Films in Competition: Plots, Emotions, and Details
SBIFest 2024
1)"Una Risata ci Salverà" - A laugh will save us
Italy
1Hour
Director Michelangelo Gregori
Michelangelo Gregori, 43 years old, is an Italian filmmaker, writer, and actor. He graduated from the Istituto Superiore del Cinema e della Televisione in Rome. He has worked on various projects in the fields of audiovisual media, theater, and social media. He has also been involved in video design for opera. Over the years, he has made several short films, achieving both national and international recognition. As a writer or screenwriter, he has always navigated between cinematography and theatricality.
Plot:
"A Laugh Will Save Us: We will explore the intersection between humor, satire, and religion, analyzing how they mutually influence each other. Through interviews with comedians, artists, and scholars, we will discover irreverent jokes, clever parodies, and bold caricatures that challenge religious dogmas. We will reflect on the critical role of humor in faith and spirituality, examining its ability to defy social conventions and initiate dialogue on sacred topics. It will be a journey that will make us laugh and reflect, exploring the power of comedy within the context of religions and opening new perspectives on cultural dynamics. 'A Laugh Will Save Us' will invite us to challenge power through liberating laughter."
2)The Strong Man of Bureng
Italy
1hour 15 min utes
Director Mauro Bucci
Mauro Bucci's filmmaking method is based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, during which he establishes a bond with the people being filmed to better understand their everyday lives and points of view. For his films, he worked as a one-man crew shooting video, recording sound, and editing footage to maintain complete authorial control over the work. He applied this method in "Hotel Splendid", a documentary that portrays the lives of an African community hosted in an Italian hotel that has been converted into an emergency refugee camp. In his latest film, "The Strong Man of Bureng", using a similar approach, he explores the theme of circular migration, closely following the protagonist across different continents and life experiences.
Plot:
Former UN soldier Essa has fled the Gambia for Finland, where he has successfully set up a business that provides for his family. Back in his hometown Bureng, he is celebrated as a hero. During a visit home, world events catch up with him: The coronavirus outbreak jeopardises Essa’s return to Europe and his application to renew his residence permit, plunging him into one of the most serious crises of his life."The Strong Man of Bureng" is both a contemporary odyssey and an intimate story of the deep motivations that have brought a person to leave his own country in an effort to satisfy universal needs.
3) The breath of Sarajevo
Italy
1hour 31 minutes
Directors Fabiana Antonioli, Andrea D'Arrigo
Fabiana Antonioli: editor, director and producer.
Plot:The documentary "The Breath of Sarajevo" tells the extraordinary story of Sanja and Zoran, who in 1993 fled and survived the siege of Sarajevo, the longest war siege in the history of the 20th century, to find refuge in Italy. After 30 years they return to Sarajevo, together with the woman who welcomed them in her home, in a small mountain village.