27/04/2005 - The 22th EuropaCinema Festival started yesterday in Viareggio with the screening of A Hero of Our Times (1955), one of the fifteen films presented as a retrospective on the great Italian director Mario Monicelli, who has made over sixty features

Sotto il sole nero, first film in competition to be screened, was presented in the afternoon. It is Enrico Verra’s first feature —but his 1999 short film, Benvenuto in San Salvario, was elected Best Short by the European Film Academy. However, the young director daringly chose to deal with the tragic issues of immigration and social outcasts through a refreshing comedy which follows different characters whose destinies end up intertwining. The social issues at stake do not seem sordid, for they are seen through the innocent eyes of Sergio, another outcast in the Italian society. This entirely independent film was produced by Brooklyn Films and supported by the Media Programme. Sotto il sole nero is a benevolent yet realistic film on a communauty which owes its survival only to its endless energy.

The opening night was also a good opportunity to pay a tribute to great Italian directors, Giuliano Montaldo (Sacco and Vanzetti, 1971 ; Les lunettes d'Or - 1987) and Francesco Maselli (Il sospetto, 1975 ; Il segreto, 1990) by granting them the Federico Fellini Prize, which goes to works epitomising the Resistance. This moment was particularly moving since the day before, the 25th of April, was the 60th anniversary of the end of the fascist regime in Italy. Francesco Maselli was particularly touched ; he underlined how important such a prize is in Italy. Finally, the opening movie was Henning Carlsen’s latest film. The great Danish director, known for his political commitment (cf. Hunger, which earned Per Oscarson the award as Best Actor 1966 in Cannes, A Wolf at the Door -1986, Pan -1995), presented Springet (The leap), produced by Dagmar Film and SF Films A/S, the story of a middle-aged man who realises he has cancer and wishes to catch up with his life, and his past...

(Translated from French)