From Tuesday 27 May to Sunday 1 June, the ninth edition of IsReal - Documentary Film Festival will be held in Nuoro, an event organized by Isre, the Istituto Superiore Regionale Etnografico.

The festival will present a selection of about 30 documentary films, directed by local and international directors, with a strong focus on the traditions, culture and identity of Sardinia. IsReal places particular emphasis on the "Scenari Sardi" section, which aims to tell the story of contemporary Sardinia through the social and cultural transformations that are taking place there . The festival also enriches its proposal with an international competition of great artistic and cultural value and with an opening towards ethnomusicological cinema.

This morning at the institute's headquarters the presentation of the program with the president Stefano Lavra, the general director Marcello Mele and the artistic director of the festival Alessandro Stellino.

The edition will feature the return of the master of Sardinian cinema Giovanni Columbu, who will open the festival with his new animated film "Balentes". The film, set in the 1940s, tells the story of two young idealists eager to free horses destined for the front, with a poetic and revolutionary gaze. Columbu, already the author of internationally recognized works, marks his debut in animation with this film. Finally, the festival will pay homage to a fundamental director in the international documentary scene, Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd, with a review dedicated to his most significant works. His films explore the lives of those who live marked by loss, exile and internal conflicts, offering the public an opportunity to reflect on universal themes such as human suffering and resistance to adversity.

The international jury, composed of Valeria D'Ambrosio, art historian and contemporary art curator, Cécile Embleton, French-English author and director, and ethnomusicologist and professor Marco Lutzu, will award the first and second prize in the international competition, as well as the one for the best ethnomusicological film. While the Youth jury will award the third prize to a film in the international competition, bringing a fresh and dynamic point of view on contemporary cinematic art.