A well-known female filmmaker, two of the rising stars of the new generation of Italian cinema, a transatlantic film critic, a star photographer of film and fashion: these are the members of the international jury for the 27th Noir in Festival who will be bestowing the Black Panther Award on one of the eight world premieres in competition on December 9.
S.J. Clarkson, English by birth but recruited by the great American industry of auteur TV series, is a producer and director of two of Netflix’s high-profile titles: Marvel’s The Defenders and the soon-to-be released Collateral, written by David Hare and starring Carey Mulligan and Maya Sansa. France’s Cédric Succivalli, now the president of the International Cinephile Society, is one of the preeminent French film critics of the rising generation, although he feels right at home in the U.S. as a creative writer and performer, and his online column has a devoted following. Spain’s Pedro Usabiaga, with over a hundred exhibitions of his work worldwide to his credit, is one of the best known fashion and film photographers on the Spanish scene. He recently treated his native city San Sebastian to a superb exhibition called "Welcome, Mr. Hitchcock" about the noirmeister’s journey to the Basque Country in 1958. Lastly, two up-and-coming actors on the Italian film scene: Lorenzo Richelmy, Netflix’s Marco Polo, just off the sets of the Taviani Brothers’ A Private Affair, and Donato Carrisi’s The Girl in the Fog; and Sara Serraiocco, who won the Silver Ribbon for Salvo by Grassadonia and Piazza, as well as the Pasinetti Prize for Worldly Girl. She’ll be appearing next in the American TV series Counterpart by Morten Tyldum.
The "magnificent five" of the jury, on the one hand, and the one hundred members of the popular jury for the Caligari Prize for Best Italian Noir of the Year, on the other, presided over by screenwriter Salvatore De Mola (Montalbano) and critics Paola Casella and Fabio Ferzetti. And then there are all the special guests of the 2017 Noir in Festival, eagerly awaited first in Milan (December 4-6, with a pre-opening Italian noir event on December 3, at the IULM Auditorium), and then in Como, against the splendid backdrop of Italy’s "Christmas Toyland", on December 7-10.
Just to name a few of the personalities who will be on hand for our seven-day noirfest: Maccio Capatonda and Luca Bigazzi on December 3; Carlo Lucarelli, the Manetti Bros., all the stars of the new Delitti del BarLume along with the finalists for the Giorgio Scerbanenco Award on Monday, December 4; the "maverick" Enzo G. Castellari, Donato Carrisi, Marcos Chicot and Yann Gozlan on December 5; the producer Pietro Valsecchi, Andrea De Sica and above all the renowned novelist Margaret Atwood (Raymond Chandler Award) on December 6; Marco Vichi, Dario Argento and Lynn Ramsay on December 7; the French noir, alias Bernard Minier and the new Maigret, vs. the Italian noir through a woman’s eyes on December 8. Noir then wraps up with its honoree Abel Ferrara, Roberto Costantini, Marcello Fois, Luca D’Andrea, GUL, some Swedish noir courtesy of actress/author Gemma Carbone, and all the winners of this year’s festival.
Two unmissable premieres of films out of competition: My Cousin Rachel by Roger Michell, starring Rachel Weisz, kicks off Noir this year, while Todd Hayes’ Wonderstruck will be wrapping it up, along with the restored version of the all-time thriller masterpiece, The Silence of the Lambs, grand finale and a tribute to the late Jonathan Demme.
