The 11 films of the section Nuove Impronte 2019

“Nuove Impronte” at ShorTS International Film Festival, telling the stories of contemporary Italy

The 2019 selection features a wide range of genres, ranging from comedy to sports films, social dramas to documentaries, the works of eleven Italian directors not yet established in the public sphere but already appreciated for their courage and talent.

The “Nuove Impronte” sections is inspired by new and upcoming Italian directors appreciated for their talents despite not yet being known to the general public. This is a competitive section in its 20th edition, choosing the best works of emerging Italian cinema. There will be 11 titles in competition in a varied selection, bringing together comedy, social drama, sports, experimental works and documentary. These works ranging from north to south represent an inclusive Italy, one that is open to the world and diversity, and one that tells the stories of present generations, intimate love and the desire for redemption, in its own innovative and original way.

“Never before – comments journalist and critic Beatrice Fiorentino, curator of the section – has the selection embraced such a wide spectrum of genres and tones. This variety is united by the commitment, observed within all the directors, to observe and question the complexity of the present. What emerges is a beautiful, inclusive and altruistic Italy that has no intention of surrendering to rampant cynicism and indifference. An Italy that, despite the difficulties it faces, still believes in respect, friendship and love.”

Among the jurors of the Nuove Impronte section are the director and screenwriter Alessio Cremonini, author of the award-winning film ‘Sulla mia pelle’ that tells the last days of the life of Stefano Cucchi, and the actor Vinicio Marchioni, unforgettable in the role of Freddo in the series ‘Romanzo criminale’ by Stefano Sollima and who also features in numerous Italian films, including ‘The Place’ by Paolo Genovese and ‘Ma cosa ci dice il cervello’ by Riccardo Milani. Also on the jury are actresses Sara Serraiocco, who starred in ‘In viaggio con Adele’, and Elena Cucci, who starred in ‘A casa tutti bene’ by Gabriele Muccio and ‘Se non rose…’ by Leonardo Pieraccioni. The final member of the jury lineup is Gianluca Guzzo, CEO and co-founder of MYmovies, a film information site.

FILM IN COMPETITION IN THE ‘NUOVE IMPRONTE’ SECTION 2019

The World is Flat (2018) by Matteo Caregga Bertolini – In his debut film, set in Paris, Matteo Carrega Bertolini, born in 1990 and raised in France, Switzerland and Italy, recounts the friendship between Jean and Antoine, struggling with the uncertainties of life. An intimate and personal work, a buddy-movie that pays tribute to the unforgettable ‘Nouvelle Vague’ era. (ITALIAN PREVIEW)

Beautiful Things (2017) by Giorgio Ferrero and Federico Biaso – The first film directed by composer Giorgio Ferrero and director of photography Federico Biasin, who together give life to a powerful and visionary work, a symphony of images and sounds to tell the story of the consumerist obsession in our contemporary world.

Bangla (2019) by Phaim Bhuiyan – For his debut feature on the big screen, Phaim Bhuiyan, here in the role of both director and leading actor, chooses the language of comedy with autobiographical elements to portray the everyday life of a young Muslim who lives with his family in Torpignattara, a multiethnic district of Rome.

Selfie (2019) by Agostino Ferrente – A documentary made up entirely of glances, which brings the theory of images to the forefront. Agostino Ferrente asks two sixteen-year-olds from the Trajan district of Naples to talk about themselves with their smartphone camera, in the same place where, in the summer of 2014, the young Davide Bifolco died on the run from the police who had mistaken him for a fugitive.

The Champion (2019) by Leonardo D’Agostini – A debut feature by Leonardo D’Agostini that tells the story of football as a metaphor for life and sport as an opportunity for redemption. A special friendship unites the protagonists Stefano Accorsi and the talented Andrea Carpenzano.

Fiore gemello (2019) by Laura Luchetti – A film about love, exile and the search for a life elsewhere. Starring Basim and Anna, two survivors: she is fleeing the violence of a man, while he has escaped to Italy from the Ivory Coast. A work playing out on the road that is both harsh and delicate.

Storia dal qui (2018) by Eleonora Mastropietro – Born in Milan, Eleonora Mastropietro makes a journey back to the discovery of her origins. She leaves for Ascoli Satriano, in the Puglian hinterland, the municipality from which her parents come. Through the documentary genre and a groundbreaking use of the device, the director tries to form an image of this unknown land for herself.

Dulcinea (2018) by Luca Ferri – An experimental filmmaker with a surrealist touch, Luca Ferri chooses the characters of Dulcinea and Don Quixote as archetypal images of another possible story: the story of a man and a woman, of a desire that cannot be realised, and of a hopeless obsession. The first in an internal trilogy and filmed in 16mm, with an eye to the solitudes and fetishes of the cinematic works of Ferreri and Buñuel.

Riccordi? (2019) by Valerio Mieli – After “Dieci inverni”, Valerio Mieli returns to tell the story of a couple. The result is a long love story, told only through memories, often distorted by moods and time, and told from the point of view of the young protagonists (Luca Marinelli and Linda Caridi). An ambitious and at the same time fragile story, that is stubbornly romantic.

Normal (2019) by Adele Tulli – A journey through habits, within the reassuring boundaries of stereotypes and the gender conventions of today’s Italy, and through the divisions we call masculine and feminine, in search of the impossible and arbitrary meaning of the concept of “normality”.

Un giorno all’improvviso (2018) by Ciro d’Emilio – Expectations, ambitions and dreams that break into the banality of reality. Through Antonio’s family history and his dream of becoming a footballer, rookie Ciro d’Emilio faces the transition to adulthood, along with the responsibilities it entails. At the forefront is the love story between a son and a mother, played by Giampiero De Concilio and Anna Foglietta.

The films in competition will compete for the Crédit Agricole FriulAdria Award for Best Film, the Critics Award awarded by the SNCCI, the Best Production Award awarded by AGICI and the ANAC Award for Best Screenplay.

The MYmovies award chosen by the general public has also been confirmed.