LA CACCIATA DEL MALVENTO
BANISHING THE ILL WIND
Donato Canosa / Italy / 2016 / 48 min / Colour
There are things that no one wants to talk about, whose very mention aloud creates fear. Such is the case for the ancient practices to free people of envy and bad luck that are still in use in the mountains of the Basilicata region. Some women in the little village of Grassano, divided between sceptics and believers, agree to discuss this. While Rose does not believe in enchantment, Francesca swears she has seen, with her own eyes, people struck by spells and that she knows who freed them. There are young people who study these traditions, and others who seek to learn the rudiments from the last elders who know them. From childhood memories to events experienced, to scientific reflections, the documentary investigates a world which, although changing, preserves deep roots in its ancient beliefs that lie somewhere between the pagan and the religious.
Donato Canosa
Born in 1982 in Tricarico, in the province of Matera, he lives and works as a teacher and video-maker in Turin. After earning a degree in Visual and Theatre Arts from the Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti, he made various animated films and videoclips. La Cacciata del Malvento (2016), his debut film, was selected by various Italian and international festivals, among these IntimaLente in Caserta and the XXV Festival of Ethnographic Film in Belgrade.
Credits
Subject Donato CanosaCinematography Donato CanosaSound Claudio TortoriciEditing Donato CanosaMusic Rino Locantore, Claudio TortoriciProducer Donato Canosa, Andrea DeaglioProduction company MuFilm