorts from the 'Love at first sight' section, with jobs from Australia, China / USA, Ireland, Iran and France. All 22:20 the screening of the revelation feature film at Cannes 2019, the Franco-Algerian "You don't know Papicha", debut of Mounia Meddour, distributed by Teodora Film and in theaters in the autumn. Already awarded a double César for the director and main performer, the very young Lyna Khoudri, acclaimed in France with over 2 millions of euros in receipts, the film is still banned in Algeria for reasons never clarified by the government. Hymn to women's emancipation, drama of contrasts, solar, tense, vital and moving together, tells the life of the young and brilliant Nedjma (nicknamed "Papicha"), Algerian university student who dreams of becoming a stylist. His life is upset by a wave of religious fundamentalism that plunges the country into chaos. Determined not to surrender to the new regime, Nedjma decides to organize a parade of her clothes with her companions, which will become the symbol of an indomitable and dramatic battle for freedom.
Two concerts will enliven the evenings: Friday 7 August at 19:00 the exciting concert by the Pessoa Quartet, one of the most prestigious Italian chamber ensembles that combines the most diverse genres: from the great classical literature for string quartet to contamination with jazz, he rock-blues, the tango, klezmer film and contemporary music.
Saturday 8 August, always to 19.00 instead it will be the turn of Ginger Bender, female duo, two guitars, loop station, two voices in a union between music from the past and a funky present, groovy, electronic, where black soul and white soul merge; African rhythm and energy and European harmony, with Thirties atmospheres revisited in a riot girl version.
Among the other initiatives of the festival, two courses: the Screenwriting Course, which will be held by the director and screenwriter Emiliano Corapi (Moravia Award for Screenplay, Audience Award at the Turin Film Festival and Silver Ribbon), whose second feature film - Love at home, with Miriam Leone and Simone Liberati - premiered last year at the festival, is scheduled in the summer arenas and on the Prime Video platform. Then, the Documentary Photography Course, which will be held by the photographer and documentary maker Paolo Amadei. Theoretical lessons, to be held in the presence of the students, with the basics of photography, space analysis, light and action and the study of the framing of photographs by great authors.
Friday evening 7 August provides at 21:00 the screening of the short films made thanks to the Action Movies Project, a summer camp for boys and girls from 6 to 12 years realized in collaboration with the Municipality of Montone, the Asad cooperative and the Young Montone Association. The children attended until 1 August courses
on stop motion animation for cinema, both with plasticine and with collage and drawings, to create short films that will be screened in the square.
Thursday 6 August also in the Church Museum of San Francesco in Montone, at 16.30, will be held - in compliance with anti-Covid measures 19 – the 'Migrants' seminar 2020. caporalato: workers and workers victims of old and new forms of exploitation '. Starting from the examination of the law 199 of the 2016 cd on the hiring and art 103 of the law decree 341/2020 (Relaunch decree), Minister Bellanova or one of her delegates will talk about it, the vice-president of the Regional Council as well as the Councilor for Agriculture of the Umbria Region, the Prefect of Perugia, representatives of trade unions and employers (Coldiretti, Cia, CGIL, CISL and UIL Umbria, CGIL Calabria) and scholars of European level, protagonists and witnesses. Coordinated by Carla Barbarella, Research curator: Work yes Caporalato no, with the institutional greetings of Mirco Rinaldi, mayor of Montone. The Seminar is organized by the Umbria Film Festival Association, from the Municipality of Montone, by ALISEI Coop.
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