Gianfranco Pannone's "Lascia stare i santi"

A documentary film that premiered to a standing ovation at the 2016 Festa del Cinema of Rome is gaining momentum as it's being shown all over Italy.

Gianfranco Pannone's "Lascia stare i santi" (Leave the Saints Alone) is a mesmerizing portrait of catholic tradition in Italy. From the southern region of Basilicata all the way up to isolated communities in the mountains of the North, Pannone's documentary takes us on a cultural tour along with some of Italy's most ancient traditions. Through music, processions, worship and firsthand accounts, Pannone creatively explores faith and the deeply sentimental rituals used to express it.

Watch the trailer..

Narrated by two of Italy's most esteemed actors, Fabrizio Gifuni and Sonia Bergamasco, who remind us that we are watching actual events because at times, the ceremonies seem so surreal, it feels like you're watching a fictional movie. Composer Ambrogio Sparagna wrote the powerful music score, which makes the film that much more enchanting.

At the Rome premiere with (LtoR) Sparagna, Bergamasco, Gifuni and Pannone

This is a must-see. I'm hoping it will make the lineup of Lincoln Center's annual contemporary Italian cinema series- Open Roads: New Italian cinema, where Pannone's last film, The Smallest Army in the World, premiered. Click here to read our interview. Follow Gianfranco Pannone on Facebook for updates on screenings.

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