Everything is ready in Bologna for the twentieth edition of the Biografilm Festival, the event dedicated to Italian and international biographical documentaries. There are 77 films on the program – presented by directors, performers and producers -, of which 58 are previews and 28 first and second works. The 2024 edition presents a richer program than ever, divided into four spaces scattered around the city: the Cinema Lumière and the DAMSLab, the cloister of the Santa Cristina “Della Fondazza” complex and two “pop up” cinemas, one in via delle Lame and the other in via Guglielmo Marconi. THE 20TH EDITION OF THE “BIOGRAFILM FESTIVAL” There are many categories of the event: the International Competition gives space to ten documentary productions from all over the world; the selection of ten Biografilm Italia films focuses only on the national territory. Then there is Contemporary Lives, which investigates contemporary and universal themes through the stories of communities and collectivities. There is also space for culture with Biografilm Art & Music, while Beyond Fiction blurs the boundaries between fiction and documentary. Finally, the Special Events section brings together the most varied and experimental cinematographic works. Among the guests of this edition stand out the independent producer Ted Hope, the photographer Joel Meyerowitz, the actor Micha Lescot, the Oscar-nominated director Kaouther Ben Hania, the actresses Talia Ryder and Barbara Ronchi, and the director and screenwriter Thomas Cailley. THE THEMATIC COURSES OF THE “BIOGRAFILM FESTIVAL” In addition to the competing categories, we also find a series of thematic paths: among these the focus on the environment and ecology (with films such as I Am the River, the River Is Me by Petr Lom, which documents a canoe trip on the Whanganui, a sacred river for the Maori) and the in-depth analysis of urban spaces and living (with films such as JDL – Behind the Wall by Deborah Faraone Mennella, which follows the life of the artist Judith de Leeuw and the creation of the mural Love Is Stronger than Death in Taranto). And again the theme of the body, investigated in the documentaries Stray Bodies – Errant bodies by Elina Psykou, focused on women’s rights and self-determination, and Another Body by Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn, which questions the power of the deepfake.THE DOCUMENTARIES SKY ARTE AT THE “BIOGRAFILM FESTIVAL” 2024Sky Arte also participates in the festival with three documentaries. As part of the Homage to Paolo Caredda’s cathode cinema, at the Cloister of Santa Cristina, on 10 June at 9.30pm Gli italiani e il comico will be staged, which traces the history of Italian comics from Tex to Dylan Dog, from Hugo Pratt to Andrea Pazienza. The film Prima della fine was presented as a preview on June 11th, at 9:00 pm, at the Pop Up Cinema Jolly in Bologna. The last days of Enrico Berlinguer by Samuele Rossi (produced by Echivisivi in co-production with Salice Production and Solaria Film, and in collaboration with Sky Documentaries, AAMOD Fondazione Archivio Audiovisivo del Movimento Operaio e Democratico) retraces in detail the last hours of the PCI leader. Finally, on June 14th at 4pm at the Lumière cinema Borromini and Bernini will be presented. Challenge to perfection, broadcast on Sky Arte at 9.15pm on Saturday 15 June and already winner of the 2024 Nastro d’argento as Best Art Documentary.
