In a small community of Italian Slavic-speakers, the performance by the Beautiful White Masks, impersonated by women, comes to an abrupt end with the burning of the Babaz. This film is part of

In the German-speaking Bersntol (Val dei Mòcheni) in the Italian Alps, the Three Wise Men have left in their stead a robust choir of young men, parading the Star from farm to farm. This film is

A story of sandwiches and generations, ambitions and regrets from the heart of the Italian kitchen.

The yearly parade of the new recruits is the perfect occasion in which to vent an extraordinarily wide repertoire of traditional songs. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 6 -

Throughout western Slovenia, Pust or Pustje are the names given to the Carnival dummy and the same names are also used in the Italian side of the Julian Alps. This film is part of **Carnival King

The Zanni of central Italy, are the same as the Pulcinella of the South of Italy or the Lachè in the North. They are Carnival heralds, clad in white, with a pointed, ribboned, imposing headpiece.

Bagolino and Ponte Caffaro host the largest surviving ensemble of folk violin in the Alps, which makes Carnival a leap back into the Renaissance roots of the violin itself. This film is part of

Jacob arrived in Italy alone from French Guinea when he was 11 years old. Today he is 27, and hip hop music is his whole world: it is his way to express dreams, hopes and frustrations, and to not

The Gnaga is an old hag, carrying her drunk husband back home in a pannier. This film is part of Carnival King of Europe DVD 5 PARADING THE VILLAGE. On Carnival days, the village is brought back

In Journey into Europe, Akbar Ahmed, a world-renowned anthropologist, Islamic scholar, and filmmaker who the BBC has called “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam,” explores Islam

What if in your great-grandfather's letters there is a mystery your family doesn't want to talk about? In 1920 Angelo Levi Bianchini set out to Palestine on an Italian diplomatic mission and never

This film tells the story of the friendship between an English filmmaker and Nicola, a Sicilian ex-gangster who lives in Florence. The film moves to and fro between a street of ill repute, and the

Dating back 3000 years to the Nuragic civilisation on Sardinia, 'launeddas' are wind instruments that testify to contacts from across the Mediterranean. Although they nearly vanished in the 1960s, in

Every four years, the new recruits in Carano are presented to the community in the midst of a complex carnival ritual called Banderàl. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 6 -

What happens to African migrants once granted political refugee status? In Turin, a northern Italian city, an abandoned clinic has been squatted by more than 200 refugees since December 2008. Khaled,

In Schignano, in the Lombardy mountains close to the Swiss border, Carlisèp is the local name of the Carnival dummy, who attempts a last minute escape. Carnival trials such as that held in Valda,

Like every year, Corigliano Calabro, a small village in the south of Italy, celebrates Easter: from the investiture of a man to embody Jesus during a night procession, to the passionate debates for

In the Slovenian-speaking Italian Benecija, the Blùmari run across the village fields once a year, just like the Arval Brethren of ancient Rome. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD

The film depicts the daily struggle of fishermen to earn a living in a harsh physical environment that brings out the social and economic tensions of modern society. Manning the Priamo are Cola, the

An international team of art restorers, archaeologists and volunteers begin work on the restoration of religious frescoes inside a network of ancient caves. Faced with local bureaucratic challenges

In Upper Vinschgau in South Tyrol a highly charged Carnival parade takes place with the specific purpose of “speeding the plough”. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 4 SPEEDING

St. Anthony’s Day marks the first annual outing of the celebrated Sardinian Mamuthones with their blackened shepherd’s outfit, carefully directed by their eternal antagonists, the Issohadores.

On November 11th, great bonfires are lit by the local youth to celebrate the distribution of the annual revenues from the forestry harvest. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 3 -

As an early harbinger of celestial light, St. Nicholas and his mixed company of angels and devils visits every home, to tell children off in the most persuasive of manners. This film is part of

This film depicts the characters, and social dilemmas of three generations of Sardinian mountain shepherds. Although born roughly 20 years apart, Franchiscu (62), his son Pietro (17) and their

An observational documentary about dairy farmers in the Italian Alps. Caught between pride for tradition and the pressure for modernisation, the story of one family is told through the eyes of

Castellammare is a 'high-density Mafia' seaside town. Local government is infiltrated, its economy is stagnant and there is no future for its youth. A group of angry young Sicilians now wish to

The beauty of the village, impersonating a gypsy woman, the Zinghenesta, has the main dancing role in the masquerade. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 5 PARADING THE VILLAGE**.

Carnival trials such as that held in Valda, in the mountains of Trentino, are commonplace throughout Europe. Death sentence is for granted. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 8 -