The Medfilm Festival, focussing on films from the Mediterranean basin, opened on November 9th at Rome’s Savoy cinema. For its 24th year, 79 films from 34 countries were screened in three locations in the Italian capital: the Savoy cinema, Macro – the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma – and the Nuovo Cinema Aquila. Many film-makers, actors and producers were there to interact with the audiences.
The festival opened with The day I Lost My Shadow by Syrian director Soudade Kaadan, winner of the Luigi de Laurentiis Award for a debut film at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Taking place in present-day Syria, the film is about Sana, a mother who raises her child alone and finds herself confronted with the war and its consequences.
10 films, 8 of them pre-release screenings, were in official competition, between them tackling many themes: the war in Syria, women’s emancipation and labour law. To name only three films in competition: Mon cher enfant by Tunisian Mohamed Ben Attia, Yomeddine by the Egyptian film-maker Abu Bakr Shawky and On the Hillsides by the Franco-Algerian director Abdallah Badis.
Spain and Tunisia were honoured for this 24th edition, with special days of screenings and meetings to highlight the dynamism and vitality of Spanish and Tunisian cinema. Another noteworthy section was “Women in Film”, highlighting the creativity of women directors. This section featured drama films and documentaries about the female body and its desires.
Two women received a life-time achievement award: the Italian director Liliana Cavani and Dora Bouchoucha, a Tunisian film producer.
Finally, for the second time the Medfilm Festival organized MEDmeetings, an event to discuss the commercial opportunities for Euro-Mediterranean films.
The Italian festival ended on November 18th with the screening of a film by Israeli director Amos Gitai, A Tramway in Jerusalem, which looks at the political and religious reality of Jerusalem.
Sources: http://www.close-up.it, https://www.ilmetropolitano.it, https://www.foxlife.it
