Italy, in all its splendor, is certainly the emblem of auteur cinema. Just think of the classic scene of the Trevi fountain, where the beautiful and voluptuous Anita Ekberg invited Marcello Matroianni to take a nice refreshing bath! The greatest directors in the world have chosen it as a destination for their best works, and many were born there. It is therefore not surprising to think that various festivals dedicated to the seventh art take place in Italy. Not everyone will know, for example, the Marzamemi Film Festival, now in its XNUMXth edition!
Marzamemi and its beauties: cinema and more ...
The laughing Marzamemi, a small hamlet in the municipality of Pachino, is located 20 km from Noto, capital of the Baroque. This place, in the province of Syracuse, preserves all the wealth of Sicily. The sun and the sea make Marzamemi a small corner of Paradise, famous not only for the Frontiera Film Festival. The sunny village was born around the landing, which later became a fishing port, the main livelihood activity of the area. This is still practiced today, thanks to the help of a Tonnara, which is one of the most important in Sicily. There tonnara by Marzamemi dates back to the time of the Spanish domination in Sicily, during the reign of Philip IV. In 1655 this was bought by the baron Simone Calascibetta. In 1752 the works were completed by the Calascibetta barons, both of the building and of the church and of the trap. Moreover, the nearby Pachino had a strong productive impulse, which also interested Marzamemi.
Warehouses were built along the main road, and which were used to store both the wine barrels (to be shipped by sea to Liguria and France), and the over three hundred thousand tons of salt, produced by the two salt mines of Morghella and Marzamemi . Towards the end of the 800th century, Antonio Starrabba, Marquis Di Rudinì, had a large millstone built, while the Villadoratas built a steam mill, which was later converted into a distillery. The activities in the area were always very prolific, and focused on fishing, until the tourism sector had a surge. With its Caribbean white beaches and crystal clear sea, Marzamemi enchants even the most experienced visitor. Thanks to its natural and genuine attractiveness, Marzamemi has also conquered several and important directors. These have chosen it to be the background to their stories… of celluloid.
The alternative Festival: the cinema of Marzamemi is a cinema border
The beautiful Marzamemi has been the location of several more or less famous films. In 1993 the historic village was chosen by Gabriele Salvatores for the movie South, with the actors Silvio Orlando, Claudio Bisio and Francesca Neri. Some scenes from the film Kaos, by the Taviani brothers, were made here, as well as The man of the stars, of Giuseppe Tornatore. In short, it seems that the fate of Marzamemi is linked to the cinema, and in fact this year is the XVIII Edition of the Frontier Film Festival by Marzamemi. The dates not to be missed are from 12 at the 15 September 2018, and there will be lots of news! At the helm there will be the director Nello Correale, creator and artistic director, who will again be joined by the illustrious film critic Sebastiano Gesù.
Why celebrate a cinema border? Well, because that is what allows you to submit a independent, intercultural cinema, attentive to the themes of borders and borders, both artistic and cultural. Confront and get lost in diversity, and learn from this: what better mantra than this? Within the event there will then be an international competition of feature films and one of short films. There will then be a review of cinema and music, as well as one of documentaries. What are you waiting for? Do not miss the joys and colors of Marzamemi, and overcome the borders, to enjoy a cinema without borders!
