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FESTIVALS Italy

First and second Italian films to screen at the Ortigia Film Festival

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- The ninth edition of the film gathering will unspool in Syracuse from 15-22 July; the feature competition will be opened by Annarita Zambrano’s After the War

First and second Italian films to screen at the Ortigia Film Festival
After the War by Annarita Zambrano

From 15-22 July, the Ortigia Film Festival will be making a comeback for its ninth edition. The film gathering in the city of Syracuse, headed up by Lisa Romano and co-directed by Paola Poli, is dedicated to first and second Italian fiction films, documentaries, and Italian and international short films. The festival’s godmother is Daniela Virgilio, popular among the general public for her role in the TV series Romanzo Criminale.

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The event kicks off on 15 July with After the War [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Annarita Zambrano
film profile
]
 by Annarita Zambrano, which will open the feature competition. Having already been presented at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, in the Un Certain Regard section, it addresses the topic of terrorism from an original, intimate angle. On 16 July, it will be the turn of Children of the Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrea De Sica
film profile
]
, the acclaimed debut feature by Andrea De Sica, which will be introduced in the theatre by its director. On 17 July, there will be a screening of I Was a Dreamer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alessandro Borghi
interview: Michele Vannucci
film profile
]
, the feature debut by Michele Vannucci, and actors Mirko Frezza and Milena Mancini will join audiences for a chat. On 18 July, There Is a Light [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fabio Mollo
film profile
]
, the second feature-length effort by Fabio Mollo, will be shown, and the director will be in attendance to introduce it to festival audiences, alongside screenwriter Josella Porto and actress Isabella Ragonese, who will this year receive the “Truly Independent” Award, sponsored by the website cinemaitaliano.info. On 19 July, audiences will be able to enjoy Ears [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alessandro Aronadio
film profile
]
, the second film by Alessandro Aronadio: the movie theatre will welcome the director together with journalist Andrea Purgatori, who in this film has been given a starring role for the very first time. Another movie fresh from Cannes 2017 is Sicilian Ghost Story [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile
]
, which will be introduced by its directors, Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza. 21 July will mark the final day of the features section, and it will be brought to a close by Taranta on the Road by Salvatore Allocca, who will meet the audience, flanked by actor Alessio Vassallo.

Meanwhile, the documentary showcase will have a mostly “musical” theme, with The Rolling Stones Olé, Olé, Olé!: A Trip Across Latin America by Paul Dugdale, I Am Not Your Negro [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 by Raoul PeckNessuno mi può giudicare [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Steve Della Casa and Chiara RonchiniPino Daniele - Il Tempo Resterà by Giorgio VerdelliPellegrino by Ruben Monterosso and Federico Savonitto, The Prince [+see also:
trailer
interview: Raffaele Passerini
film profile
]
 by Raffaele Passerini, and The Black Sheep by Antonio Martino. There will be a special screening of Motori ruggenti by Marco Spagnoli, who will introduce it ahead of its theatrical release, scheduled for 25 July.

There will be a plethora of short films in competition, picked from among the huge number submitted to the festival from many countries around the world. Among all the shorts in competition, the world premiere of Francesco Cannavà’s Veneranda Augusta really stands out. It is set in the biggest petrochemical complex in Europe, which is located in Augusta, near Syracuse. In this place, the mortality rate from cancer is higher than 30%. "Life and rebellion" is the theme of many of the films being presented at this year’s edition of the festival: they range from terrorism to the mafia, from immigrants to the right to be a father, and from teenage rebellion to the fight against a crooked government.

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(Translated from Italian)

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