THE COMPETITION, THE SALANI PRIZE, THE MEETINGS WITH THE AUTHORS, THE SPECIAL SCREENINGS, AND THE SPEED DATE!
Thursday, January 25th, the screenings will start at 10:00 a.m. at Cinema Ambasciatori with BERDREYMI by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson (Beautiful Beings, IS – DK – S – NL – CZ, 2022, col., 123’, Icelandic o.v.). When a teenage boy adopts a bullied misfit into his gang of outsiders, he begins to experience a series of dreamlike visions. Berdreymi, recommended for high school students, premiered at Berlinale in 2022 and was then successfully presented at many international festivals, including Karlovy Vary, Thessaloniki and Tallinn. MIOB New Vision Award 2023.
At 11:00 a.m., at the Antico Caffè San Marco, the tradition of meetings with the Festival’s guest authors is renewed. We will be able to listen to Vlad Petri (director of Between Revolutions), Annika Mayer (director of Home Sweet Home), Olivér Rudolf (director of Cactusman), Andrej Korovljev (director of Hotel Pula), Anna Hints (director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood).
At 2:00 p.m. at Politeama Rossetti, the out-of-competition feature film UROTCITE NA BLAGA by Stephan Komandarev (The Lesson of Blaga, BG – D, 2023, col., 114) will be screened. Blaga, a retired teacher, falls prey to a phone scam and is robbed of her life savings. The once honest woman begins to sacrifice all her principles. Best film at the last Karlovy Vary Film Festival, the film received the Darko Bratina 2023 Prize in Gorizia and is now the Bulgarian nominee for the Oscars.
At Politeama Rossetti, the program will continue, from 4:00 p.m., with the second compilation of the short film competition, followed at 6:00 p.m. by the feature film competition with Katalin Moldovai’s ELFOGY A LEVEGŐ (Without air, H – RO, 2023, col., 105′, Hungarian o.v.) in Italian premiere. A movie recommendation by a literature high-school teacher, Ana Bauch, ends up in an accusation put forth by a parent to the school’s principal. This sets off a series of events that cause Ana to slip away from the ground she thought was solid. The film was presented at the latest Toronto and Warsaw Film Festivals, where it won Best Film in the Competition for First and Second Feature Films.
Watching a film recommended by a high school literature teacher, Ana Bauch, leads to a parent accusing the principal, triggering a series of events that undermine the foundations of what Ana had always believed in. The film was presented at the last Toronto and Warsaw film festivals, where it won the award for Best Film in the First and Second Feature Competition.
The film will be followed by the feature film in competition STEPNE by Maryna Vroda (UA – D – PL – SK, 2023, col., 112’, Ukrainian – Russian o.v., Italian Premiere). Set among stunning Ukrainian winter landscapes, Stepne is the story of Anatoliy, a man who comes back home to take care of his mother. A feature debut, supported by the FVG Audiovisual Fund, Stepne premiered at the Locarno Festival in 2023, where it was awarded the Best Directing Award.
The screenings in competition at Politeama Rossetti will end with OPAZOVANJE by Janez Burger (Observing, SLO – HR – I – NMK, 2023, col., 83′, Slovenian o.v., Italian premiere). The film tells the story of Lara, a young paramedic, who tries to discover why she is receiving mysterious videos of a brutal crime streamed on Facebook, but it soon becomes clear to her that she is no stranger to the affair. A social thriller with paranormal overtones. Premiered at the last Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF).
At Cinema Ambasciatori at 2:00 p.m., CENT’ANNI by Maja Doroteja Prelog (SLO – PL – I – SRB – A, 2023-2024, col., 87′, Slovenian o.v.) will be screened within the documentary competition and in world premiere. The film project was pitched at When East Meets West. After surviving a terminal illness diagnosis, Blaž sets off on a grueling but celebratory ‘Giro d’Italia’. Accompanying him is his partner, the filmmaker Maja Doroteja Prelog, tasked with capturing the triumphant biking tour. An unfiltered testament to love and change.
At 4:00 p.m., we will watch TO TYLKO/AŻ CIAŁO… albo krótki fim o wolności by Michał Hytroś (It’s Only/Not Only A Body… Or a Short Film About Freedom, PL, 2023, col., 82′, Polish o.v.) in its Italian premiere and also in competition at the Trieste FF. The film is about living life as a journey, fighting eating disorders, accepting your body, getting passionate about photography, and finding yourself. The film premiered in competition at the Krakow Film Festival in 2023.
At 6:00 p.m., once again within the documentary competition, we will watch FANNI KERTJE by Gergő Somogyvári (Fairy Garden, H – RO – HR, 2023, col., 83′, Hungarian o.v.) in its Italian premiere. On the outskirts of Budapest, in the heart of the woods, hides a ramshackle little hut. Inside it, two social outcasts have formed the unlikeliest of bonds. Special Jury Award at the latest Sarajevo Film Festival.
At 8:00 p.m. we have another Italian premiere with the screening of the out-of-competition documentary SCREAM OF MY BLOOD: A GOGOL BORDELLO STORY by Nate Pommer, Eric Weinrib (USA, 2023, col., 99′, English o.v.). The documentary is an intimate portrait of Ukrainian immigrant Eugene Hütz’s rise to prominence with his band, the punk icon Gogol Bordello. The film also shows his defiant return to today’s war-torn Ukraine. Executive produced by the American actor of Ukrainian origin, Liev Schreiber.
The day of screenings at Cinema Ambasciatori closes with Salani Prize-winning ANNA by Marco Amenta (I – F, 2023, col., 122′, Italian o.v.), another film whose project was pitched at When East Meets West. Anna runs a farm in Sardinia. At night, she lets herself go in sensual dances in the village bar and indulges in short-lived adventures until one day the construction of a megaresort on her land will force her to engage in the biggest battle of her life. Anna premiered at the last edition of Venice Days in Venice.
We would also like to remind you of a very lovely initiative: a “cultural” speed date to meet new people with whom to chat, talk about the Trieste Film Festival, and watch a film. The event will be held at Café Rossetti, at 6:00 p.m., and it will be reservation-only. You can book by writing an email to artifragili@gmail.com or via Instagram DM at @artifragili profile.
