Martin Scorsese will be the main guest of the Taormina Film Festival, presented at Cannes

CANNES – The press conference aimed at presenting the 71st edition of the Taormina Film Festival took place today at the Italian Pavilion of the Hotel Majestic in Cannes.

In the presence of the institutions and organizers, the first details of the eagerly awaited event that will be held from June 10 to 14.  Elvira Amata, Councilor for Tourism, Sport and Entertainment of the Sicilian Region, Sergio Bonomo, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Taormina Arte Sicilia Foundation, and Tiziana Rocca, artistic director of the Festival, took part in the meeting, together with guests such as the director of Italian Ciak magazine, Flavio Natalia and the actress Ilenia Pastorelli.

Bonomo said: “Taormina has regained a magical moment despite the prices. And the times are tight, but Tiziana has experience in the area and is responsible for the content. This event has given the possibility to bring cinema to Taormina when there was still only one theater, because otherwise you had to travel to other cities to see the films”.

Rocca responded to it: “I have actually worked miracles and found these dates, June 10-14, available at the Teatro Antico. The Competition will return, alongside the Out of Competition and Special Events. There will also be a jury made of students. Rupert Everett, Alessandra Mastronardi and Ilenia Pastorelli, will be in the jury. Also planned is a remembrance of director Francesco Cinquemani, who died prematurely.

Pastorelli talked about the role of women at the upcoming festival: “We women sometimes struggle to team up compared to the boys, but Tiziana knows how to value us. We need that. She is an inspiration, full of energy right from the early hours of the morning”. The image for the poster is also female: Monica Bellucci for Malèna‘s 25th anniversary, created with the collaboration of Giuseppe Tornatore. The festival’s godmother will be actress Valeria Solarino.

The special guest of the festial will be Martin Scorsese, who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award and screening of Taxi Driver. As for premieres, Ballerina, a spin-off of John Wick, starring Ana De Armas, is one of the ten most anticipated films of the American summer and definitely one of the biggest titles at the festival.

Councilor Amata said on the young presence in Taormina: “Let this be a way to bring families and university students back to the theater. We will involve them to show them what it means to organize a festival.” “Taormina is the oldest festival after Venice,” Rocca added. A fully customized Intercity train was announced to connect Rome to Sicily, featuring all the photos of the women who have participated in the festival over the past 71 years.

Among the films in the Competition Warfare, which shows the tragic nature of conflicts in a poetic way, and Come fratelli, which makes us rethink family relationships.

‘Variety’ and ‘Vanity Fair’ will be among the media partners, as well as ‘Ciak’, which will be celebrating the magazine’s 40th anniversary with some special awards to be handed out at the festival. A great Italian comedy will be presented for the occasion, on which Rocca commented: “Because comedy is important, even the commedia nazional-popolare. We mix the sacred and the profane. Audiences have different tastes, and I want to please them all.”