Messina: The Horcynus Festival imagines the cities of the future

Messina: the Horcynus Festival imagines the cities of the future.

17 from July to August 6 al Horcynus Orca Park di Cape Pelorus, with some events also scheduled in Roccavaldina (ME), the XXI edition of theHorcynus Festival, curated by the Horcynus Orca Foundation and the MeSSInA Foundation. “Visions, Imagining the Cities of the Future” is the theme for 2023.

Dozens of film screenings are scheduled on the large outdoor screen in the Horcynus Orca Park, including films selected by the Festival del Cine Espanol Y Latinoamericano, as well as the concert by Stefano "Cisco" Bellotti, the theatrical reading of the UBU 2022 Marco Cavalcoli award, workshops educational events, presentation of books and moments of reflection on the most urgent issues in the Mediterranean area.

“The Horcynus Festival is not conceived solely as an artistic exhibition and container, but aims to represent a space for work and open comparison between different languages, cultural contexts, scientific and technological economic knowledge, ethical and aesthetic approaches. For years, in fact, the Festival has accompanied the life, evolution and internationalization process of the Evolved Social District of Messina. Furthermore, this event is constantly looking for new ways to combat economic and social inequalities and to recognize climate change processes, promoting metamorphoses to guarantee a fairer future" he explains Gaetano Giunta, MeSSInA Foundation.

“This Festival is an opportunity to bring together reflection and emotion. Thanks to the synergy of the MeSSInA Foundation, the Horcynus Orca Foundation, the University of Messina and the Municipality, once again we are making public, with 20 days of events, the spirit that accompanies a daily work that aims to promote beauty and science and we are certain that, even this year, our festival will help to reiterate once again the centrality of the Mediterranean and the policies that concern it for our future with the awareness of being, despite diversity, a community of destiny" adds the President of the Horcynus Orca Foundation, Giuseppe Giordano. The film program for the historic "Archipelagos of Vision" section of the Festival is directed by Franco Jannuzzi, while the "Nomade Music" section is curated by Giacomo Farina and Luigi Polimeni.

“This year we will host the concert by Cisco, born Stefano Bellotti, singer and co-founder of the historic musical collective Modena City Ramblers, icon and soundtrack of the progressive youth movements of the last thirty years in Italy. Cisco will perform on Wednesday 26 July at 22.00 pm, on the day dedicated to an analysis of contemporary Italian history, through a window on the Portella della Ginestra massacre of 1947, indicated as the beginning of the strategy of tension to stem the advance of the movements workers' democrats who, right from Sicily, began to oppose the strong and hidden powers and who decided the destinies of the entire South and of the entire country" they announce Flour e Polimeni.

“This year's novelty is the first edition of 'Vedere la Musica', a national competition of music videos that dialogues with the main language of the Festival, which is audiovisual. In times when ready-to-wear technology and peer-to-peer communication have facilitated access to sharing one's artistic products, it has been a way to monitor and stimulate the world of youth and emerging musical audiovisuals. The only Sicilian competition of its kind avails itself of the presidency of the jury of Carlo Massarini, historic presenter and innovator of RAI" they add Flour e Polimeni.

As regards the part dedicated to cinema, the artistic director Franco Jannuzzi, explains: “For me too, the commitment this year was to make 'See Music', and so the Festival's programming is full of films in which music is the protagonist. A very particular gem, scheduled for the opening night of July 17th, is the rock opera 'Orfeo 9' by Tito Schipa Jr., a very interesting work which, in Italy, anticipated many things. I would also like to point out the film Song to Song by Terrence Malick and Buena Vista Social Club by Wim Wenders, two fundamental examples of musical cinematographic works.” continues Jannuzzi. “The theme of this year's Festival is visions and how to imagine the cities of the future and, in this vein, I wanted to program a very important film by Jean-Luc Godard, Agent Lemmy Caution: Mission Alphaville, shot in black and white in 1965 in a Paris at night and in the process of transformation. Other choices allow us to offer a variety of programming that gives us a transversal vision and a perspective on the future", concludes Jannuzzi. Also for the 2023 edition, the Festival del Cine Espanol Y Latinoamericano returns to the Horcynus Orca Park in Capo Peloro, curated by Iris Martin-Peralta and Federico Sartori, in the city thanks to the collaboration of the Messina foundations with the Spanish Embassy in Italy. From 30 July to 1 August, three days of films, in the original version with Italian subtitles, with a selection that gives ample space to films that would otherwise be invisible in Italy.