The 11th edition of Bif&st-Bari International Film Festival – under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic, supported by the Cinema Directorate of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, promoted by Apulia Region with the collaboration of the City of Bari, produced by Apulia Film Commission Foundation – will take place from August 22 to 30, 2020, in Teatro Piccinni, in the Arena Prefettura in Piazza Libertà, in the Arena in the courtyard of the Castello Svevo, in one theatre of the Multicinema Galleria, and in the Teatro Margherita.

Felice Laudadio is Bif&st founder and director, president is film director Margarethe von Trotta, and late Ettore Scola is honorary president. Enrico Magrelli, film critic, is the consultant to the artistic direction, and Giuliana La Volpe is the programmer. Angelo Ceglie is the executive director. Bif&st is included among the activities of the Fellini100 Committee.

Bif&st collaborators: Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, University of Bari, Politecnico of Bari, Puglia Promozione. Partners and sponsors: ANCE Bari e BAT; INAIL; Nuovo IMAIE; Gruppo Marino/Renauto; Monile/MarioMossa Gioielliere, Aeroporti di Puglia.

Media partners: RAI (main media partner), Corriere della Sera/Corriere del Mezzogiorno, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, La Repubblica,.

Federico Fellini’s profile was designed by Ettore Scola, and it is made of platinum by Monile/MarioMossa Gioielliere for the “Federico Fellini Platinum Award for Cinematic Excellence”.

The photo of Mario Monicelli is by Pino Settanni, courtesy of Luce Cinecittà.

International Premieres

Seven films, selected among the most recent world production, and absolute Italian premieres, will be presented in the evening non-competitive section International Premieres. The program will open and close with a double homage to Italian cinema shot in Apulia, with digitalized or restored classic films: La ragazza con la pistola by Mario Monicelli, also shot in Polignano, in Conversano and in the Alta Murgia area, and LaCapaGira by Alessandro Piva, shot in Bari.

Before the 21.30 screenings in Arena Prefettura (Piazza Libertà), the winners of the ItaliaFilmFest will be awarded. Among them:: Luan Amelio Ujkaj with Gianni Amelio on stage, Nicola Piovani and Pierfrancesco Favino with a video message (August 22); Pupi, Antonio and Tommaso Avati on stage, Micaela Ramazzotti with a video message (August 23); Francesco Frigeri and Maurizio Braucci on stage, Pietro Marcello with a video message (August 24); Luca Gasparini with Roberto de Feo on stage (August 25); Milena Mancini with Claudio Bonivento and Lorenzo Mattotti on stage (August 26); Paola Cortellesi with a video message (August 27); Benedetta Porcaroli, Marco D’Amore and Marco Bellocchio on stage (August 28); Matteo Garrone, Paolo Del Brocco, Massimo Cantini Parrini and Claudio Segaluscio on stage (August 29).

The Federico Fellini Platinum Award for Cinematic Excellence will be conferred to Anne Fontaine with a video message (August 26) and, on stage, to Lina Sastri (August 23), to Nicola Maccanico (August 28) and to Roberto Benigni, who will also receive the Alberto Sordi Award to the best supporting actor for Pinocchio (August 29).

In the evening of August 30 three awards will be conferred by the jury of the International Panorama competition. A piano concert will follow, in collaboration with Bari Piano Festival directed by Emanuele Arciuli, with an Ennio Morricone program. We will honor the great Maestro with a concert of two prestigious Italian pianists: Gilda Buttà, who was the “official” interpreter of Ennio Morricone’s film scores and piano compositions, and Cesare Picco, a refined improviser, who performs Morricone’s music with great creativity.

Screening schedule in Arena Prefettura (Piazza Libertà):

August 22, opening night

• LA RAGAZZA CON LA PISTOLA by Mario Monicelli with Monica Vitti, Stanley Baker, Carlo Giuffrè, Corin Redgrave, Stefano Satta Flores. Italy 1968, 104’ Italian. Film digitalized by Cineteca Nazionale.

Before this screening, there will be a Tribute to Ennio Morricone and a Tribute to Alberto Sordi by Marco Cucurnia (Il silenzio di Alberto, 5’25”).

August 23

• IL GIORNO SBAGLIATO (Unhinged) by Derrick Borte with Russell Crowe, Jimmi Simpson, Caren Pistorius. Usa 2020, 93’ English with It. subt.

Academy Award winner Russell Crowe stars in “Unhinged”, a timely psychological thriller that explores the fragile balance of a society pushed to the edge, taking something we’ve all experienced – road rage – to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion.

