The Salento Cinema Film Society, the Italian Cultural Institute and the Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) and the Hong Kong Arts Centre, are pleased to present the 8th Annual edition of the Hong Kong Salento International Film Festival and the 2nd edition of the Salento Week, to be held in Hong Kong from May 26 through May 30, 2019.
The Salento Week is held at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, in Wan Chai, a multi-arts centre that fosters artistic exchanges locally and internationally, bringing the most forward creations to Hong Kong and showcasing homegrown talents abroad. In addition to film screenings, the event will include a Pizzica concert, at the Shouson Theatre, by one of the best Salento folk music bands, “Officina Zoè”; powerful ethno-trance-therapeutic music! The eighth annual edition of the Hong Kong Salento International Film Festival, is part of “Fare Cinema”, a project wanted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support of the diplomatic consular network and the Italian Cultural Institutes to promote abroad quality Italian film productions. HKSIFF highlights world-class independent films with an Italian and international focus.
Since 2004, SIFF has been screening the world’s best indie films to large international audiences: a unique opportunity to watch the real independent cinema. Many of the festival’s “Official Selection” films become part of SIFF WORLD, which takes the films on tour every year through about 14 cities such as Hong Kong, Yerevan, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Santiago de Chile, London, Oslo and many more. The Salento International Film Festival brings to Hong Kong a selection of the Best of the Fest 2018 Edition, to be screened at the Hong Kong Arts Centre – Louis Koo Cinema, one of the six best arthouse cinemas in Hong Kong. This movie spot has attracted its fair share of film lovers by showing alternatives to the latest hits. Making great use of its in-house cinema, viewers can enjoy a robust selection of films like classics, shorts, documentaries, foreign films and indies.
This year, they present six feature films from Italy, Brazil, USA, Iran and China. The 2019 selection includes the new film “Agadah”, from Italian director Alberto Rondalli, inspired by the famous Jan Potocki’s Manuscript found in Zaragoza (1805), one of the great classics of European literature. An Italian film between fantasy and adventure with a great and sumptuous weaving of images. Ulisse Lendaro, an Italian film director, presents his first feature directorial debut “Imperfect Age”. A film which goes straight to the heart of emotions. The imperfect age, adolescence, with all its excesses and, indeed, its innumerable imperfections. Camilla is a seventeen-year-old girl who has the dream of becoming a dancer, despite her mother’s concerns. One day, at a dance lesson, she meets Sara, an aspiring dancer like her, and her life will never be the same again.
“Domino Effect”, directed by Fabio Massa, tells the story of Lorenzo, a thirty-year-old who finally realizes his dream of going to Africa to teach. Right in the best moment of his experience, bad news about his health unleash a domino effect on his life and on those of the people close to him. “Cowboy’s Heart”, by Brazilian director Gui Pereira, tells the story of Lucca, a young musician passionate about country music. However, he manages to be successful only with a more commercial type of music. At the height of his fame, Lucca argues with his agent during a recording session and decides to return to his home town to connect with his roots and get back in touch with his true inspiration.
The Iranian film director Morteza-Ali Abbas-Mirzaei presents his first feature directorial debut “Isolation”, winner of the Best Film award at the 15th annual Salento International Film Festival 2018. The film tells the story of a detainee who takes permission from the warden for a 72-hour leave after six years of imprisonment. He is out in order to bury his wife and to attend her burial ceremony, but his mind is busy with something else.
Kate Bohan is a Chinese-American writer and director. After writing and directing “Kayla’s World”, an award-winning short film based on her daughter’s life, she decided to turn the story into a feature length drama. It took her two years to write a screenplay and finally turn it into her first feature film “Kayla”, a touching movie that tells a story of life and death, losing and gaining. Seven-year-old girl Kayla is forced to find balance between Chinese and Western culture. Kayla has a happy family – her mother comes from China, her father from the United States. After losing her father unexpectedly, her life changes forever. Her dreams and hopes are mercilessly taken away. She now has to grow up quickly to take care of her sick mother, and Kayla learns how to deal with poor and gruelling situations while missing her father deeply. But she still inspires the people around her with love and singing and always finds courage, even when she feels lost.
Experience Traditional Southern Italian Music by Officina Zoè
Since the early 90s, Officina Zoè has become one of the most well-known Italian musical groups for “pizzica tarantata”, an ancient rhythm from the Salento Area. Their exciting and touching music is regarded therapeutic and hilarious with a compelling hypnotic expression. With their dance and obsessive movement, “Pizzica” was used in the past as a trance vehicle or even as a therapeutic source, one of the strongest elements in the musical rebirth of the whole of Southern Italy. Thanks to Officina Zoè, the Pizzica dance has become popular in all the European capitals, as well as in the United States, Tokyo, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Bruxelles, Cairo, Split, Cyprus, Milan, Seoul, Geneva, Ljubljana, Prague, Lisbon, London, Lorrach. The group performs at the Shouson Threatre, Hong Kong Arts Centre on May 26.
When: Sunday–Thursday, May 26–May 30, 2019.
Where: 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
How much: Movie screenings – HKD $50
Concerts – Free admission
For more information, check the concerts’ website and the movies’ page
