"An Exclusive Preview of 'Waking Hours' Journeys Us Through the Night With Afghan People Traffickers in Venice"
The upcoming documentary film, "Waking Hours," is set to make its world premiere at the Venice Critics' Week program of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The teaser for the film will be unveiled by THR before its official premiere.
"Waking Hours" is a unique blend of cinema vérité and theater, creating a poetic counter-investigation that reveals without fully showing, providing space for listening. This thought-provoking film is a co-production with Roberto Minervini’s Cosma Film and in collaboration with RAI Cinema.
Directed by Federico Cammarata and Filippo Foscarini, "Waking Hours" follows a clan of Afghan people smugglers at the edge of the European Union, enabling illegal border crossings between Serbia and EU member Hungary. The filmmakers describe it as emerging from the forest as a living body, a place of disorientation, transformation, and fragile refuge.
The teaser poses the question, "How did it feel to cross the border?" The movie's setting includes a wall of sharp metal marking the beginning of Europe, and the synopsis mentions shadowy human figures gathering around a fire and the distant echo of gunshots. The film depicts a nocturnal journey of the characters, wandering through a sleepless, perpetual night.
Stefano Centini of Volos Films Italia first met the project at Bellaria Film Festival and notes that "Waking Hours" offers a unique look into a world rarely seen from an insider perspective. Tommaso Priante of Luminalia agrees, describing it as offering a perspective on migration that hasn't been seen before.
Priante, who has experience working in a refugee center in Italy, brings films like "Waking Hours" to audiences, encouraging reflection on and questioning of the notions of 'us' and 'them'. Centini also mentions that the directors chose to confront the topic of migration with the necessary formal research and visual approach.
Produced by Rome-based production company Volos Films Italia, "Waking Hours" will have its world premiere on Thursday, Sept. 4, in the competition section of the Venice Critics' Week. The movie is also a co-production with the production company Essential Filmproduktion.
With its intriguing premise and unique approach, "Waking Hours" promises to be a thought-provoking and captivating addition to this year's Venice International Film Festival.