August 24

• ROSE PLAYS JULIE by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor with Ann Skelly, Orla Brady, Aidan Gillen. Ireland-UK 2019, 100’ English with It. subt.

Rose has always wanted to know who her biological parents are and the facts surrounding her true identity. Having tracked down her mother, Ellen, Rose is shattered to learn the violent nature of how she came into existence. Rose sets out wto confront her biological father. She cannot possibly foresee that she is on a collision course that will prove both violent and unsettling. Dark forces gather and threaten to destroy her already fragile sense of her own identity.

August 25

• LES TRADUCTEURS (The Translators) by Régis Roinsard with Lambert Wilson, Olga Kurylenko, Riccardo Scamarcio. France-Belgium 2019, 105’ French with Eng and It. subt.

Nine translators, hired to translate the eagerly awaited final book of a bestselling trilogy, are confined in a luxurious bunker. When the first ten pages of the top-secret manuscript appear online, and a pirate threatens to leak the rest if a ransom is not paid, a question becomes obsessive: where is the leak coming from?

August 26

• POLICE (Night Shift) by Anne Fontaine with Virginie Efira, Omar Sy, Grégory Gadebois, Payman Maadi. France 2020, 99’ French with Eng. And It. Subt.

Three officers are tasked with escorting an illegal immigrant to Charles de Gaulle airport, where he will be forced onto a plane and sent back to his homeland. But when they find out about the truth they have to make a difficult choice.

August 27

• IL CONCORSO (Misbehaviour) by Philippa Lowthorpe with Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley. UK 2020, 106’ English with It. Subt.

In 1970, during the awards evening of Miss World competition, the most-watched TV show with over 100 million viewers, London’s Women’s Liberation Movement invaded the stage and disrupted the live broadcast. When the show resumed, the result caused an uproar: the winner was not the Swedish favourite but Miss Grenada, the first black woman to be crowned Miss World!

August 28

• THE AUDITION (Das Vorspiel) by Ina Weisse with Nina Hoss, Simon Abkarian, Jens Albinus. Germany-France 2019, 99’ German with Eng. And It. Subt.

Anna Bronsky teaches violin at a Conservatory. Against the better judgement of her colleagues, she decides to admit Alexander, a student in whom she has seen an incredible talent. She passionately tutors Alex for his final year’s exam, yet she also starts to neglect her son, Jonas, as well as increasingly drift away from her husband …

August 29

• THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD (La vita straordinaria di David Copperfield) by Armando Iannucci with Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Gwendoline Christie, Ben Whishaw, Aneurin Barnard. UK-USA 2019, 119’ English with It. Subt.

From the imagination of Academy Award nominee Armando Iannucci, the adaptation of one of the most beloved novels by Charles Dickens. An extremely funny film, a journey across 19th century England, following the twists and turns of his hero’s fate.

August 30, closing night

• LACAPAGIRA by Alessandro Piva with Dino Abbrescia, Mino Barbarese, Mimmo Mancini, Dante Marmone, Paolo Sassanelli, Gianni Giannotti, Tiziana Schiavarelli. Italy 1999, 76’ Italian. LaCapaGira was restored by Cineteca di Bologna in collaboration with production company Seminal Film in 2020.

Before the film, two shorts will be screened from the “Vite spezzate” series directed by Alessandro Piva for INAIL, a partner of Bif&st.

 

International Panorama

13 films in competition from all over the world, Italian or international premieres. The jury – Alessandro Laterza (president), Mariangela Barbanente, Oscar Iarussi, Silvia Napolitano and Alessandro Piva – will confer the following awards: Bif&st International Award to the best film director – Bif&st International Award to the best leading actress – Bif&st International Award to the best leading actor. These are the films scheduled in Teatro Piccinni at 19.00 and 22.30:

August 22

• FREE COUNTRY (Freies Land) by Christian Alvart with Trystan Puetter, Felix Kramer, Nora Waldstaetten. Germany 2019, 127’ German with Eng. and It. Subt.

In Fall of 1992, police inspectors Patrick and Markus are sent off to a remote corner of the country to examine the disappearance of two teen sisters, 15 and 16. Did the two pretty girls just run away from their hick town, or did something more sinister happen to them? In this remote part of the country, the effects of the East German regime still muddy the waters. No one saw anything, the inspectors are greeted by iron silence. A photo negative showing the two girls naked and tied up in a hunting lodge seems to indicate a sex crime has been committed.

