MARK TURNER wallows in the virtuosity of Swansea Jazz Festival openers, Simon Spillett and Pete Long

DEEP in the hustle and bustle of the port of Bari in southern Italy beats a cosmopolitan heart and at its centre is the Bari international film festival BIFEST, now in its ninth year.
This time round, BIFEST featured the work of directors of the calibre of Gianni Amelio, Marco Bellocchio and Ferzan Ozpetek, alongside rising talents such as Vincenzo Marra, Paolo Sassanelli, Roberta Torre and Roberto De Paolis.
Special events included a concert paying homage to Alberto Trovajoli, one of the great Italian film composers, a restored version of Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris and a retrospective on maverick director Marco Ferreri.

Featuring films with substantial political themes, this year’s festival has ignited a vibrant discussion, suggests RITA DI SANTO

RITA DI SANTO gives us a first look at some extraordinary new films that examine outsiders, migrants, belonging and social abuse

RITA DI SANTO draws attention to an audacious and entertaining film that transplants Tarantino to the Gaza Strip

RITA DI SANTO reports on the films from Iran, Spain, Belgium and Brazil that won the top awards