Siff 2021 | 18 ^ Edizion

Bisceglie September 7-12, 2021

THE 18th EDITION OF THE SALENTO
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IN BISCEGLIE

An unmissable opportunity for comparison between international and national film productions, on the role of cinema as a form of cultural communication and bond between peoples but at the same time an opportunity to enhance young talents and explore new forms of film production.

SIFF WINNERS 2021

SIFF, in its 18th edition, explored the boundaries between dramatic current events and timeless impulses, mixing philosophy, psychology, news and history in a vortex of “heretical” emotions. Abandoning all ideology, he traveled without gender limits through the countries of the world, celebrating the uniqueness of each story with acrobatic dives into the desired and possible future. The winners, proclaimed with a touch of mystery, highlight the unsaid, the cosmic resonances and symphonies that unite us. In the name of beauty and cooperation, Cinema presents itself as the key which, if embraced and cultivated, could be our salvation.

BEST FILMRE MINORE” Directed by Giuseppe Ferlito | Italy 2021 | 122 min.

Motivation

“D Minor” is a film that explores the universal power of music to connect a young musician’s life with the divine. Through the relationship with his master, the heartbeats and the sounds of nature, the film reveals the ontological message of God. In the midst of life’s storms, music becomes the guide to find the way home and embrace love and humility. Set in Sicily, the film tells the myth of mermaids, Greek tragedy, theater and the welcome of foreigners and dead migrants. Addressing the environmental emergency, the story highlights the importance of seeking the truth, even when it leads to unwanted revelations. The soundtrack, based on Beethoven’s D minor, conveys the universal heartbeat and divine mystery.

BEST ACTOREMRE CETINKAYA
for the film I AM YOU Directed by Sonia Nassery Cole | Afganistan 2021 | 90′

Motivation

For having been able to give substance to a modern story, but not only, by focusing, with participatory but objective delicacy and lucidity, on the theme of flow which is the search for oneself and one’s own happiness in life but inviting us to do so with conviction but without paving no one and giving us the confident concrete perspective that, at times, it is young people themselves who show us the way and for the empathetic relationship with nature with which the director punctuates the entire film which acts as a vibrational “symphony” in the background.

BEST ACTRESSSUSAN PARVAR
for the filmBOTOX Directed by di Kaveh Mazaheri | Iran 2020 | 97 min.

Motivation

For an extraordinary mimicry almost of silent cinema and a capacity for realization and transfiguration in which a film, already beautiful and full of suggestions in every direction, finds in its main interpreter a condensation of all the beauty of the story.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY SUSAN LUMSDON BLOODSHOT HEART” byParish Malfitano | Australia 2020 | 90 min.

Motivation

The very happy agreement between direction and photography to render the nightmares and dreams of escape of those who, as in this case, resort to every stratagem the mind is capable of formulating, in his wildest fantasies, to imagine himself free from the prison of family oppression ( the relationship with the mother returns again, in a tragic way in this film) when they are emotional vampires. Visionary and overwhelming with stunning photography.

BEST DOCUMENTARY“”The Last Movie Painter
Directed by Walter Bencini | Italia 2020| 90min.

Motivation

This work documents the importance of voices that contribute to the success of a film, often overlooked compared to directors and actors. Before the age of TV and the internet, posters and covers played a crucial role in persuading viewers to choose a film. The “living monument” Casaro, an esteemed illustrator, deserves praise for having contributed his technical expertise and artistic talent to the seventh art.

SPECIAL MENTIONFLASH THE STORY OF GIOVANNI PARISI Documentary Directed by Marco Rosson | Italy 2020 | 60 min.

Motivation

From the splendid vibrant voice of Federico Riccardo, producer, he brings to the stage a story of redemption through sport. The film follows the life of a determined young champion driven by the desire for redemption and the desire to make his beloved mother proud of him by becoming an athlete, a champion and finally a legend. The plot highlights how anger, channeled positively, can be a motivating force. Through the courage to face fears and dedicate oneself with patience, the protagonist becomes an example of human resilience, offering a message of hope in a period of collective uncertainty, especially for young people.

BEST SHORT WOMEN IN CINEMA
MILADirected by Cinzia Angelini | USA 2021 | 19 min.

Motivation

BEST ITALIAN SHORTFAME”
Directed by Giuseppe Alessio Nuzzo | Italy 2020 | 12 min.

Motivation

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORTFEELING THROUGHDirected by Doug Roland | USA 2020 | 18 min.

Motivation