• INVISIBLE (Nematoma) by Ignas Jonynas with Dainius Kazlauskas, Paulina Taujanskaite, Darius Bagdziunas, Alexandr Ignatusha. Lihtuania-Latvia-Ukraine-Spain 2019, 90’ Lithuanian-Ukrainian with Eng. and It. Subt.

A former dancer, Jonas, pretends to be blind to enter a TV dance competition. He meets his new dance partner Saulė who at first is disturbed by Jonas’ disability, but soon enough discomfort gives way to genuine interest and the couple becomes the most popular contestants of the show. At the same time Vytas, someone from Jonas’ past, is released from prison after serving a sentence for murdering his wife Marija. Vytas is afflicted with contradictory feelings: he is convinced that his wife’s ex-lover Jonas is equally responsible for her death.

August 23

• NOCTURNAL by Nathalie Biancheri with Cosmo Jarvis, Lauren Coe. UK 2019, 86’ English with It. Subt.

Laurie, a cynical schoolgirl, builds and nurtures a secret friendship with Pete, an older man who’s apparently obsessed with her.

• GIPSY QUEEN by Hüseyin Tabak with Alina Serban, Tobias Moretti, Irina Kurbanova. Germany-Austria 2019, 112’ German-Romani with Eng. and It. Subt.

Ali, a courageous woman and single mother of two kids, works with the trainer and owner of a rundown box club in order to provide for her family.

August 24

• THE SONG OF NAMES by François Girard with Eddie Izzard, Tim Roth, Clive Owen, Gerran Howell, Stanley Townsend. Canada-Hungary-UK-Germany 2019, 113’ English with It. Subt.

As Europe erupts into World War II, 9 years old Martin comes to love his new brother Dovidl, a highly gifted violin prodigy of the same age and Polish-Jewish refugee to London. But hours before Dovidl’s debut concert performance at the age of 21 he vanishes without a trace. This triggers Martin’s odyssey in search of his lost brother, that will lead to surprising revelations for both men.

• MUSCLE by Gerard Johnson with Cavan Clerkin, Craig Fairbrass, Polly Maberly. UK 2019, 110’ English with It. Subt.

Simon isn’t living the life he wants. He’s tired of his dead- end job at a call centre– and he isn’t even any good at it, he and his girlfriend are painfully drifting apart. He’s sick of his pudgy body and his life. It’s time to make a change and hit the gym. His inexperience, timid nature, and soft body stick out in this run-down gym full of Schwarzeneggers. Immediately, he draws the attention of an intimidating personal trainer named Terry who offers to coach him. All too quickly though, Simon’s life spins out of control after his girlfriend leaves him and Terry becomes his boss, friend, and roommate.

August 25

• SYMPATHIE POUR LE DIABLE by Guillaume de Fontenay with Niels Schneider, Ella Rumpf, Vincent Rottiers. France-Canada-Belgium 2019, 109’ English-French-Serbian with Eng. and It. Subt.

Inspired by true events, based on the book Sympathie pour le diable by Paul Marchand. A very vulnerable man under his armor of sarcasm, fragile in spite of his bravado, strong in spite of his wounds, Paul Marchand made his reputation during the 1992-93 siege of Sarajevo. This movie tells the story of how his feeling of rebellion grew as he watched simple people trapped in a city under constant shelling, as he witnessed the apathy of the international community and the nonchalance of some of his colleagues, for whom the war was but a “good story”.

• INHERIT THE VIPER by Anthony Jerjen with Josh Hartnett, Margarita Levieva, Bruce Dern, Owen Teague. USA-Switzerland 2019, 90’ English with It. Subt.

For siblings Kip and Josie, dealing drugs isn’t just their family business—it’s their only means of survival. When a deal goes fatally wrong, Kip decides he wants out. But Kip’s attempt to escape his family’s legacy ignites a powder keg of violence and betrayal, imperiling Kip, Josie, and their younger brother, Boots, in this searing crime-thriller that builds to a shattering conclusion.

August 26

• THREE SUMMERS (Três Verões) by Sandra Kogut with Regina Casé, Rogério Fróes, Gisele Fróes, Otavio Müller. Brazil-France 2019, 94’ Portuguese with Eng. and It. Subt.

Every Christmas, with the help of their employees, Edgar and Marta host a lavish family celebration at their summerhouse. In the course of three years, their lives are going to turn upside down. What happens to the invisible people living in the orbit of the rich and powerful when everything collapses? Through their gaze, we witness the gradual disintegration of Brazil on the eve of 2018.

