The curtain has fallen on the twentieth edition of "Pensieri e Parole – libri e film all'Asinara," the festival that for twenty years has brought culture to the heart of the island's National Park. Two days packed with meetings, screenings, and music celebrate an event that unites nature, literature, and film. This year's event, one of the island's most anticipated summer cultural events, once again drew a large audience, providing moments of pure magic.
The evening of Sunday, August 24th, featured actress Celeste Dalla Porta, who stars in Paolo Sorrentino's new film, Parthenope . She received the "Isole del Cinema" award in recognition of the young Milanese actress's artistic talent. "I have an inescapable connection to Sardinia," Dalla Porta explained after receiving the award. "My maternal grandfather (photographer Ugo Mulas) is Sardinian, but I would be Sardinian anyway because this island is a powerful and powerful land. I am proud to receive this award and to have had the opportunity to visit Asinara and enjoy its beauty."
The evening opened with the concert "Mamma mia, dammi cento lire" and its repertoire dedicated to stories of emigration, featuring Daniela Cossiga, Gabriele Cau, Roberto Mura, Antonio Papa, Davide Soddu, and Graziano Solinas. "Asinara is an incredible place, and I am astonished and in awe, not only by its natural beauty, but also by the energy you can feel on this island," admitted Laura Muccino, casting director and winner of the Nastro d'Argento for Francesca Comencini's "Il tempo che ci vuole," the star of the first day of the festival. "I believe Sardinia has a very interesting and very personal cinema that stands out from all the other Italian regions with its own, truly strong identity," added the artist, who also recently directed the casting for the TV series "Il Mostro." Muccino accompanied the screening of the film by describing the work behind the scenes, offering the audience a valuable insight into a profession that is often invisible but crucial to the success of a film.
Alongside the great cinema, the festival hosted a packed calendar of literary and musical events . The inauguration of the exhibition "Twenty Thoughts and Words," with illustrations by Giorgio Donini and curated by Silvia Borghetto, retraced the festival's twenty-year history. Book presentations included "Museo di sabbia" by art historian Giovanna Di Marco, "Rosario va in pensione" by magistrate Gianni Caria, and "A Corpse in the Kitchen," the new thriller by Giancarlo De Cataldo. Environmental issues also received considerable attention, with the reading-concert "Climabolario: parole e musica dalla crisi climati," written by Sante Maurizi and performed by an ensemble of musicians and actors.
Sunday the 24th will open with a concert by singer-songwriter Antonio Meleddu, aka Bandito, a talented author and composer from Sassari, Asinaria, followed by a tribute to Salvatore Mannuzzu's Apnea. Scritti sul cinema, with contributions from Alessandro Cadoni and Lucia Angelica Salaris. This will be followed by a discussion between Vittorio Gazale, director of the Asinara Park, and Nando Dalla Chiesa on the book Nell'interesse dello Stato (Solferino). As is tradition, the audience was involved in the "ideal library": each attendee was able to donate a favorite book to the Asinara Library, along with a personal dedication explaining their choice. A simple and poetic gesture that continues to intertwine the readers' memories with those of the festival. "A special island, a place we have been coming to 'on tiptoe' for twenty years," emphasized actress and singer Daniela Cossiga, one of the festival's organizers. "It's been many years, but this festival has retained the same characteristics it has had since its very first year: great enthusiasm and generosity from the public and all the guests who have been welcomed on this island over the last two decades."
