Matera 2019: Film and Migration Projects in Basilicata

The article, published on Artribune, covers multiple participatory film and art projects in Basilicata, Italy, tied to Matera's year as European Capital of Culture 2019. The project 'Storylines | The Lucanian ways', promoted by the Youth Europe Association, includes the docufilm 'Vado Verso Dove Vengo' (written by Luigi Vitelli, with scientific consultancy by Vito Teti and camera by Nicola Ragone) and a video exhibition exploring migration, emigration, and depopulation in the region. Another initiative, 'Formula Cinema', produced the feature film 'Marghe e sua Madre', directed by Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf (known for 'Kandahar', 2001), with participation from artists and operators from France, Poland, and Italy. It also includes an interactive exhibition of pre-cinema machines and works inspired by the film's sets and landscapes. A third project, 'MaTerre', conceived under the aegis of intellectual and politician Rocco Scotellaro (died 1953), involved a collective film made during an artistic residency from April 18 to May 2, with five pairs of authors from Italy, Albania, France, and Greece, and artists including John Giorno, Lello Voce, Jacques Gilbert, and Aurélia Lassaque. The film's episodes are based on Scotellaro's poem 'La mia bella patria'.