Ashura: History of passion and martirydom

The current themes of peaceful coexistence and integration between different cultures in "Ashurà History of Passion and Martyrdom", is the story of a love between a man and a woman (the charming Soraia di Fazio and the good Renato Di Rosa) belonging to different worlds only in appearance and not at all incompatible despite the prejudices. Franco Casa says: "In addition to the interesting stylistic choices (the initial flashback and the collages of fragments of documentaries on Ashura, a holiday mentioned in the title) and the historical and religious notions that enrich the story, relevant quotes from the history of cinema are appreciated in the film. For example, when the protagonist descends a flight of steps, accompanied by an expressionist silent cinema soundtrack, there is such a drama as to allow the approach to the scene of the Odessa staircase in Ejzenštejn's "The Potëmkin battleship". particularly his “Trilogy of life”, but also Olmi with his descriptions of a society full of tragedies and non-destructive but constructive conflicts. Interesting and perhaps brilliant is the alienating decontextualization of normally touristy places, such as the fake, as it is a nineteenth-century medieval village of Valentino, transformed for the occasion into a lived-in city district. The synagogue in Piazzetta Primo Levi, the mosque, the antiquarian bookshop in the Galleria Subalpina and Kirkuk Kaffé (Iraqi Kurdish restaurant in Via Carlo Alberto) are new and precious settings, animated by a collection of enchanting characters such as the Sufi sage, the Jewish bookseller and parents of the protagonists. All of this not only communicates a strong message of peace, director Victor Vegan's main goal, but also makes the film an unusual guide to Turin. Victor Vegan Productions all rights reserved