Eight international premieres selected from among the most recent global productions; an International Panorama consisting of twelve films hailing from all over the world which are set to enjoy their Italian or international premieres; six Italian movies presented for the very first time in the ItaliaFilmFest line-up; nine masterclasses and a tribute to 01 Distribution looking back at 40 of the biggest titles distributed by the firm over the past 20 years… It may seem a somewhat reduced offering (in terms of the number of screenings and movie theatres involved, owing to a drastic reduction in funding) but the programme offered up by the 12th Bif&st-Bari International Film Festival is no less rich and varied than usual, directed, as ever, by Felice Laudadio and scheduled to unspool from 25 September to 2 October in the Apulian capital’s four historic theatres: Petruzzelli, Piccinni, Kursaal and Margherita.

Titles taking part in the International Panorama will compete for prizes in the categories of Best Direction, Best Actress and Best Actor (by way of a jury headed up by director Roberto Faenza), and these include Danish film Wild Men [+lire aussi :
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interview : Thomas Daneskov
fiche film] by Thomas Daneskov, The Enemy [+lire aussi :
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interview : Stephan Streker
fiche film] by Stephan Streker (Belgium/France/Luxembourg), New Zealand work Juniper by Matthew Saville, starring Charlotte Rampling, France’s Playlist [+lire aussi :
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interview : Nine Antico
fiche film] by Nine Antico, and Brit flick The Last Bus by Gillies MacKinnon, starring Timothy Spall.

The non-competitive International Premieres section has two world premieres on the agenda in the festival’s opening and closing slots respectively: A Bookshop in Paris [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], directed by Sergio Castellitto based on an idea by Ettore Scola and starring Bérénice Bejo, and Marilyn ha gli occhi neri [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Simone Godano, starring Stefano Accorsi and Miriam Leone. The line-up also includes three films yet to be seen in Italy: OSS 117: From Africa With Love [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Nicolas Bedos, Annette [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Leos Carax and Robust [+lire aussi :
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interview : Constance Meyer
fiche film] by Constance Meyer.

As for the ItaliaFilmFest competition which boasts 6 Italian films screening in world premieres and set to be judged by a jury of 24 viewers, presided over by the journalist Antonella Matranga, we find Sulla giostra [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Giorgia Cecere, Through the Waves [+lire aussi :
interview : Marco Amenta
fiche film] by Marco Amenta and The Italian Banker [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Alessandro Rossetto. Standing out among the various masterclasses hosted by the festival, meanwhile, are those due to be delivered by Carlos Saura and Vittorio Storaro (the latter set to receive a Bif&st Lifetime Achievement award), as well as those offered up by Leos Carax and Gianfranco Rosi.

After the open-air edition of August 2020 and this year’s event, which is unfolding, on this occasion, between the Venice and Rome film festivals, Bif&st hopes to get back to its usual spring dates in 2022 (26 March – 2 April).

The full programme for Bif&st 2021 can be found here.