Scenography under starry skies
The sea around is not a border, four islands of author reopen to the world of cinema
'The Islands of cinema' is a network of four festivals in the lesser islands of Sardinia. In mid-July Tavolara turns into an immense cinema with a starry vault of Una Notte in Italia. Established in 1991 to focus on filmmaking and creativity in Italian cinema, it is now a traditional event at national level. In thirty years, the best Italian actors have walked on this unique red carpet surrounded by the waters of the spectacular marine reserve of Tavolara-Capo Coda Cavallo. Meeting and interaction between the public, artists and experts already starts on board the boats that reach the island leaving from Porto San Paolo near San Teodoro and a little south of Olbia. It starts on Tuesday 16 July in La Peschiera (San Teodoro). Two days later the festival takes place in the seaside square of Porto San Paolo. From Friday 19 July until Sunday the shows are staged in the immense hall under the stars of Tavolara.
From Tavolara to La Maddalena, the journey is short. From July 26th to July 28th, the “Valigia dell’Attore” is set up at the Fortezza I Colmi on the largest island of the beautiful archipelago of the same name. The festival will focus on acting techniques in cinema, theatre and television. Established in 2003, the event is related to important post-war Italian actors, in particular Gian Maria Volonté to whom this event is dedicated. Volonté lived on the island for a long time and chose it as his last home. The festival includes advanced training workshops on acting techniques with screenings and retrospectives of the artistic career of Italian and European actors: while watching sequences of their films, the actors are encouraged to talk and discuss their experiences with academics and film critics. During the 21st edition, the main guest is the actress Sonia Bergamasco, who will be awarded the Volonté 2024 prize.
Asinara is nature, scenery and remembrance: as you walk through it, you will hear the silent echo of the events that occurred in its corridors, cells, visiting rooms. Forgotten by the world for over a century, suddenly is living again, though with a very fragile balance. The port of Stintino was once the start of a no-return trip for the prisoner taken to the local Alcatraz. During the “Pensieri e parole” festival, which has been taking place for 18 years, each spectator can carry a book to donate to the library on the island. Once a place from which it was impossible to escape, it is now a symbol of knowledge and an hymn to freedom. People can walk along the paths of the national park, sit in the evening in front of the screen and chat with film writers, critics and directors.
Screenings, concerts, meetings and seminars to discover the art of music for the cinema: from 2006, Creuza de Mà focuses on music and sounds in films. The festival’s historic location, from the 24th to the 28th of July, is Carloforte, a Tabarchin colony on the Island of San Pietro that has always been a Ligurian enclave in Sardinia. It takes its name from a song by Fabrizio De André, a singer from Liguria who also lived in Sardinia, a land with which he had strong bonds. Conceived and directed by film director Gianfranco Cabiddu, Creuza de Mà evokes the image of Carloforte lanes, steps and alleys that steeply descend to the port. The traditional carrugi, the promenade and the enchanting natural arena of Capo Sandalo – with the audience sitting on the rocks – together with the spectacular views that the city offers, are the setting of four days of screenings, concerts, meetings with composers, directors and actors. The festival is a kind of open workshop: the live performances of the musicians are an opportunity of both entertainment and reflection.
