Appunti: 12 dicembre(2012)

The Perfect Circle(it)

Earth to earth, water to water. The body weight of a newborn child is up to 85 percent water, but in adulthood, the ratio can be cut into half. In a way, people dry up as they grow older. In Claudia Tosi’s documentary, people drink water, watch the rain and wait for their death. The Perfect Circle depicts a man and a woman, Ivano and Meris, who spend their final days at a hospice in the hills of Reggio Emilia, Northern Italy. Their illnesses are in the terminal stage and they know that death is only a matter of time. But the ever-nearing end may fleetingly be forgotten, like when they close their eyes and get lost in the music – until the bodies being carried out next door once again remind them of the inevitable. Death also becomes a part of life for the patients’ loved ones, who want to spend the last available moments with the soon to be departed.

The Devil and Father Amorth(en)

William Friedkin attends an exorcism with Father Gabriele Amorth, as he treats an Italian woman named Cristina for the ninth time. Prior to filming, Cristina had purportedly been experiencing behavioural changes and “fits” that could not be explained by psychiatry, and which became worse during Christian holidays.

Made In Italy(it)

In Made in Italy, the young filmmaker Fabio Wuytack discovers an old film which was shot more than 100 years ago in Carrara, Italy, by the inventors of cinema, the Lumière brothers. Fabio decides to bring the film back to the charming little marble city where even Michelangelo came to select marble for his sculptures. With the help of a sinister cinema owner, some rough mineworkers, an enthusiast old priest and other fascinating characters, he tries to find the mythical location where the Lumière brothers filmed. The result is an Italian journey full of commedia del'arte that brings Fabio closer to his roots than he could ever have imagined

Mirage à l'italienne(it)

Mafia and Italy: A Bloody Pact(en)

In 1992, the anti-Mafia magistrates Falcone and Borsellino were murdered in Palermo, the capital of Sicily. For a long time, the public believed in a story of revenge. Today, a lawsuit is challenging this hypothesis. With exclusive testimonies from judges, politicians, and witnesses under protection, this film reveals several decades of incestuous links between the State and the Mafia.

The Survivalists(en)

This documentary talks to women training with machine guns, to undergraduates taking courses in How to Stay Alive, to retired generals who run schools for mercenary killers, and to self-appointed clergy who say their native America has "gone soft on the Devil and the Reds" and has become a "Disneyland for Dummies".

Climbing Iran(it)

Nasim is a free climber, the only woman able to open new routes in Iran. She’s facing a double mountain to climb, both physical and cultural, as her passion collides with the strict policies concerning women freedom in her country. And she has a dream: open a new route in the Alps.

Negotiating Amnesia(en)

Negotiating Amnesia is an essay film based on research conducted at the Alinari Archive and the National Library in Florence. It focuses on the Ethiopian War of 1935-36 and the legacy of the fascist, imperial drive in Italy. Through interviews, archival images and the analysis of high-school textbooks employed in Italy since 1946, the film shifts through different historical and personal anecdotes, modes and technologies of representation.

La dannazione della sinistra - Cronache di una scissione(it)

Our Forbidden Places(ar)

During the oppressive reign of Moroccan King Hassan II in the 70s and 80s (Years of Lead), many dissidents went missing. After the throning of a new king, a truth commission was formed in the 2000's. Families of the missing speak.

Giro 88(en)

It created one of the most memorable days in grand tour history. Riders such as Andy Hampsten and Franco Chioccioli share their extraordinary experience of a day they'll never forget.

Fascism in Colour(en)

After the World War I, Mussolini's perspective on life is severely altered; once a willful socialist reformer, now obsessed with the idea of power, he founds the National Fascist Party in 1921 and assumes political power in 1922, becoming the Duce, dictator of Italy. His success encourages Hitler to take power in Germany in 1933, opening the dark road to World War II. (Originally released as a two-part miniseries. Includes colorized archival footage.)

Bellini and Mantegna: Renaissance Rivals(de)

The mysterious parallel story of Italian painters Andrea Mantegna (ca. 1431-1506) and Giovanni Bellini (ca. 1435-1516), brothers-in-law, public rivals and masters of the early Renaissance.

Leopardi. The Infinity Poet(it)

Showcases the life of Giacomo Leopardi, an Italian poet known for his melancholic verses on fleeting happiness, existentialism, and human suffering.

Out of the Shadows: Awaking Italy's Past(en)

Italy, founder of fascism, still tolerates its sympathies. Is its government allowing the past to live on? With the far-right set to gain in European elections, is the extreme becoming mainstream?

A Place of Our Own(it)

La rosa dei nomi(it)

A Powerful Passion(it)

A journey through a century of Ambrosoli family history.

The Valley of the Jato(en)

In the heart of Sicily, where the Mafia still rules, one man and his family-run TV station, has become the lone voice against corruption and organized crime.

Ritratto di Ferrara ebraica(it)