Last day of screenings at the Biografilm Festival, which this evening will see the awards ceremony of the twentieth edition. It will start at 8pm at the PopUp cinema Arlecchino and then give way to the screening of the closing film, ‘Turn in the Wound’ by Abel Ferrara (in the photo), present in the room. A poetic documentary about the experience of war, in search of meaning in suffering. The voice of Patti Smith, who sings and recites works by Artaud, Daumal and Rimbaud, joins the words of soldiers and those living in Ukraine’s combat zones. An emotional reflection on the yearning for freedom in the face of violence. And ultimately, we can say, one of the many films that at Biografilm brings the narration of conflicts in the world, because unfortunately there are so many of them, perhaps further away than others, but, it seems, destined to never end, such as the one of Nagorno Karabakh, the subject of a territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, told in the touching documentary in competition ‘Jardin Noir’ by Alexis Pazoumian. But the last day begins at 4.30pm with ‘Lui simply io’ by Matteo Parisini: following a stupid joke, the Italian teacher assigns the topic “What is the most beautiful part of you?”. The kids from Ite Salvemini in Casalecchio di Reno stage a story that actually happened, which tells how the valorization of beauty is a much more effective educational expedient than any punishment. The director and the entire cast will be present. At 5pm we continue with ‘Il frastuono e il silenzio’ (2024, 112′) by Giampaolo Penco. Considered a bad teacher in Italy, recognized as a master of political philosophy in the world, Toni Negri, ninety years old and ill in his home in Paris, holds in his hands all the threads that bind him to his many lives. Witness to a historical moment full of contradictions, he laid the foundations for the future of European political philosophy. The director, Sandro Mezzadra, Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Bologna, and Alisa Del Re, senior scholar of the University of Padua, will be present. Finally, a small addendum tomorrow with two repeats of the winning films and then a screening of ‘Tell Them about us’ by Rand Beiruty at 9pm at the Arlecchino.
