Hot Docs, in collaboration with The Italian Trade Commission and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura is pleased to present three Italian documentaries: The last Resort by Thanos Anastopoulos and Davide Del Degan; The Challenge by Yuri Ancarani; Libera Nos by Federica Di Giacomo.
PROGRAM
The Last Resort
Thanos Anastopoulos, Davide Del Degan | Italy, Greece, France | 2016 | 119 min | North American Premiere
Fri, Apr 28 – 3:15pm @ TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Sat, Apr 29 – 3:15pm @ TIFF Bell Lightbox 3
It’s not the Speedos or deeply bronzed bodies one first notices on the pebbled shore of Trieste, Italy’s popular beach club, but the long concrete wall that separates men from women. One of Europe’s last segregated public beaches, it serves as the principal character and sole backdrop for filmmakers Thanos Anastopoulos and Davide Del Degan’s languid year-long study of an outpost from another era. In this northern region that’s shifted between Yugoslavian and Italian rule, the older Trieste denizens swap stories of life under Tito and the Second World War, while the multicultural population begins to fill the loungers. Without the other sex to impress or shy away from, intergenerational cliques of women and men fully relax, soaking up the warmth of companionship as much as the ever-shifting sun. Unhurried and beautifully rendered, this time capsule celebrates the relationships between seasons, ages and traditions not long for this world. (Myrocia Watamaniuk)
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Libera Nos
Federica Di Giacomo | 90 Minutes | 2016 | Italy France | Italian (Subtitles) | Canadian Premiere
Sat, Apr 29 8:45 PM Scotiabank Theatre 3
Mon, May 1 3:00 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Sun, May 7 9:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox 3
Claims of Satanic possession are increasing around the world. In meeting the demands of those desperately seeking help, the Catholic Church responds with the solution they’ve employed for centuries: exorcisms. A new wave of exorcist priests is being trained, while veteran Sicilian priest Father Cataldo maintains his stern, diligent practice of the controversial method. His weekly mass is filled with those seeking a cure for the demons they feel they have within them. They cling to the power of their faith as the ultimate source of inner peace but whatever the root of their anguish, it’s evident many are suffering. It’s here that you start to see the true cost of deliverance. As priests attempt to cast Satan back down, the business of exorcism continues to rise. Gabor Pertic
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The Challenge
Yuri Ancarani | France, Italy | 2016 | 70 min | Canadian Premiere
Sat, Apr 29 6:15 PM Scotiabank Theatre 7
Wed, May 3 3:30 PM Innis Town Hall
Fri, May 5 8:15 PM Innis Town Hall
Falconry has a history that stretches back over forty centuries. In the West it was a prevailing passion of the medieval aristocracy, but its prestige continues undiminished in contemporary Arab culture. Three years of
observing this form of hunting in the field have made it possible to capture the spirit of a tradition that allows its practitioners to keep a close rapport with the desert, in spite of their predominantly urban lifestyle. Our guide is a falconer taking his birds to compete in a tournament in Qatar.