The schedule of appointments on Sunday 21 November at the RIFF is very dense. It starts at 3.00 pm, at the Nuovo Cinema Aquila, with the presentation of the winners of the IO POSSO! Video contest. Getting out of violence: the power to generate freedom for oneself and for everyone, organized by DiRe – Donne, which will be followed by the screening of the two winning shorts via La testa! by Lorenzo Vitrone, and La storie è donna by Leonardo D. Getino. The contest was created to raise awareness on the issue of violence against women. At the award ceremony there will be: Roberta De Vito and Cristiana Scoppa. At the end, in video connection, the Afghan director Sahraa Karimi will introduce Hava, Maryam, Ayesha the film, which had its world premiere at the 76th Venice Film Festival. The film deals with the story of three Afghan women living in Kabul and coming from different backgrounds. They have to face a great challenge in their lives. For the first time, each of them has to solve their problem on their own.
Sahraa Karimi, who will answer questions from the audience via video connection, is the first female president of the Afghan Film Organization. She has directed 30 short films, 3 documentaries and a fiction film: Hava, Maryam, Ayesha.
The evening of the RIFF opens at 8.15 pm with a tribute to Franco Battiato with the out of competition documentary Temporary Road. (A) life of Franco Battiato by Giuseppe Pollicelli and Mario Tani, who will be present to greet the audience in the hall. The documentary traces, through a long conversation with the Sicilian musician and through the filming of the tour linked to the album “Apriti Sesamo” and exclusive backstage images and fragments captured during the recording of the album, the fundamental stages of an extraordinary human story, in the name of art and inner evolution.
At 4.30 pm, the meeting for the masterclass with Gergely Poharnok is expected. Poharnok, director of photography, will share his experience on how to translate a screenplay into images. The masterclass has a duration of two hours during which, in addition to the story by the author, photographs and clips will be projected.
At 6.30 pm, in the presence of the director, will take place the screening of the documentary A Declaration of Love, by Marco Speroni, Italy, 2021. The Italian premiere film tells the story of a man sentenced to death who is found innocent and released after 22 years spent on death row. Now he has to face a new challenge: surviving freedom.
At 8.30 pm Sam by Yan England, Canada, 2021, in European premiere. “Sam” is a psychological thriller. It tells the story of a 22-year-old athlete and competitive swimmer, who aspires to participate in the Olympic Games but will find himself at the center of a dramatic event with unexpected long-term repercussions, and will be forced to reevaluate his life.
At 10.30 pm In My Skin by Toni Venturi & Val Gomes Brazil, 2021, offers in Italian preview the story of a doctor mistaken for a thief. A cleaning lady treated like a slave. A mother who lost her son murdered by the police. A trans employee who never gets promoted. What do these figures have in common? Skin color. A reflection on rooted racism in Brazil.
On the short film front, at 6.15 pm, in the presence of the directors: The private meeting of Alberto Segre, Italy, 2021. Flowing Water Brings No Poison by Letizia Zatti, Italy, 2021. Marilena by Cristina Puccinelli, Italy, 2021, Fiori by Kristian Xipolias, Italy, 2021, Fishman by Nicolas Spatarella & Raffaele Rossi, Italy, 2021. Uruguay by Andrea Valentina Simonella, Italy, 2021.
Still on the shorts front, at 10.00 pm, in the presence of the directors, the screening of Dorothy must not die by Andrea Simonetti, Italy, 2021, Omeostasi by Paolo Mannarino, Italy, 2021, Penumbra by Alberto Mangiapane, Italy, 2021, Waiters by Adriano Giotti, Italy, 2021, FEIC, Unconfutable Eminent Sources Confirm by Gianluca Manzetti, Italy, 2021.
