Lucania Film Festival, 26th edition under the banner of 'Lies

The 26th edition of the Lucania Film Festival kicks off. From 3 to 10 August, it will animate the white town of Pisticci (Matera) with film screenings, meetings and concerts.

There are several new features to the initiative: first and foremost, a shared artistic direction between Iranian director Hana Makhmalbaf and activist Claudia Fauzia. In a setting such as this, the "Lie Talk", conceived by co-director Fauzia herself, finds its place: a cycle of meetings to cross the territory of fiction and invention.

On the other hand, the customs that have made the LFF an eagerly awaited event remain: once again this year, the preview on 3 August will be entrusted to the evocative concert on the beach, at dawn, with live soundtracks by Rocco Mentissi and performance readings by Manola Rotunno dedicated to the figure of Frankenstein. The kermesse will then get into full swing from 6 August: central will be, as always, the screenings of the films in competition, master classes with the protagonists of the cinema, concerts, and "cine-passeggiate", including the Mediterranean and Asian routes with the stars Nabila Rezaïg and Zainab Entezar. Among the names on the bill are: on the filmic side, Antonio of the Manetti Bros, actors Marianna Fontana and Giulio Beranek; on the artistic side, maestro Mimmo Paladino and architect Luca Molinari; while, on the musical side, Frida Bollani Magoni together with Mark Glentworth, Roberto Angelini with Pier Cortese and Angelo Mellone & Band. In particular, for this edition, the programme of secret screenings was curated by the other co-director, Hana Makhmalbaf.

The festival will end on Sunday 10 August, but not without constantly allocating a space, both intimate and collective, to "Cinema ad alta voce", the place reserved for audio-books and audio-narratives in which words are listened to in silence thanks to "Silent system" technology. And to ensure that the cinema is truly an inclusive and welcoming experience for all, an entire day - the inaugural one on Wednesday 6 - is dedicated to the value of accessibility, especially for the blind and visually impaired.