Siff 2015 | 12th Edition

The SIFF has once again confirmed itself as an unmissable event for those who love truly free cinema. SIFF succeeded: in making the public discover a universe parallel to cassette cinema represented by the production of independent films. During the Festival, Italian films and films from all over the world alternated, rare films and first releases, capable of telling passionate, entertaining stories, with an eye on current events and social commitment.

On Friday September 4, the curtain rises with a retrospective dedicated to the martial arts of Hong Kong. 3 films directed by Bruce Lee will be screened, The Way of the Dragon, Ching Siu-tung Duel to the Death and Corey Yuen Righting Wrongs

At the end of the Festival, as every year, the international editions will begin, where the best works of the 2015 edition will be selected. The cities involved are: London, Zurich, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Santiago de Chile, New York, Dubai and Yerevan in Armenia.

The Festival will open with the film, winner of 21 awards for best film, La Scultura, the first work by the Italian director Mauro John Capece and starring the Salento actress Corinna Coroneo. The film, in its Italian premiere, is set in Italy in the present day and talks about love, trampled art, prostitution and disguises and the situation of sculptural art in Italy. Rebellious Flower is the first biopic on Osho Rajneesh, directed by the Indian director Krishan Hooda, in its European premiere, it will be the closing evening film of the Festival.

Dozens of talents will present their first works at the Festival: Katrin Ottarsdóttir, from the Faroe Islands presents Ludo, an intense psychological drama featuring an eleven-year-old girl caught between her mother’s dark, unstable mind and her father’s benevolent passivity; Also in competition is the American Steve Barendson who describes a brief and intense relationship between two lonely travellers El Ganzo; the German director Maria Hengge, Sin & Illy Still Alive, chooses, instead, to tell the story of two heroin-addicted girls, Sin and Illy, against the backdrop of the now infamous drug scene in the city of Frankfurt, the film is based on a true story; and again, John of God is the greatest musician in the world… in his mind. His story is told in the film John of God the Movie, a comedy directed by Selè M’Poko, from the Democratic Republic of Congo; the Swiss director Erik Bernasconi presents Fuori Mira (Off Target), a mix of comedy and thriller about immigration and integration; while the Spanish directora Geoffrey Cowper debuts with the feature film Day Release, a gritty and realistic action-packed thriller, set in Spain and based on true events. At the Festival too Luis Antonio Pereira Brazilian director presenting his latest film Chess Game (Jogo de Xadrez), the film has a woman in prison as its protagonist; The director comes from the Philippines Jason Paul Laxamana, whit The Coffin Maker, one of the most popular Filipino films of the year, which tells the heartbreaking story of a father who with his hard work does his best to raise his young daughter in a rural area, but is not ready to face what fate reserve for them. The film takes us on a deeply emotional journey, free of cliché and sentimentality, and slowly reveals the struggles of a man who must confront his own guilt and remorse.

Among the many films that will be presented at the Salento International Film Festival, a section will be dedicated to documentaries that this year come from Italy, Pakistan and the United States:
The Italian premiere of Poverty Inc, directed by American director Michael Matheson Miller, looks at some of the hidden and negative effects of the current ‘poverty industry’. A criticism of the system of grants and aid for Africa. The director speaks extensively on topics related to international development, entrepreneurship and economic policy; America’s Blues by the American director Patrick Brenson, in its European premiere, it explores the impact that Blues music has had on our society, on popular culture and on the entertainment industry; The film comes from Pakistan K2 and the Invisible Footman, directed by the Brazilian/Korean director Iara Lee, tells the story of the invisible heroes of the mountain: the Pakistani high-altitude porters. Three Italian documentaries complete the selection: Just Say Yes, tells the adventurous journey of two girls, Ingrid and Lorenza, who decide to go to Sweden from Florence to finally get married, directed by Maria Pecchioli; Emergency Exit: Young Italians Abroad, on Italy and the consequences of the last 20 years of politics on the young generations; the world premiere Mater Matera by Simone Aleandri, a film about the oldest district of Matera, a city declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993. Matera, the only capital of an Italian province without a train station, was chosen as the 2019 European Capital of Culture.

“Film Festivals remain the best place to see many cinematographic works in one place – explains Gigi Campanile, Artistic Director of SIFF – who adds – The Salento International Film Festival offers the rare opportunity to see true independent cinema from all over the world : free screenings every night under the stars and free live concerts in the beautiful Piazza Pisanelli, in the heart of the historic center of Tricase”.