Italian Doc Season runs from 27 – 28 January at Bertha DocHouse, Curzon Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1AW. Book tickets here.
Following the inaugural season in June 2023, the second ITALIAN DOC SEASON returns to London’s Bertha DocHouse from 27 – 28 January 2024. This two-day celebration of Italian film will present three relevant and acclaimed documentaries to London audiences. The films in this season focus sharply on topics that resonate in Italy and around the world: the current migrant crisis, the impact that automation and artificial intelligence may have on our future lives, and a historical analysis of the ascent of fascism in 1930s Italy that also holds a mirror to the now. The result is thought-provoking documentary cinema at its purest and best.
Bertha DocHouse, director and programmer Jenny Horwell, said: “We’re excited to bring three such compelling films, all by directors whose work never fails to intrigue and inform, to London audiences.”
The Second Italian Doc Season features:
UK Premiere: PURE UNKNOWN + Q&A
Dir: Valentina Cocogna, Mattia Colombo
Every night, nameless bodies land in Dr Cristina Cattaneo’s autopsy room. She calls them the Pure Unknown. They often belong to the fringes of society: homeless, sex workers, and runaway teenagers. Lately, they have mostly been migrants, rejected by the Mediterranean Sea onto the shores of Italy. In the face of this growing multitude, no one seems concerned about their right to dignity. No one but Cristina. This powerful and topical film won the Audience Award at the Biografilm Festival. (Sat 27 Jan)
UK Premiere: AFTER WORK + Q&A
Dir: Erik Gandini
In the next 15 years, it is estimated that about half of the workforce will be replaced by automation and artificial intelligence. Are we ready for this change? What will it entail on an existential level? What will we do when we no longer have to work? Through the direct experiences of its protagonists in four emblematic nations – Kuwait, South Korea, USA and Italy – After Work explores what could be the new work ethic, compatible with a future ‘work free existence’. This acclaimed and thought-provoking film by Swedish-Italian filmmaker Erik Gandini features a range of voices, from Elon Musk to an Amazon delivery driver. (Sat 27 Jan)
Special screening: THE MARCH ON ROME + extended Q&A
Dir: Mark Cousins
Through little-seen archive and his characteristically cinematic analysis, Mark Cousins narrates the ascent of fascism in Italy and its fall-out across 1930s Europe. Both essay, film, and historical document, Cousins contextualises history through the now, holding a mirror to a political landscape of a creeping far right and manipulated media. With Alba Rohrwacher portraying a disillusioned mother, and with the inclusion of contemporary footage of Donald Trump, the latest documentary by this multi-award-winning director and writer has won awards at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and São Paulo Film Festival. After the screening, joining director Mark Cousins for an extended Q&A to discuss the use of archives in contemporary documentary filmmaking will be Cecilia Spano (Collection Management and International Promotion, Archivo Luce-Cinecittà), panellist (BFI Archives). Moderated by Sam Blair (Documentarist and Tutor at NFTS). (Sun 28 Jan)
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