Cinema, the “Fausto Rossano Award” is back: screenings and debates on mental health. The eighth edition will be held from 15 to 22 October involving the French Institute of Naples, the Academy of Fine Arts, Palazzo Fondi, the Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Officine Gomitoli, the “Casanova” and “Sauro Errico Pascoli” institutes.
Screenings, meetings and debates with the aim of fighting the stigma surrounding mental suffering in its various meanings. The “Fausto Rossano Film Award” (premiofaustorossano.it) returns to Naples from 15 to 22 October. This year, it will have its headquarters at Palazzo Fondi (via Medina 24) and will also involve the French Institute (via Crispi 84), with a packed program of events, all with free admission.
In the eighth edition there are 72 works in competition divided into 7 categories (Short Films, Documentaries, Workshops, Animations, Focus Campania, Students, Schools), in addition to a section dedicated to the production of Spanish short films. Works that come from all over the world (China, India, Canada, Israel, Slovenia, Serbia, Turkey, Portugal, Germany, Holland, Russia), with a particular attention to animated shorts from Taiwan and Iranian cinematography present with three titles.
Among the topics covered, there is room for the environment and migration and very current issues such as the right to choose to end one's life, crises and identity choices about one's body, Alzheimer's, mental health and migration, the course of life, the effects of the pandemic, but also the need to get back together. There is also no lack of reference to past, present or future wars. Some of the authors have tried their hand at genre cinema between western and horror.
Among the protagonists of the short films in the Focus Campania category we find Lello Arena, Lino Musella, Antonia Truppo, Neri Marcorè, Massimo Dapporto and Anna Rita Vitolo.
In addition to the works of professionals in the sector or students of film schools and universities, the Fausto Rossano Award offers an important space of visibility to laboratory films, which are those made within rehabilitation courses in day centres, mental health centres or projects of socialisation between people as demonstrated by the titles in competition to which an afternoon of screenings will be dedicated on Thursday 20 October in the Dumas cinema hall of the French Institute of Naples in the presence of the authors and delegations of protagonists from all over Italy.
The Award is dedicated to the figure of the Neapolitan psychiatrist Fausto Rossano who passed away in 2012 and who, as the last director of the Leonardo Bianchi psychiatric hospital and then as head of the Department of Mental Health of Naples, actively worked to close mental hospitals.
“In the wake of my father's cultural idea, of attention to the needs of people in their contexts, it is important to shine a spotlight on the suffering of the weakest groups in a moment of enormous difficulty such as the one we are experiencing due to the consequences of the pandemic that we have not yet completely overcome and the war in Ukraine that we thought was now relegated to the last century and which instead shows us its cruel and barbaric reality with the social, economic and isolation effects that it brings with it. Without forgetting the climate and environmental crisis. We are living in an era of fear and uncertainty, we are losing all points of reference, all elements that put the balance of people and the entire society at risk. This is one of the reasons for the title of this year's edition: Contemporanea(mente): spaces, times and people. The program is structured around these three elements, full of screenings, but also meetings, debates, book presentations, concerts. We don't just report things that aren't right, but we also want to convey positive messages and testimonies through meetings and especially through the cinematographic medium, a universal tool that can overcome all barriers", explained Marco Rossano, artistic director of the festival.
THE PROGRAM
The events are all free to attend and will involve the Grenoble building of the French Institute of Naples, which will be the venue for the opening and closing ceremony of the festival, the “Casanova” and “Sauro Errico Pascoli” schools, the intercultural centre of the Gomitoli workshops and the Suor Orsola Benincasa University and the Academy of Fine Arts of Naples, venue for three masterclasses directed by the director and screenwriter Guido Lombardi, the actor Sergio Sivori and the producer and documentary maker Andrea Canova.
Opening night at the Grenoble on Saturday 15 October with the presentation of the project “Il racconto di un ignorante” by director Luca Lanzano. The documentary, produced by Inbilico Teatro e Film in collaboration with the Fausto Rossano Award, tells the story of Alan Wurzburger, a singer-songwriter from the Pino Daniele era, with great talent who unfortunately did not manage to achieve success due to many negative episodes during his life, but who despite everything, always fought to move forward and rise from his ashes. In addition to the director and producer Andrea Canova, Alan himself will be there and will play some songs. Followed by the screening of the documentary “Aret' 'a palma” by Andrea Canova, which tells the story of the life, atmosphere and characters around the club managed by Alan accompanied by the music of the singer-songwriter.
Monday 17 October at 18 pm at Palazzo Fondi space for the screenings of the film competition. At 19.30:XNUMX pm presentation of the book “Sono stato truffato” by Antonio Supino in collaboration with the Napolinmente association. Followed by tasting of Vesuvietna sweets and concert of the singer-songwriter Ross.