• THE GERMAN LESSON (Deutschstunde) by Christian Schwochow with Ulrich Noethen, Tobias Moretti, Levi Eisenblätter. Germany 2019, 125’ German with Eng. and It. Subt.

In a small North German village, a drama plays out during and shortly after the Second World War about duty versus individual conscience and morality. Based on Siegfried Lenz‘ classic novel The German Lesson and directed by Bad Banks’ and The Crown‘s director Christian Schwochow.

August 27

• GOLDEN VOICES (Kolot Reka) by Evgeny Ruman with Maria Belkin, Vladimir Friedman, Evelin Hagoel. Israel 2019, 88’ Russian-Hebrew with Eng. and It. Subt.

Victor and Raya Frenkel were the golden voices of the Soviet film dubbing for decades. In 1990, with the collapse of Soviet Union, the Frenkels decided to do Aliyah – immigrate to Israel. There’s no need in Israel for Russian speaking dubbing artists, and Victor’s and Raya’s attempts to use their talent will cause bizarre and unexpected events during their first months in Israel, and turn the beginning of the new chapter of their life into an amusing, painful, and absurd experience.

• LYNN + LUCY by Fyzal Boulifa with Roxanne Scrimshaw, Nichola Burley. UK 2019, 84’ English with It. Subt.

Lynn and Lucy are life-long best friends, their relationship as intense as any romance. Neither has ventured far from where they grew up. Lynn, who married her first boyfriend and whose daughter is fast growing up, is delighted when the charismatic, volatile Lucy has her first baby boy. Lucy, however, does not react to motherhood as Lynn expects. Soon, they find their friendship tested in the most extreme circumstances.

August 28

• NUCLEAR by Catherine Linstrum with Emilia Jones, Sienna Guillory, Oliver Coopersmith, Noriko Sakura, George MacKay. UK 2019, 92’ English with It. Subt.

Brutalised by her own brother, a traumatized young girl, Emma, and her mother are on the run. Finding refuge in an isolated retreat, where a nuclear power station looms, Emma begins to break away from the protection of her mother and is forced to navigate a hostile world alone. A tense and hunting tale of a toxic family with a dangerous past.

In Teatro Piccinni Bif&st will also present these out of competition films:

August 22, h. 16.00

• SEMINA IL VENTO (Sow The Wind) by Danilo Caputo with Yile Yara Vianello, Feliciana Sibilano, Caterina Valente, Espedito Chionna. Italy-France-Greece 2020, 91’ Italian with Eng. Subt.

Nica, 21, drops out of her university course in agronomics and returns home to Apulia in southern Italy after three years away. She finds her father deep in debt, a polluted, devastated region, and olive trees destroyed by a parasite. Everyone seems to have given up in the face of the vast ecological disaster, while her father is obsessed with uprooting the olive grove to make money from the land. Nica fights with all her might to save the ancient trees. But the pollution has also contaminated people’s minds, and she will have to face unexpected obstacles…

August 29, h. 19.00

• QUELLO CHE NON SAI DI ME by Rolando Colla with Linda Olsansky, Koudous Seihon, Sara D’Amico. Switzerland-Italy-Czech Rep. 2019, 121’ English-Czech with It. Subt.

Ikendu is a Malian refugee now in Switzerland after passing through Libya and Italy. In Bellinzona he meets Patricia, a Czech single mother, who works in a bike shop. They fall in love, get married and plan their new life together. One day Ikendu is arrested and incriminated as a drug dealer, but he pleads not guilty. The couple’s relationship deteriorates, revealing ambiguities and hidden truths. Nonetheless from the ruins of this painful conflict, the hope for a rebirth will arise.

August 30, h. 19.00

• NONOSTANTE LA NEBBIA (Despite the Fog) by Goran Paskaljević with Giorgio Tirabassi, Donatella Finocchiaro, Francesco Acquaroli, Anna Galiena, Luigi Diberti, Paolo Triestino. Italy-Serbia-France-North Macedonia 2019, 89’ Italian with Eng. Subt.

Paolo is going home after work, in a rainy evening. On the road he sees a boy at a bust stop and decides to take him home. The boy, Mohammed, is a refugee who lost his parents during the journey to Italy. It is a disturbing presence for Paolo’s wife, Valeria, who initially is hesitant and suspicious, but in the end she becomes fond of Mohammed despite people’s prejudices.

