In moments of crisis the seed of possibility always arises. The term crisis comes from the Ancient Greek word κρίσις which means separation as well as the power to distinguish and might suggest new paths and directions. In fact, when we move away from an image to widen the view – like a wide-angle lens on our inner being – new realities come into focus. Because a crack can also be a glimmer. A point of light on uncharted territories, on what we did not think possible. And since the eye is the quintessential aperture, the main receptor of the beauty of cinema, we have chosen an image full of eyes to express this year’s idea of the festival.
The 38th edition of the Sulmona International Film Festival embraces the diversity of vision using the Internet’s immense potential in a historical moment of profound instability and uncertainty. Therefore we have chosen a selection of works that aim to represent a world in continuous metamorphosis, giving light to a multiple and multifaceted worldview.
Indeed, the World Wide Web presents infinite opportunities of study however, most often a superficial and egotistical approach is preferred. The famous Italian writer Carlo Emilio Gadda once said: “I, me! … are the dirtiest of all pronouns!” And what can we do about it? We should all be willing to embrace new knowledge, the knowledge of anything different from us, which suggests the plurality of meaning. The stories we love the most always come not only from the convergence, but also the collision of different interpretative methods, ways of thinking and styles of expression. As Calvino stated, what matters the most is the plurality of languages to guarantee an impartial truth. The festival presents forty-two works in the competition. Seventeen international short films, nine national short films, six music videos, four animation films, three documentaries, and three works from the Abruzzo region of Italy. A polyphony of visions full of flashes of genius and emotional portraits of real strength. Because cinema is always and above all an act of love that gives shape to the invisible, and Chris Cooper – who will be a member of this year’s special jury, together with Marianne Leone – knew it well, when he played John Laroche in ‘Adaptation’:

…the only barometer is your heart. When you spot your flower, you can’t let anything get in your way