Double appointment on Tuesday 18 October with the documentary Madrefiglio by Luca Lanzano and a meeting on parenthood and second generations at 16 pm at Officine Gomitoli (piazza Enrico De Nicola 46) and an evening on the “body” from 19.30:XNUMX pm at Palazzo Fondi in collaboration with the publishing house Mar dei Sargassi. During the event, the book by the American sociologist Sabrina Strings entitled Fat Phobia will be presented with interventions by Patrizia Valerio, professor of Body Semiology at the Academy of Fine Arts, talking about the “body” and by Daniela Ammaturo, child neuropsychiatrist and AIPA analyst. At the end of the presentation, the cooperative Le Radici di Coira, which deals with beauty products, will carry out an experiential workshop with the public creating a body cream. At the end, the screenings of the competition and the musical intervention by Andrea Tartaglia with an aperitif.
Wednesday 19 October from 18 pm at Palazzo Fondi will be dedicated to Spanish cinema with short film screenings and a musical performance by the Flamenco Tango Neapolis group and a Spanish aperitif, while Thursday 20 October, again at Palazzo Fondi from 18 pm, will feature screenings and a book presentation of “Napoli svelata” by Angelo Forgione, followed by a performance by the harpist Gianluca Rovinello and an aperitif.
On Friday 21 October, starting at 10 am, Suor Orsola Benincasa University will host the meeting “Uncertain future: reflections and post-pandemic analysis – spaces, times and people”. Speakers include Stefania Ferraro, professor of Topographies of Social Space at Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Anna D'Ascenzio, professor of Social Research Methodology at Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Daniela Cardone, professor of City Aesthetics at Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Paola Russo, psychiatrist and AIPA psychoanalyst, and Lorenzo Giroffi, video reporter. Followed by a screening of Eroi Perduti (Lost Heroes) (Italy, 2020, 14') by Lorenzo Giroffi.
Also on Friday 21 October at Palazzo Fondi from 17 pm the meeting on the theme “Uncertain future, affective and effective relationships” will be attended by the professor of psychology of the University Federico II Valentina Boursier, the professor of philology of the University of Barcellona Raffaele Pinto, the sociologist of the University Federico II Stefano Bory. This will be followed by the screening of the short film “Anion” made by the students of the laboratory of “analysis of the use, functions and meanings of stories through images: from fairy tales to animated cinema” in the master's degree course in psychology of the University of Naples Federico II. Following from 19 pm onwards screenings in the presence of the directors, music and aperitif.
Awards ceremony and screening of the winners on Saturday 22 October from 18pm at the Grenoble, with the presentation of the projects of AutismAid Onlus and the Festival Corto ea Capo. The evening will close with the musical group Bandita Sbandata in collaboration with the association Muse per l'oro.
Every evening aperitif offered by the Paolo Tortora and Valentina Abbruzzeso Tortora Foundation, an extraordinary economic-social project that deals with training children with Down syndrome and integrating them concretely into the world of catering. Also this year the Ninni Scognamiglio Diagnostic Center renews its socio-cultural commitment by supporting the festival.
The winners will be chosen by juries composed of professionals in the sector. The best short film will be evaluated by Titta Fiore (journalist and President of the Campania Film Commission), Stefano Bory (professor of sociology of cultural processes), Agnese Nano (actress), Sergio Sivori (actor and director) Assunta Maglione (psychiatrist), Luigi Barletta (director, screenwriter, professor of cinematography), Gina Annunziata (professor of history of cinema), Andrea Canova (director and producer), Matteo Manfredi (professor of archives and photographer) and Luca Ciriello (documentary maker and producer) who will have the task of deciding the best documentary. The animation jury includes Valentina Boursier (professor of psychology), Stefano Bory (professor of sociology of cultural processes), Giuseppe Colella (president of the Coordination of Campania Film Festivals) and Francesca Frigo (storyboard artist). Umberto Rinaldi (director of the Corto festival and head), Mario Di Fonzo (actor) and Anna Mazza (playwright) will evaluate the works in Focus, Carmen Credendino (journalist), Fabiana Fazio (director) and Raffaele Pinto (philology professor) those in Students, Melania Ametrano (psychoanalyst), Giulio Nocerino (screenwriter) and Gianluca Colella (psychologist), Ilaria Ceci (sociologist), Raffaella Annunziata (psychologist) the works in the Laboratories and Schools category.
Among the new features this year is the pilot edition of the literary competition “The Sky is Always Blur” stories about Cinema and Health aimed at anyone who has a story to tell that links a personal experience on a health topic, real or imaginary, to cinema or a film.
Article published on 14 October 2022 - 15:23