Teatro Piccinni will host, at 11.00 and 16.00, the second screenings of the ItaliaFilmFest films presented the day before in the Arena Castello Svevo. The program will also include, on August 28 at 22.30, the great music show “Napoli che canta” performed by singer and actress Lina Sastri to honor Ennio Morricone, recorded in Teatro Petruzzelli on April 27, 2019. Lastly, on August 29 at 22.30, on the occasion of Federico Fellini and Alberto Sordi hundredth anniversary, Bif&st will present I vitelloni, restored by the Cineteca Nazionale.

ItaliaFilmFest

This section presents the Italian films awarded by the jury of film critics in collaboration with the artistic direction. These are the winners, and the schedule of their films in the Arena Castello Svevo at 20.00 and 22.30:

August 22

     HAMMAMET by Gianni Amelio

• Premio Giuseppe Rotunno for best director of photography Luan Amelio Ujkaj
• Premio Ennio Morricone for best composer Nicola Piovani
• Premio Vittorio Gassman for best leading actor Pierfrancesco Favino

     IL TRADITORE by Marco Bellocchio

• Premio Mario Monicelli for best film director Marco Bellocchio
• Premio Ennio Morricone for best composer Nicola Piovani
• Premio Vittorio Gassman for best leading actor Pierfrancesco Favino

August 23

     IL SIGNOR DIAVOLO by Pupi Avati

• Premio Tonino Guerra for best original script Antonio, Pupi and Tommaso Avati

     GLI ANNI PIU’ BELLI by Gabriele Muccino

• Premio Anna Magnani for best leading actress Micaela Ramazzotti

August 24

     IL PRIMO NATALE by Ficarra and Picone

• Premio Dante Ferretti for best production designer Francesco Frigeri

     MARTIN EDEN by Pietro Marcello

• Premio Luciano Vincenzoni for best screenplay Maurizio Braucci and Pietro Marcello

August 25, h. 22.30

     THE NEST (Il nido) by Roberto De Feo

• Premio Roberto Perpignani for best editor Luca Gasparini

August 26

     A MANO DISARMATA by Claudio Bonivento

• Premio Alida Valli for best supporting actress Milena Mancini

     LA FAMOSA INVASIONE DEGLI ORSI IN SICILIA by Lorenzo Mattotti

• Premio Maria Pia Fusco for technical and artistic excellence Lorenzo Mattotti

August 27

     FIGLI by Giuseppe Bonito

• Premio Mariangela Melato for cinema for best leading actress in a first or second film Paola Cortellesi

     5 È IL NUMERO PERFETTO by Igort

• Premio Gabriele Ferzetti for best leading actor in a first or second film Toni Servillo

August 28

     L’IMMORTALE by Marco D’Amore

• Premio Ettore Scola for best first or second film director Marco D’Amore

     18 REGALI by Francesco Amato

• Premio Nuovo IMAIE for upcoming actress Benedetta Porcaroli

August 29

     PINOCCHIO by Matteo Garrone

• Premio Franco Cristaldi for best film producer Matteo Garrone and Paolo Del Brocco (Rai Cinema)
• Premio Alberto Sordi for best supporting actor Roberto Benigni
• Premio Piero Tosi for best costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini

     SOLE by Carlo Sironi

• Premio Nuovo IMAIE for upcoming actor Claudio Segaluscio

The Arena Castello Svevo program will be completed with the out of competition screenings of:

August 25, h. 20.00

• LA RIVINCITA by Leo Muscato with Michele Venitucci, Michele Cipriani, Deniz Özdogan, Sara Putignano. Italy 2020, 87’ Italian

August 30 h. 20.00

• BURRACO FATALE by Giuliana Gamba with Claudia Gerini, Angela Finocchiaro, Paola Minaccioni, Caterina Guzzanti, Loretta Goggi. Italy-Morocco 2019, 90’ Italian, World premiere

22.00 – Remembering Andrea Camilleri and Ugo Gregoretti

• UGO E ANDREA by Rocco Mortelliti with Andrea Camilleri, Ugo Gregoretti. Italy 2005, 60’ Italian

The Teatro Margherita will also host, at 19.00, some book presentations:

August 24 – Ritratti e autoritratti. Cinema teatro tv e la battaglia delle idee by Felice Laudadio

August 25 – Bianco e Nero, special issue of the magazine, dedicated to Mario Monicelli

