Jim Morrison uncut kicks off the 51 Festival dei Popoli
Florence, 12 November
The premiere of “When You’re Strange” by Tom DiCillo, a film about The Doors’ Jim Morrison, will inaugurate the 51 edition of the Festival dei Popoli, tomorrow, Saturday November 13, at the cinema Odeon in Florence at 9:30 PM.
Narrated by actor Johnny Depp, the film recounts the life of Jim Morrison, using stock footage from the time period, as well as footage shot by Morrison himself (the singer loved to direct movies). The first ever documentary about the Doors spans the creative arc of the American band, unearthing rare, never before seen footage, like the singer’s arrest for obscene acts during a concert (coincidentally, after 41 years, governor of Florida Charlie Christ said he intends to reexamine the case and propose to pardon the star). The entire film is made with original shots and clips from live concerts, some of which have never been released, including for the first time never before seen material from the film “Hwy: An American Pastoral,” shot by Jim Morrison in 1969. “When you’re strange” leaves the case open about his mysterious end in 1971, dwelling instead upon the artistry of the band members, the creative process of making 6 incredible albums in only 5 years, and Morrison’s complex personality and lesser known poetic output.
The opening day of the Festival begins at 3:30 PM with “Rita e Olinto,” part of a documentary project by Tuscan directors Baldanzi, Bondi and Sacchetti made in collaboration with Unicoop.
At 4:30 PM the world premier of “Premier Jour – La Déchirure.” The film narrates the first day of school through the eyes of a professor.
At 3:45 PM “Oro splendente. Ritorno in Cambogia” (world premiere) by Florentine director Giovanni Donfrancesco. It’s the story of a man who, after 25 years, returns to his country, Cambodia, and looks back at the path he took to escape Pol Pot’s regime.
At 6:30 PM “My reincarnation” (international premiere) by Jennifer Fox. Filmed over a span of twenty years, the documentary tells the story of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, one of the chief living Tibetan Buddhist masters, whose Dzogchen training center is located in Tuscany, and his Italian son, Yeshi, who strongly refuses to follow in his father’s footsteps.
At 9:30 PM the international premier of the short film “Deus ex Boltanski” by Robert Gardner, which documents the installation of Personnes in the Grand Palais pavilion in Paris for the Monumenta 2010 exhibition.