Article by Beatrice Bertino
Translation by Chiara Ventura
Not all stories end up being what the author had imagined. This is what happened to Otso Tiainen, a Finnish director dealing with his first documentary. The story he intended to tell about arcane rites and forms of worship ended up reporting recent news events related to domestic abuses that emerged during filming.
Continua la lettura di “SHADOWLAND” BY OTSO TIAINEN (ENG)Article by Greta Maria Sorani
Translation by Giacomo Patterlini
“A systematic destruction of a population, a lineage, a race or a religious community”. This is the definition of the word “genocide”, a term that today is more relevant than ever and which, since 7 October 2023, seems to have become a taboo. The documentary The Encampments, directed by Kei Pritsker and Michael T. Workman, shows the ultimate consequences of this expressive repression within American universities.
Continua la lettura di “THE ENCAMPMENTS” BY KEI PRITSKER AND MICHAEL T. WORKMAN (ENG)Article by Alessandra Sottini
Translation by Francesca Corino
Family bonds are just as hard to break as they are to mend. However, if our reality is not enough to fill the emotional gap caused by unexpected and senseless separations, virtual reality transcends dimensional boundaries, offering unforeseen support in the search for a solution. «Reality is what you make of it» and LUZ, the VR game that lends its title to Flora Lau’s film that was presented out of competition at the 43rd Torino Film Festival, promises to deliver this experience.
Continua la lettura di “LUZ” BY FLORA LAU (ENG)Article by Carlotta Profico
Translation by Alice Ivaldi Lessona
Ritratti di cinema explores cinema through the personal and analytical gaze of nine leading figures on the international scene: Jane Campion, Tim Burton, Ruben Östlund, Asghar Farhadi, Pablo Larraín, Damien Chazelle, Paul Schrader, Peter Greenaway and Martin Scorsese.
Continua la lettura di “RITRATTI DI CINEMA” BY PAOLO CIVATI (ENG)Article by Luca Delpiano
Translation by Giulia Zanotto
Presented in the feature film competition at the 43rd Torino Film Festival, Morgan Knibbe’s The Garden of Earthly Delights explores the connection between body, city and identity. In Manila’s Red Light District, two stories are intertwined: that of Ginto, a young boy who dreams of rising in the criminal world alongside the friend he is secretly in love with; and that of Michael, a Dutch tourist who arrives in the Philippines and ends up giving in to his darkest impulses, becoming a symbol of white privilege that continues to exert power over vulnerable bodies.
Continua la lettura di “THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS” BY MORGAN KNIBBE (ENG)
Article by Giada Franzoni
Translation by Viola Suria
With Always, competing in the documentaries section of the 43rd Torino Film Festival, Deming Chen delivers a work of rare delicacy, a film that tiptoes into the solitude of a child gifted with extraordinary sensitivity.
Continua la lettura di “ALWAYS” BY DEMING CHEN (ENG)Article by Davide Lassandro
Translation by Valeria Marconi
In Mongolia, there is a centuries-old tradition, passed down from father to son, which consists of taking care of horses through transhumance to help them survive the harsh and freezing winters of that region. Six years ago, this tradition was suddenly interrupted due to winter weather, which has grown increasingly harsh over the years. Now, the elders need to revive this ancient tradition by entrusting the arduous task to two young friends.
Continua la lettura di “IRON WINTER” BY KASIMIR BURGESS (ENG)
Article by Niccolò Bedino
Translation by Alessandra Di Paola Seminara
«I am not in danger, I am the danger». Walter White’s legendary line from Breaking Bad could easily serve as the plot twist in Untitled Home Invasion Romance, the directorial debut of Jason Biggs. The actor of American Pie (Paul Weitz, 1999) trades teen comedy for dark comedy and shows an unexpectedly sharp command of timing, both before and behind the camera. He does not reinvent the genre, but he navigates it with a confidence many veteran filmmakers lack.
Continua la lettura di “UNTITLED HOME INVASION ROMANCE” BY JASON BIGGS (ENG)
Article by Giada Franzoni
Translation by Carlotta Anna Antonacci
What would happen if Fellini’s naïve Cabiria suddenly ended up in John Waters’ irreverent film universe? Fucktoys, the debut feature directed by and starring Annapurna Sriram, answers this question by creating a glamourous and glittering atmosphere which recalls the 1970s and camp aesthetics, while competing in the 43rd edition of the Torino Film Festival.
Continua la lettura di “FUCKTOYS” BY ANNAPURNA SRIRAM (ENG)Article by Martina Oliva
Translation by Chiara Ventura
After Juliette Binoche took part in the performance In-I In (2008), a piece both danced and acted in which she performed alongside the British dancer and choreographer Akram Khan, she filmed the documentary In-I In Motion (2025).
Continua la lettura di “IN-I IN MOTION” BY JULIETTE BINOCHE (ENG)Article by Davide Lassandro
Translation by Alice Ivaldi Lessona
Revolutions, of any kind, have always existed and have incessantly shaped the course of history. But what is their purpose? What are they fought for? And against whom? These are the questions that define Daniel Vidal Toche’s first feature film, La anatomía de los caballos, presented at the 43rd Torino Film Festival. The Peruvian director creates an unusual and personal cinematic work, depicting the relationship between a land and its people filtered through the complex and contradictory theme of revolution.
Continua la lettura di “LA ANATOMÍA DE LOS CABALLOS” BY DANIEL VIDAL TOCHE (ENG)Article by Marilina Rita Monzo
Translation by Giacomo Patterlini
In Avemmaria, what stands out is not the story, but a perspective: that of a man who, on the threshold of fatherhood, realises he cannot move forward without coming to terms with the child he once was. This insight gave rise to Fortunato Cerlino’s directorial debut, presented at the 43rd Turin Film Festival. The work naturally weaves together two periods of life, building a continual debate between the adult Felice, the director’s alter ego – played by Salvatore Esposito – and the young Felice, played by Mario Di Leva.
Continua la lettura di “AVEMMARIA” BY FORTUNATO CERLINO (ENG)Article by Greta Maria Sorani
Translation by Francesca Corino
A woman lays motionless on a bed, seemingly lifeless. On top of her, a man, panting, abuses her. The second feature film by Lino Escalera, Hamburgo, opens with this violent image. After his debut with No sé decir adiós (2017), the Madrid-born director returns on the topics of drug addiction and loneliness by adopting the conventions and atmospheres of noir cinema.
Continua la lettura di “HAMBURGO” BY LINO ESCALERA (ENG)Article by Alessandra Sottini
Translation by Luca Perrone
On November 7th in Rome, the elegant Acquario Romano venue hosted the press conference presenting the 43rd edition of the Torino Film Festival. This year, the event is adorned with the face and magnetic gaze of Paul Newman, as evident from the poster: a picture shot in 1981 by Eva Sereny, which captures the famous star during the filming of Absence of Malice. It goes without saying that this is one of the twenty-four movies of the Festival paying homage to the actor.
Continua la lettura di 43rd TORINO FILM FESTIVAL’S PRESS CONFERENCE (21-29 NOVEMBER 2025) (ENG)
