Quality cinema is not only the prerogative of the big festivals, such as Cannes or Venice. And small realities can stand out for offering an original, unconventional and at the same time highly enjoyable vision of cinema. It is the case of Trevignano FilmFest which officially opens tonight, Friday 21 September will remain open until Monday 24 September: an intimate and refined review of twelve screenings dedicated to auteur cinema following the common thread of the theme "On the way - Cinema tells the story of the journey". What is staged in Trevignano - a small village on the outskirts of Rome, on Lake Bracciano - with the patronage of the Chamber of Deputies is a window onto a niche cinema, of which few know the most exciting, reflective and tormented titles.
This year is the turn of titles that tell of a life on the road, the return to origins, the encounter or clash of cultures, the exploration of space: among the guests there will be the astronaut Umberto Guidoni, the first European to board the International Space Station, Frances King David, general secretary of the CGIL metalworkers, the Norwegian director Iram Haq, with his beautiful “What will people say”, Susanna Nicchiarelli, with the already awarded “Nico 1988”, e Mujah Maraini-Melehi, who told in a documentary the story of the internment of his grandfather, Fosco Maraini, with his wife and daughters, in a Japanese concentration camp in 1943.
In its seventh edition, the Trevignano FilmFest is a themed film festival, organized by the homonymous cultural association founded in 2012, chaired by Corrado Giustiniani and animated by a team of volunteer journalists: Fabio Ferzetti, former film critic of Il Messaggero, Luciana Capretti , Michele Concina, Fausta Savone, Stefano Trincia – who died prematurely this summer and to whose memory the 2018 edition is partly dedicated – and Enrico Cattaneo.
At the review many actors will participate: from the Norwegian of Afghan origin Maria Mozhdah, protagonist of "What will people say”, to the very young Luca Esposito and Chiara Stella Riccio, who will talk with the middle school students of Trevignano after the screening of “Titus and the Aliens”, on Monday morning, traditionally dedicated to children. Francesca Re David will talk about relocation, commenting on a first for Italy, the French film “Crash test Aglaé”, whose protagonist does not accept the dismissal and prefers to follow the company that has moved production there to India on ultra-reduced pay. The music critic Dario Salvatori will talk about the singer Nico, and her tour in Europe, masterfully narrated by Susanna Nicchiarelli's film. Junko Terao, a journalist from L' Internazionale specializing in the Far East, will comment on the dramatic film "The Korean Prisoner" by Kim Ki-duk. A screening of a classic film was chosen for the astronaut Umberto Guidoni, Gravity, which will be interesting to see for the first time or to revisit, in homage to its director Alfonso Cuaron, who has just been awarded the Venice Golden Lion for the film “Roma”.
Tiziana Dal Pra, animator together with other women of "Trama di terre", will tell the audience how she helps Pakistani girls who in Italy have problems with their family of origin in the evening dedicated to "Cosa dirà la gente", the film about a girl Norwegian of Pakistani origins, whom her father sends back to Pakistan as punishment, when he discovers her with a boy. The beautiful documentary "Village Faces”, with the now ninety-year-old director Agnés Varda who travels to the most remote parts of France, together with the photographer JR, to glue blow-up photographs of the remaining citizens on the external walls of the houses, will be commented by an anthropologist from the “La Sapienza” University, the professor Roberto De Angelis, together with a street-artist. At the FilmFest all the arts find space, even music. Two groups will alternate during the weekend: on Friday they will play "The Fireplaces" and on Sunday afternoon it will be the turn of the jazz-band "The Scoop".
“After talking about school, the economic crisis, immigration, denied rights, religions, the future, we thought about the journey told in different directions and declinations – Corrado Giustiniani, President of the Festival, told Ansa -. Very topical themes are also touched upon, such as What will people say by Iram Haq, who has just been chosen to represent Norway at the Oscars. The protagonist is a Norwegian girl of Pakistani origin who is sent against her will to Pakistan by her family. We have read a very similar story in recent days in the newspapers”.
Life is the journey, it's letting yourself be surprised, it's leaving even without a reason, going towards the unknown and living to the fullest. Knowing that you can find a faithful travel companion in films, an inspiration, is just one more reason not to miss any of the titles in review.