August 26  – Pierfrancesco Favino. Collezionista di anime by Fabio Ferzetti

August 27 –D’amore non si muore by Lino Capolicchio

August 28 – Alberto Sordi by Alberto Anile

History, Memory – Tribute to Mario Monicelli

These are the films directed by Mario Monicelli, scheduled at 18.00 and 21.00 in Multicinema Galleria theatre no. 5, with free admission and limited seating:

August 22 – È arrivato il cavaliere (1950, 79’)

Vita da cani (1950, 106’)

August 23 – Un eroe dei nostri tempi (1955, 89’)

I soliti ignoti (1958, 107’)

August 24 – La grande guerra (1959, 139’)

Risate di gioia (1960, 106’)

August 25 – I compagni (1963, 130’)

L’armata Brancaleone (1966, 119’)

August 26 – Vogliamo i colonnelli (1973, 98’)

Romanzo popolare (1974, 103’)

August 27 – Amici miei (1975, 110’)

Caro Michele (1976, 109’)

August 28 – Un borghese piccolo piccolo (1977, 121’)

Temporale Rosy (1980, 107’)

August 29 – Il Marchese del Grillo (1981, 137’)

Speriamo che sia femmina (1986, 119’)

August 30  – Parenti serpenti (1992, 105’)

Le rose del deserto (2006, 104’)

A large photo exhibit in Teatro Margherita will be dedicated to Mario Monicelli with blowups from Cineteca Nazionale of Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and with the presentation of the issue of “Bianco e Nero” magazine dedicated to this film director.

ADMISSION TO BIF&ST 2020 VENUES

 

ARENA PREFETTURA (Piazza Libertà)

International Premieres

Ticket: € 8,00
Pass for 9 evenings, open seating: € 60,00

TEATRO PICCINNI

Ticket: € 5,00

Pass for all evening shows only (7 pm and 10.30 pm), open seating: € 75,00

Passes for Arena Prefettura and for Teatro Piccinni will be on sale from August 10th, online on Vivaticket platform and at Teatro Piccinni box office. Pass holders will have a reserved seating area.

Tickets on sale from August 17th online on Vivaticket platform and at Teatro Piccinni box office.

ARENA CASTELLO SVEVO

ItaliaFilmFest

Ticket: € 5,00

Tickets on sale from August 17th online on Vivaticket platform and at Teatro Piccinni box office. There will be no passes for this venue.

Opening Hours of Box Office in Teatro Piccinni

August 10-21 agosto: Monday through Friday 10 am –12 noon and 6 pm – 8 pm

August 22-30: every day 10 am -12 noon and 3 pm – 11 pm

Vivaticket sale points in Bari:

https://shop.vivaticket.com/ita/ricercapv

MULTICINEMA GALLERIA

Festival Mario Monicelli – Free admission with limited seating:

Free tickets for Festival Mario Monicelli screenings can be collected 30 minutes before the show at the cinema box office. Max. 2 tickets per person.

TEATRO MARGHERITA

Mostra Mario Monicelli – Free admission with limited number of visitors.

BIF&ST 2020 ANTI-COVID MEASURES

Bif&st 2020 will be totally safe, thanks to the detailed anti-Covid measures in all the festival venues. The number of theatres where Bif&st took place until 2019 has now been reduced, with a consequent reduction of films, events and capacity. Available seats are now distanced and clearly indicated. Two arenas have been set up, and the usual “Focus On” meetings will not take place. Press conferences are cancelled, except for the closing one, scheduled in Teatro Piccinni on August 30 at 12.30.

The Bif&st 2020 audience will be traced through nominal tickets, fever measure with thermo-scanners when entering theatres and arenas (no admission will be granted if fever is over 37,5°). Social distancing will be mandatory for all activities in theatres and arenas, in order to guarantee maximum security to whomever – talents and audience – will participate to Bif&st 2020. All venues will be equipped with liquid and gel sanitizers, for hands’ hygiene. Only the catalogue-program will be printed, it will be personal and can only be lent to cohabitants. All other information will be announced on official social media: facebook.com/bifest.it – Instagram: @bifest – Twitter: @bifest_official, and on website www.bifest.it.

 

Festival audience must have its own masks, which are mandatory. Masks must be used in all internal or external areas, when distancing is impossible or difficult. Mask must also be worn when entering the theatres or arenas, while queuing, and until reaching the seat.  Seats will not be assigned. Tickets will be sold online, but will also be available at Teatro Piccinni box office and, for the Mario Monicelli free tickets, at the Multicinema Galleria box office.

In Piazza Libertà there will be a first aid point for the audience, with ambulances and medical personnel.

Bari, August 5, 2020