Udine’s INCinema places accessibility at the heart of its programme
- The first and only Italian event entirely accessible to people with sensory disabilities is taking place from 25 November-1 December
Udine is hosting the third edition of INCinema until 1 December, a festival created by Federico Spoletti with artistic direction by Angela Prudenzi, and the first and only Italian event entirely accessible to people with sensory disabilities. At Cinema Visionario, for one week, accessibility becomes the common thread that accompanies the shared experience of every film screened and every event organised. If access to culture is a right, along with the possibility of going to the cinema, the festival's proud ambition is for the magic of cinema to be accessible to everyone. And that's why the entire programme is designed with subtitles for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, audio description for blind and visually impaired people, and real-time transcription of meetings with auteurs.
The choice of opening film sets the tone. Radiance [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Naomi Kawase, presented at Cannes 2017 but never distributed in Italy, aptly tells the story of Misako, who creates audio descriptions of films, and her encounter with a photographer who is losing his sight. It's a film of rare delicacy that perfectly embodies the philosophy of INCinema.
The opening also hosted the preview of A Private Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Rebecca Zlotowski, featuring an extraordinary Jodie Foster in a drama that flirts with psychological comedy, presented out of competition at Cannes this year and arriving in Italian theatres on 11 December.
The festival also celebrates extraordinary female figures through restorations by the Cineteca Nazionale. The first tribute, on 26 November, is to Elvita Notari, pioneer of Italian cinema, with the film È piccerella (1922), a masterpiece of silent film, accompanied by original music composed by Maestro Enrico Melozzi. And then, the great La dolce vita by Federico Fellini is scheduled to unspool on Sunday 30 November.
Closing the day on 26 November is the preview of Once Upon My Mother [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by Ken Scott, a Franco-Canadian tragicomedy about the relationship between a vibrant mother and her son with disabilities.
On 27 November, one of the most highly anticipated premieres, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi, documents the encounter with Fatma Hassouna, a young photojournalist from Gaza, killed by an Israeli military raid the day after the announcement of the film's selection at Cannes. It is a documentary-testimony about life under siege, built remotely, about the power of images and storytelling to describe the reality in Gaza. INCinema is also organising an exhibition of photos by Fatma Hassouna, The Eye of Gaza, also accessible, at the Biblioteca Joppi (25 November-6 December).
The focus on Gaza will also host the presentation of the books Hassan e Il Genocidio and Il Popolo meraviglioso by Al-Hassan Selmi and Raffaele Oriani, illustrated by Marcella Brancaforte.
Rounding off the film programme is Dreams [+see also:
film review
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interview: Dag Johan Haugerud
film profile] by Norway's Dag Johan Haugerud, winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin, which marks the final chapter of his "Oslo trilogy”.
The INCorto competition for short films will close Udine Festival, with two independent juries: people with sensory disabilities and students from DAMS (Arts, Music and Entertainment Studies) at the University of Udine, in order to include and involve local communities.
Finally, there will be a tribute to the world of comics with the documentary Mi chiamo Altan e faccio vignette by Stefano Consiglio, celebrating 50 years of Pimpa with an exhibition set up in Udine.
The third edition of INCinema will come to a close with a special event in Trieste on 20 January, with short films from the Corti senza confine project, created as part of the GO! 2025 Nova Gorica – Gorizia European Capital of Culture programmes.
INCinema will then continue to London and New York to share the emotion of cinema with everyone and amplify its magic.
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