MonFest 2024: Photography Festival Explores Dialogue Between Arts in Casale Monferrato

The 2024 edition of MonFest, titled ON STAGE, is a biennial photography festival in Casale Monferrato curated by Mariateresa Cerretelli, running from November 30, 2024, to May 4, 2025. The festival promotes dialogue between the arts, focusing on cinema, theater, and music through fourteen exhibitions spread across symbolic locations in the city. The main venue is the Castello del Monferrato, a 14th-century castle, hosting twelve exhibitions. These include Maria Vittoria Backhaus's photos of the Beatles' 1965 Italian tour, Mimmo Cattarinich's portraits of stars like Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni and directors Fellini and Pasolini, Fiorella Baldisserri's 'Cinema on the road' reportage, Roberto Polillo's 'Sounding Pictures' on jazz giants Miles Davis and Duke Ellington, Pino Ninfa's 'Jazz Spirit', Cesare Colombo's tribute to conductor Claudio Abbado, and theater-themed shows by Luca Canonici, Patrizia Mussa, and Lia Pasqualino. Other venues include Palazzo Gozzani Treville, hosting Giovanni Hänninen's 'Favoloso Teatro' and Laura Marinelli and Dado Bargioni's 'Sul Filo'; the Complesso di Santa Croce, featuring a dialogue between Francesco Negri and Brazilian Marc Ferrez; and the Jewish complex, presenting Flavio Bonetti's 'Normale'. The festival also offers talks, portfolio readings, and workshops. Mayor Emanuele Capra stated that MonFest confirms the city as a cultural hub combining dissemination and research.