LECCO
Back to Lecco, ten years later, always in support of cinema, the one that is savored together, in theaters, at festivals: Carlo Verdone is the special guest of “City Lights”, the Lecco Film Fest which from Thursday 7 to Sunday July 10 will illuminate the lakeside promenade and also the reborn Aquilone cinema.
“He is very busy on the sets, but he immediately agreed to participate, bringing a milestone:” Ordet – The word “, by Carl Theodor Dreyer. A film that binds him to his father Mario, film critic, and through which he will debate with us also of cinema and spirituality together with an ecclesiastical expert “, anticipates don Davide Milani, parish priest of Lecco and president of the Ente dello Spettacolo Foundation which is directing the event together with Confindustria Lecco and Sondrio. Verdone – who will be exhibiting his “Clouds” in Milan in these days (and a photograph of him will be auctioned for the Paideia Foundation on June 7), in Lecco will tell his long love affair with the seventh art.
In 2012 he had brought with him “Posti standing in paradiso“: it was the first digital screening for the Cineteatro Palladium di Castello. “Small rooms must be saved: they are the place to meet and also attend quality screenings. I was the first to train myself, both as an actor and as a director, in these small provincial cinemas”, he explained his presence. at the Palladium, the same room that – destiny wants – also hosted the first performances of Antonio Albanese, at the dawn of his career.
Ten years (and a pandemic) later, Verdone is back in a room that has rekindled the spotlight for a handful of months – the Nuovo Aquilone cinema – and also in the square, to meet the Lecco public. Also remembering the importance of cinema linked to the territory is Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice International Film Festival, who participated in the launch of the festival together with Swamy Rotolo, winner of the David di Donatello as best actress for “A Clear”.
“The Lecco Film Fest is a very young festival but one that is already rooted and consolidated – recalled Barbera -. Territorial festivals have an essential function because they contribute decisively to the cultural development of a community: it is a fundamental aspect because the cities that do not they manage to grow thanks to culture are destined for a future of progressive decline “. “Contributing to the formation of an audience – he added, complimenting a new festival, but which is already distinguishing itself at the national level – also means safeguarding that extraordinary heritage represented by cinemas. It means saving historic centers from desertification”. And enlighten them. Here is the title, the mission and the leitmotif of the event. Which will be preceded and accompanied also by a summer school: from 5 to 10 July the boys and girls of the Lecco high schools and beyond will be protagonists.
“It will be an intensive course – explains Don Davide Milani – to understand how to write for cinema in collaboration with the Toniolo institute and the Catholic University of Milan. The path, which will also be attended by the winning students of the” Opera Prima “competition. , will see together qualified teachers and protagonists of the cinema, including Ciro D’Emilio, director of “Un Giorno Suddenly“, screenwriter of television series and also at the forefront with his film training academy “.
D’Emilio also participated in the production of the TV series “Don Matteo”, “The restorer” and “Gomorra – the series”, as assistant director, and directed the series for Mediaset “L’ora – Ink against lead” with Claudio Santamaria, whose shooting was interrupted by the pandemic and was completed at the end of 2021. It will be broadcast by Canale 5, in prime time, starting from Wednesday 8 June.
In addition to the summer school for high schools – registration is free and you can participate from all over the region – the youngest will also sign the soundtrack of the festival: for the third edition, in fact, the students of the Casa degli Angeli school and the Grassi musical high school are involved in the creation of the theme song for the Lecco Film Fest. And more music, with a tribute to the great authors of soundtracks, also thanks to the involvement of the band body Alessandro Manzoni of the city of Lecco, chaired by Elisabetta Frizzi.
Another ally in the area, this year, is the association “Penelope’s secret” which will create the “welcome bags” to be given to the guests of the festival: the association, in fact, welcomes migrant girls and involves them in craft projects social, with sewing and felt-making workshops.
While the program and the guest list are about to close – the mouths remain sewn up for now – volunteers are still being sought (an open call will be launched to collect new subscriptions) and the festival formula is remembered: screening every evening with the director or the cast that converses with the audience; thematic study in the hall or in the square in the afternoon. And an essential link with the territory for four days and beyond.
“Not only is Confindustria a sponsor, but it is a promoter, it has asked for this festival to be organized and has stimulated companies to support it. A more unique than rare situation – underlines Don Davide Milani -. It is a festival embodied in the city, in all its size “. And that will try to shed light on current events. We will also necessarily talk about war and peace, there will be a focus on the theme of women.
Simona Ballatore
Verdone turns on “The lights of the city” And D’Emilio teaches cinema to children – What to do