Ora! Fest
A new edition of the International Film Festival Ora! Fest, an event dedicated to the environment, sustainability, young people and social justice, will take place in the Italian city of Trani from September 25th-29th, with the financial support of the City of Trani -, chaired by the co-founder of the Allora Fest Cultural Association (producer of the Festival), Giovanni De Blasio with the artistic direction of Eva Basteiro Bertoli, artist and director of "The 48 Hour Film Project" and international curator the journalist, writer and producer Silvia Bizio.
The 2024 edition of Ora! Fest will be opened by the European premiere of the film on the Oscar Award Winner Philippe Rousselot “A look through his lens," directed by Matthew Berkowitz and Gregory Hobbit, featuring the Oscar-Winning actress Kim Basinger as a producer, with another Academy Award-Winner, Lynne Littman.
The first international guest of this new edition will be James Marsden ("Jury Duty”) joined by Oscar Winner Marisa Tomei ("My Cousin Vinny,"), - whose bond with the festival is growing stronger - supported Ora! Fest since the beginning, and she will now return as a member of the Ora!Fest Honours Committee. Among the other expected stars are Raoul Bova ("Under the Tuscan Sun"), a member of the Ora!Fest Team since the first edition, the special guest appearance of Matt Dillon ("The Outsiders") that will be another welcome return to the Festival.
This year the feature film jury will be chaired once again by Alfre Woodard ("12 Years a Slave") who will be joined by: the Spanish film producer Cofounder & CCO of Filmin, Jaume Ripoll, the U.S. director, David Petrarca, ("Game of Thrones"), and the U.S. film producer Michael Nozik ("The Motorcycle Diaries").
FESTIVAL PROGRAM
The days of the festival will be enlivened by talks and master classes featuring the presence of international artists from the film industry. From the United States, on the red carpet of the Ora! Fest will parade the Oscar winner for Best Sound for "Dune" and Best Sound Editing for "Mad Max: Fury Road," Mark Mangini ("Blade Runner 2049"), accompanied by his son, actor Rio Mangini ("Everything Sucks!,"). As part of the Ora! Fest Mark Mangini will be the speaker in an informal discussion about the craft of filmmaking.
The special guest of this new edition of the Ora!Fest will be Desirée Popper ("The Cage") Brazilian-born actress, star of "Mare Fuori" series, and co-host of the final night of the Festival with actress, dancer, choreographer and artistic director Roberta Mastromichele.
THE ORA! FEST AND THE GREEN
In this year’s edition as well, ORA! FEST confirms its commitment to issues related to the environment and with ScartOff Aps, winner of the Regional funding of Regione Apulia Principi Attivi 2012, will organize sessions of information and education on issues related to climate change, recycling and reuse. In addition, creative green projects will be proposed to the city of Trani, through the contribution of the IISS High School and Secondary Art School, Arts High School "G.L. DeNittis" of Barletta, with designers and artists involving the schools of the province of all levels. Also for this edition, Ora! Fest can count on the partnership with the well-known Fondazione Sylva established in Salento in 2021 with the aim of regenerating the landscape through reforestation.
THE ORA! FEST AND YOUNG TALENTS
Among the schools actively involved in the festival, there will be the DAMS - Faculty of the performing arts of the University of Bari Aldo Moro, from which 20 students will be selected to form the DAMS Young Jury. This jury will choose the best film in competition and will present the award during the Festival's awards night on September 28th.
THE FILMS
Ora! Fest will feature a selection of Italian and international films, both in and out of competition, with free admission until seats are filled, at Santa Maria di Colonna Monastery. The Competition will include debut and second feature films with 10 Italian and international short films, and 8 feature films (4 in Italian and 4 in original language).
There will be also a rich Out of Competition section that will include: climate themed shorts produced by students, documentaries with an environmental and/or social commitment background, international films (with subtitles), and Italian premieres. All titles were chosen according to criteria of originality and relevance to the mission of the event with a focus on productions that enclose the themes of environment, diversity and inclusion.