The 10th edition of Bari International Film Festival opened in the Petruzzelli Theatre, where the Keys of the City of Bari were conferred to composer Ennio Morricone, winner of two Oscars. The festival homage to the Maestro includes a large retrospective of 42 films chosen among his 524 works between cinema, theatre and television, two photo exhibitions and a series of meetings in the Margherita Theatre throughout the festival.

The “Morricone Day” opened with the screening of “The Best Offer” by Giuseppe Tornatore, followed by a clip of Bif&st first 10 years with photos and statements of the numerous film directors, actresses, actors, and prominent figures of international cinema: their presence contributed to Bif&st ranking among the firsts four Italian cinema events as per importance and audience numbers.

An extremely large audience crowded the historical Theatre in the early morning to welcome Morricone, introduced by Laudadio as “The greatest living composer of film scores”. With three standing ovations, Ennio Morricone was the great “star” of the opening day of the festival. Also on stage to celebrate Morricone were three Oscar winners: Giuseppe Tornatore, Nicola Piovani, Gianni Quaranta.

In the evening Ennio Morricone received the Federico Fellini Platinum Award for Cinematic Excellence.