The 2013 edition of the Italian Cinema Days, the 28th organized by Espace Magnan, concluded with the awarding of prizes. The Garibaldi Prize, a small sculpture by the Italian artist Serenella Sossi, was awarded by the jury to the film by twin brothers Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio “Sette opere di misericordia,” while the audience award went to Giorgio Diritti’s film “L’uomo che verrà.” A special mention from the jury was given to “Vacuum” by Giorgio Cugno.
A very beautiful conclusion after ten days of quality programming featuring many films that, unfortunately, for the most part, will not be distributed in France.
This amplifies the merits of the Espace Magnan team, which, with limited resources, achieves this small miracle every year of organizing a festival that should attract even more attention and benefit from the support of cultural authorities.
Returning to this year’s winning film, which had already won the Grand Prix at the Annecy Italian Film Festival and the Italian Cinema Meetings in Grenoble in 2011, “Sette Opere di Misericordia” references Caravaggio’s painting (1571-1610) which depicts the seven works of mercy.
It is a complex film that, due to the rigor and stylization imprinted on the characters and events, divides opinions on it.
A close-up film without embellishments or concessions, it is certainly far from commercial logic.
Its ambition is to provoke reflection, to the point of obsession, on each person’s identity, the stranger who is around us and whom we refuse to see, and the marginality that turns human lives into potential monsters.
