Special guests, film program delegations, authors of “Parole Alte” (High Words), and the international jury: who will be attending the 29th Lessinia Film Festival in Bosco Chiesanuova* from August 25th to September 3rd, 2023? The guest of honour for the festival’s opening night will be Fabio Testi, an actor whose career has been adorned with collaborations alongside absolute icons of Italian cinema, such as Sergio Leone and Vittorio de Sica, where he starred in “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis”, which won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Fabio Testi will grace the stage of Teatro Vittoria on Friday, August 25th, at 6:00 PM, where he will receive the “Protagonists of Time” award and lend his voice to the texts of the special event “The Grand Tour of Italian Mountains”, together with accordionist Thomas Sinigaglia. This evening is a collaborative effort with the Cineteca of Bologna and the National Cinema Museum of Turin.
* The municipality of Bosco Chiesanuova (40 mins by car from Verona) is nestled in the picturesque Lessinia region of Northern Italy, characterized by its charming alpine landscapes and rich cultural heritage. A perfect blend of natural beauty and historical significance, making it a captivating destination for both nature enthusiasts and cultural explorers.
The 29th Lessinia Film Festival pays tribute to two young Italian filmmakers, somehow connected to Lessinia and the Verona region, who will present their debut feature films that are happily making the rounds at numerous international film festivals. Giuseppe Petruzzellis will present “La Ricerca” (“The Search”), fresh from screenings at the Visions du Reél in Nyon and the Biografilm in Bologna. The film is dedicated to the poet and stone researcher Luigi Lineri, who will be in attendance with the director to share how the Ponte di Veja in Lessinia became the initial training ground for his passion for stones (Sunday, August 27th). Antonio Bigini, born in Bovolone near Verona, recently featured at the 73rd edition of the Berlin International Film Festival, will present “Le proprietà dei metalli” (“The Properties of Metals”), narrating the story of a young boy in the Romagnolo Apennines and his alleged paranormal abilities (Friday, September 1st).
At the Lessinia Film Festival, words ascend to great heights. Writers, journalists, researchers, and scholars will engage with the festival audience, presenting their books to recount the challenges of life in the highlands. Among those arriving in Bosco Chiesanuova are Benedetta Tobagi (pictured, “The Resistance of Women”), Marco Albino Ferrari (“Assault on the Alps”), Telmo Pievani, Mauro Varotto (“The Global Tour of the Anthropocene”), Alberto Grandi (“The Incredible Story of Snow and Its Disappearance”), Matteo Melchiorre (“The Duke”), Francesco Sauro, Lelo Pavanello, Giordano Canducci, Giancarlo Pasini (“The ‘Tattered Suits’ of Preta”), Paolo Marangon, Fabio Danielon, Mario Allegri (“Antonio Fogazzaro’s Small Ancient World in Bosco Chiesanuova”), Anna Sustersic, Manuela Macelloni(“The Disenchanted Mountain”), Paolo Landi (“Don Milani and the Small Mountain Schools”), Michil Costa (“FuTurismo”), Nadia Massella (“Lessinia 1943-1945”).
The Lessinia Film Festival is Italy’s only international film competition exclusively dedicated to short films, documentaries, feature films, and animations about life, history, and traditions in the mountains. It started in 1995 as a video festival dedicated to the mountains of Verona, the Film Festival gradually expanded its focus to mountains worldwide, excluding works dedicated to sports and mountaineering by regulation. Since 2007, the official venue of the Lessinia Film Festival has been Bosco Chiesanuova. Screenings take place over nine days between the penultimate and last week of August at Teatro Vittoria. The film program is complemented by special events, retrospectives, international guests, exhibitions, discussions, concerts, and other initiatives centered around the theme of life, history, and traditions in the mountains. Since 1997, the Lessinia Film Festival has been led by artistic director Alessandro Anderloni.
All the information IN ENGLISH about Film Festival Della Lessinia #FFDL here: https://www.ffdl.it/en
