Since 2005, the Biografilm Festival has been offering audiences the best in recently produced documentaries, particularly focusing on biographies and life stories in general. All the complexities of the contemporary world are explored, starting from the story of people’s lives: human experiences raise questions and provide answers on today’s crucial issues. People and their journeys in the world sheds new light on ongoing social processes.
Please find below the selection of films made available to the network of Italian Cultural Institutes in the world throughout 2021.
- We are the thousand by Anita Rivaroli (2020), 79′
26 July 2014. Cesena. 1,000 musicians from all over Italy gather to play “Learn to fly” by the Foo Fighters in order to convince Dave Grohl to play a concert in the city. This is the start of a real adventure for the world’s greatest rock band.
- Easy living by Orso Miyakawa and Peter Miyakawa (2019), 93′
What could happen if a 14-year-old student who smuggles medicine and an American tennis coach with artistic ambitions were to decide to help a migrant cross the border into France?
- Nilde Iotti, il tempo delle donne (Nilde Iotti, women’s time) by Peter Marcias (2020), 80′
Through archive images, first-hand accounts by those who knew her and her thoughts voiced by actress Paola Cortellesi, this documentary tells the human and political story of a woman who was able to break down many taboos, emancipating Italian civil society.
- 50 – Santarcangelo festival by Michele Mellara and Alessandro Rossi (2020), 76′
A look at performing art trends from the 1970s to date, through the story and evolution of the Santarcangelo Festival.
- La piazza della mia città. Bologna e lo Stato Sociale (My town square. Bologna and the ‘Welfare State’ band) by Paolo Santamaria (2019), 75′
Bologna 2018. The concert in Piazza Maggiore by ‘Lo Stato Sociale’ (literally: ‘The Welfare State’), the band that brought Italian indie music to the Sanremo festival, becomes the soundtrack to tell the story of one of Italy’s most iconic squares.
- Vivere, che rischio (The hazard of living) by Michele Mellara and Alessandro Rossi (2019), 83′
Featuring stories and interviews, this unusual documentary reconstructs the life of Cesare Maltoni, the oncologist from Bologna who founded the Ramazzini Institute and became world famous for his cancer research.
- Ex-Otago – Siamo come Genova (Ex-Otago – We’re at one with Genoa) by Paolo Santamaria (2019), 80′
The story of a band inextricably linked to Genoa, representing an act of love for Marassi, a difficult neighbourhood that is nonetheless the beating heart of the city. From Genoese clubs to sell-out gigs in big cities, this documentary features a mix of live shows and personal stories, portraying a group that believes in the power of music and writing.
- Caro Lucio ti scrivo (Dear Lucio, I’m writing to you) by Riccardo Marchesini (2017), 89′
A series of letters addressed to Lucio Dalla after his death mysteriously ends up in the hands of Egle, who was the singer-songwriter’s postwoman for many years. The letters are from the characters of some of his most beautiful songs. Fiction and documentary become one, accompanied by Bologna in the background and Lucio’s immortal music.
