23/03/2023 - The 14th Bari International Film&Tv Festival will be held from 24 March-1 April, with world premieres, films from all over the world, master classes and a section dedicated to TV drama

The latest films by Gabriele Salvatores (Casanova’s Return [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Ivano De Matteo (Mia), and Walter Veltroni (Quando [+see also:
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film profile]) are some of the titles that will be premiering at the 14th Bif&st - Bari International Film&Tv Festival, scheduled from 24 March to 1 April in the most beautiful theatres of the Apulian capital (Petruzzelli, Piccinni, Kursaal, Margherita, Van Westerhout). Directed as always by Felice Laudadio, and chaired this year by Oscar-winning German director Volker Schlöndorff, the 2023 Bif&st features 12 films in the competitive and international Panorama section, whose jury has Iranian director Jafar Panahi as honorary president; 8 titles in the non-competitive International Premieres section, selected from the most recent world productions unreleased in Italy; 7 feature films in the ItaliaFilmFest/Nuovo cinema italiano section, 6 of which will be world premieres.

After the pre-opening entrusted to a special event in collaboration with Amnesty International, the documentary on human rights Rumore - Human Vibes by Simona Cocozza, the festival will open with the latest effort by Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores, Casanova’s Return, inspired by the famous short story of the same name by Arthur Schnitzler and starring Toni Servillo and Fabrizio Bentivoglio. The International Premieres will also include Margarethe von Trotta's latest film, Ingeborg Bachmann – Journey Into The Desert [+see also:
film review
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interview: Margarethe von Trotta
film profile], in competition at the last Berlinale, The Kiss [+see also:
interview: Bille August
film profile] by Bille August, The Colors of Fire [+see also:
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film profile] by Clovis Cornillac, Spiral [+see also:
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film profile] by Anne Le Ny.

Among the titles in competition, vying for the awards for best director, actress and leading actor, are, among others, Kaymak [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] by Milcho Manchevski, the 2023 British Oscar nominee Winners [+see also:
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film profile] by Hassan Nazer, Driving Mum [+see also:
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interview: Hilmar Oddsson, Hera Hilmar
film profile] by Hilmar Oddsson, Amusia [+see also:
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film profile] by Marescotti Ruspoli, Storm [+see also:
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film profile] by Erika Calmeyer, Roxy [+see also:
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interview: Dito Tsindsadze
film profile] by Dito Tsintsadze and, out of competition, In a Better World [+see also:
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film profile] by Émilie Frèche.

The scheduled masterclasses will feature the seven filmmakers awarded the Federico Fellini Platinum Award for Cinematic Excellence, namely Gabriele Salvatores, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Sonia Bergamasco, Luigi Lo Cascio, Guido Lombardo, Francesco Piccolo and Saeed Roustayi. After the screening of Leila's Brothers, a mobilisation of the filmmakers present in Bari is planned in solidarity with Iranian filmmakers persecuted by the ayatollahs' regime.

Among the films in the ItaliaFilmFest competition, which will be judged by an audience jury chaired by producer Donatella Palermo, are the new film by Rocco Papaleo, Scordato [+see also:
film review
film profile], starring singer Giorgia, and Percoco by Pier Luigi Ferrandini, about the first family massacre in the history of Italy. Special events include the world premiere of Samad, the first fiction feature film by Marco Santarelli (Constitution [+see also:
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trailer
film profile]).

Finally, the BariFictionF&st section, a compilation of television works produced by major Italian and international broadcasters, will show, among many others, previews of Il metodo Fenoglio, based on Gianrico Carofiglio's 'gialli', the Franco-Belgian series Sophie Cross and the Finnish series Next of Kin.

Already awarded, as usual, are The Best of the Year prizes, given by a jury of film critics to the best Italian films of the past year. Among the talents who will collect their prizes during the festival are Fabrizio Gifuni (best leading actor), Tommaso Ragno (best supporting actor), Marco Bellocchio, Stefano Bises, Ludovica Rampoldi and Davide Serino (best screenplay), Barbara Ronchi (best leading actress), Lidia Vitale (best supporting actress), Elodie (best revelation actress), and Roberto Andò (best director).

(Translated from Italian)