30/03/2015 - Awarded in Bari: The makers of Black Souls and Discount, Leo’s film receives Best Supporting Actress and Actor and Best Screenplay. Rohrwacher and Germano Best Actors

Anna Foglietta (Best Supporting Actress for Noi i la Giulia) during the ceremony

Francesco Munzi received the Mario Monicelli Award at the sixth edition of the Bari International Film Festival, concluded on Saturday 28 March. The creator of Black Souls [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Francesco Munzi
film profile] was declared Best Director by the jury of Italian film critics chaired by Franco Montini, which also awarded Black Souls producer Luigi Musini and film editor Cristiano Travaglioli. Three awards went to Noi e la Giulia [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Edoardo Leo: Best Screenplay (Edoardo Leo and Marco Bonini), Best Supporting Actress (Anna Foglietta) and Best Supporting Actor (Carlo Buccirosso).

Best Lead Actress was Alba Rohrwacher for Hungry Hearts [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Saverio Costanzo
film profile]; the film by Saverio Costanzo was also awarded for Best Director of Photography (Fabio Cianchetti). Best Lead Actor was Elio Germano for Leopardi [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Martone
film profile] by Mario Martone. Best Story was that of Marcello Mazzarella for Biagio [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Pasquale Scimeca. Greenery Will Bloom Again [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Ermanno Olmi received awards for the music (Paolo Fresu), screenplay (Giuseppe Pirrotta) and production (Luigi Musini and the co-producer Elisabetta Olmi). Best Costume Designer is Nicoletta Ercole for Misunderstood [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Asia Argento.

As for the International Panorama section, the popular jury chaired by Valerio De Paolis declared Louis-Julien Petit as Best Director for Discount [+see also:
trailer
film profile], while a special mention went to director Oles Sanin for Ukrainian film Povodyr (The Guide). Alba Rohrwacher, in addition received the Nuovo Imaie Best Actress Award (ItaliaFilmFest/First and Second Works section) for Sworn Virgin [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Laura Bispuri
film profile] by Laura Bispuri, Best Lead Actor for the Nuovo Imaie was Pierfrancesco Favino for Senza nessuna pietà [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Michele Alhaique. Best First/Second Work (announced by a jury made up of 30 viewers and chaired by Jean Gili): Darker Than Midnight [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Sebastiano Riso.

Important highlights were announced, at the end of the awards ceremony, for the next edition of the Bif&st, which will be held from 2 to 9 April 2016. After announcing the 73 thousand viewers for this edition (2000 more compared to 2014, out of the Bari’s 300 thousand inhabitants, “an impressive figure”), festival director Felice Laudadio announced that the 2016 Bif&st will be dedicated to Marcello Mastroianni (20 years since his death) with a retrospective of 50 films in which he starred, and the entire festival will be focused on illustrating the art, talent and work of actors and actresses. Indeed eight important actors (one Italian and seven internationals)will be the stars of next year’s Cinema Master classes.

In addition, in place of the usual International Panorama, the 2016 Bif&st will host a Film Panorama of a European country made up of 12 of the latest and never-before-seen films in Italy. Other changes planned for the section ItaliaFilmFest: the evening of the award ceremony devoted to Italian cinema will coincide with the opening night on 2 April, and no longer with the closing night, and only those films awarded will then be screened in the festival theatres in the days that follow.

“It’s unusual and strange to announce next year’s line-up at the end of a festival”, confirmed the president of Bif&st Ettore Scola, “but there are signs that we can’t ignore: 70-75 thousand viewers, at least 50 thousand were young people, who see this as a meeting point, for debate and reflection. In just a few years, the Bari Film Festival has assumed a definite identity, where other festivals haven’t succeeded, even with bigger budgets”. And any reference to the Rome Film Festival is clearly intentional.

(Translated from Italian)