The Sardinian Cultural Association-Melbourne (SCA) is proud to announce that Italo (Sardinian)-Australian Film Director, Lisa Camillo brings her controversial feature film documentary “Balentes/The Brave Ones” to Australia, for 33 screenings. These will take place at the "Palace Cinemas" in the major cities, as part of the extremely popular "Lavazza Italian Film Festival", where she will also be one of the Festival's accredited Judges.
This exciting latest development follows the documentary's extremely successful 1st. worldwide screening, including a "Q & A" Forum, organised by the SCA and the Italian Network of Melbourne, at the Italian Institute of Culture in April this year. The SCA and Lisa once again look forward to your support towards this widely acclaimed documentary.
The more people see the documentary, the more can be done to save Sardinia's wonderful fragile environment from further damage, by creating a world-wide movement of "Balentes". Such movement will go a long way to helping the people affected by the very real environmental and economic injustices, still happening today, all which are motivated by political and other greed and self-interests, as portrayed by the documentary.
An overview of what brought about Lisa producing the documentary, full details of the "Lavazza Film Festival's". Screenings and other relevant background information follows: Lisa Camillo - Writer, Producer, Director & Anthropologist
It all began in Australia, and it is here that “Balentes/The Brave Ones” will have its formal premiere with 33 screenings between Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
Lisa, brings her daring and controversial film back to where it was born and developed. A revealing feature documentary, which breaks the long silence on the exploitation by the Italian Government of its Sardinian island, treated as one big firing and bombing range.
It was a courageous choice that of Lisa, to produce such a whistle-blower documentary, which will cause a big stir in Italy, and which begins its distribution in Australia by Palace Cinemas at the nineteenth edition Lavazza Italian Film Festival (www.italianfilmfestival.com.au).
“Balentes”, a long and laborious four years of filming between Sardinia and Australia, is an independent production made possible with the precious help and support of those who believed in the Project. In addition Lisa's talents, determination and thoughtfulness, in instigating the initial crowd funding scheme (wwwbalentesfilm.com), rounded off what has resulted in a successful widely acclaimed Project.
One may very well ask, who the “Balentes are? They are all those Sardinians (men & women) who have and continue to stand up against superior forces to uphold their rights and to proudly defend their land, using the strength that comes from their roots and from their thousands year old history.
They are those who oppose a Government which turns a blind eye to the suffering of those many mothers who have witnessed their children die from cancers and leukaemia after having worked in the military bases and forced to handle lethal materials, all which is happening to this day in the infamous "Salto di Quirra - Weapons Testing Range". There are many Court cases currently underway seeking a just compensation, whereas the splendid beaches of "Capo Teulada" are closed to the local population and tourists.
"Balentes" is a call to arms, with the documentary designed to stirring up consciences, not only for the Italians in this Sardinian case, but also providing encouragement to all the suppressed and exploited minorities of the world. In this context the documentary also makes reference to the precious lesson which can be learned from Australia's own indigenous population.
In 2019 Lisa will release the "Balentes" story in book form, in collaboration with the publishers "Ponte Alle Grazie"
Finally Lisa states “My Island, our island, must not only be considered as a holiday destination, beautiful though it may be, but has a dignity of its own that must be rediscovered and its culture be revalued. Sardinia can and must start again, to reaffirm itself and the rights of its people, counting on the strength and courage of the "Balentes/The Brave Ones" of Sardinia, as an example to all the "Brave Ones of the world.”
Film director Lisa Camillo brings her feature-length documentary “Balentes – the Brave Ones” to Australia for 33 showings in the best theatres in the major cities this September and October: Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
Lisa Camillo, italo-australian film director, writer, anthropologist, brings her daring and controversial film back to where it was born and developed. A revealing feature-length documentary, which breaks the long silence on the exploitation by the Italian Government of its Sardinian island, treated as one big firing and bombing range, which in reality is a paradise island off the coast of Italy, as big as Sicily and Tasmania.
It was a courageous choice that of Lisa, to produce such an whistle blower documentary, which will cause a big stir in Italy, and which begins its distribution in Australia by Palace Cinemas in the Lavazza Italian Film Festival (https://www.italianfilmfestival.com.au), arriving at its nineteenth edition.
Lisa will also be part of the jury for the Bvlgari Critics' Choice Award.
Come and join the director Lisa Camillo at the Premiers of Sydney at Palace Norton Cinema on Sun, on 16 Sept at 6:15PM followed by Q&A; and of Melbourne at Palace Cinemas Como on Fri, 21st Sept at 6:45PM followed by Q&A.
To read more: www.italianfilmfestival.com.au/films/balentes-the-brave-ones
