Smiaf - San Marino International Arts Festival is back

 

SMIAF - San Marino International Arts Festival is back: three days dedicated to art, music, extreme sports and well-being of body and mind.
Two paid shows: Compagnia Artemakia and Quarter Dekru. Tickets purchasable on the website www.smiaf.org
   
The Marciamela Association, under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Work and Sport, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of the Territory and the Environment and the Municipality of the City of San Marino, and with the collaboration of the San Marino Tourism Board, has the honor of presenting the SMIAF - San Marino International Arts Festival 2023 - 16th edition, which will be held in San Marino’s Old town from 4 to 6 August.
   
Institutional declarations
Federico Pedini Amati (Minister of Tourism): "SMIAF is an event that has a clear international caliber, which attracts numerous tourists and which is recognized and appreciated in the Italian panorama of this type of festival. The numerous artistic declinations that SMIAF presents to the public, tourists and visitors of our Old Town will be able to impress, amaze and in many cases make us dream. We consider SMIAF a main event in our summer schedule and we are sure that its success will be confirmed this year too. My thanks to the organizers, a warm welcome to the artists and a sincere 'have fun' to all those who flock to San Marino’ s Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to follow SMIAF".
Andrea Belluzzi (Minister of Education and Culture): “Once again, we present an extremely prestigious appointment, which is now part of the history of San Marino: the SMIAF. For the Ministry of Education and Culture it is a pleasure to sponsor this event, we are already working together on new institutional collaborations to make it grow more and more in the years to come".

Programs and Guests
With the intention of continuing to contribute to the revitalization of San Marino’s Old Town, in the name of artistic languages, culture and participation, SMIAF will present a rich program of concerts, street art performances, thematic talks and readings, exhibitions and workshops, extreme sports competitions and wellness experiences.
The main novelties of the sixteenth edition will be the presence of two paid shows, promoted in collaboration with the San Marino Tourism Board.
 The shows that require a fee for entrance concern two main companies:
- Quartet DEKRU, Ukrainian mimes who will perform in Piazzale Domus Plebis (the square in front of the Basilica del Santo), Friday 4 August from 22.00 and Saturday 5 August from 22.30. Light Souls is a laugh filled journey into the comedy of life. A glittering succession of short scenes that compose the portrait of contemporary man. Spiritual heirs of Marcel Marceau, the Dekru are an award-winning quartet of Ukrainian mimes who have enjoyed great success around the world, conquering both the most prestigious stages and the vast audiences of TV programs such as Ukraine's got talent and Tu sí que vales Italia.

- Compagnia Artemakia, famous formation of Milo Scotton, one of the masters of Italian street art, who will perform in Piazza Sant'Agata on Saturday 5 August from 21.00 and Sunday 6 August from 21.15. In the plot we will follow the adventures of "Tim", an enterprising explorer in search of an archaic and precious treasure. Milo Scotton currently holds a Guinness World Record, achieved during the Canale 5 record show hosted by Jerry Scotti on March 11: he walked 10 meters on two parallel beams balanced on a ladder within 2 minutes and 18 seconds. He also took part with his son Ethan in the show Italia's Got Talent.

Furthermore, for all 3 days of the Festival, it will be possible to support the event with the purchase of the SMIAF pass: a bracelet at a cost of €1, highly recommended for access to the Wellness Area, the Extreme Area P6, the Campo Bruno Reffi. A small contribution to support the growth of SMIAF between now and the near future.

Camp Bruno Reffi & Extreme Park
The beating heart will once again be Campo Bruno Reffi where a stage will be set up for the evening concerts which will see the following perform:
● Friday evening, the concert of Ponzio Pilates, ready to amaze us with their ingenious mix of low fi rock and obsessive rhythms in the wake of bands such as Animal Collective and MGMT. The evening will be opened by Solaris, and the Dj-Set by Volumetrica Vision will close.
● Saturday night concert by Jembaa Groove, a multicultural band founded in late 2020 by bassist and composer Yannick Nolting and singer-percussionist Eric Owusu. Digging deep into their musical backgrounds and identities, they came up with a natural result that they both like to label as Afro-Soul. The concert will be opened by the dance and percussion performance by Folà, and the evening will be closed by the Dj-set by Frank Villa.
● Sunday evening, the concert by SovietSoviet, historic band from Pesaro, iconic in their unmistakable alternative rock. The opening of the evening which will be entrusted to the San Marino Betelgeuse and Eugenia Post Meridiem. To conclude the musical part of the festival, the best selection of rock music from the 70s and 80s brought by Fullnelson.

All the concerts will start at 20.30 and a selection of Street Food from the area and surrounding area will be set up in the dedicated area to satisfy the culinary tastes of young and old. Set up between Cava Antica P6 and Campo Bruno Reffi is the Bazar Area made up of local design/craft activities and the presence of a space dedicated to SMIAF merchandising.
A small preview of who will be with us: Pablo's Food, Beef & Pork, Forcellini 2.0, Ingrediente Segreto, La Maison de la Patisserie, PastaRe Vegan Bawl, Patagiro, Smiaf Food, Suecucitobirichino & Filarino, Khaoticamente, Lotushop, Garage4string, Arteatomica, Mandala Tales, Ranuncolo.Craft, Big Record Dischi.
Another nerve center of the Festival will be the EXTREME PARK, an entire area dedicated to lovers of new-concept sports such as acrobatics, sport climbing, skateboarding, rollerblading, parkour. Not only expert practitioners, but also beginners, children and all interested parties will be able to try their hand at these sports thanks to qualified guides and instructors who will live in the area of the Ex Cava Antica (P6, closed to car traffic for the occasion) for all three days. These activities will be carried out thanks to the support of various associations and realities in the area. Appointment starting at 10 on Friday morning.
A great return of this edition is the OPEN TRICKLINE CONTEST organized in collaboration with Spider Slackline. Inside the Extreme Area, 16 Riders from all over Europe will compete with jumps and evolutions in the official slackline freestyle contest registered by ISA and valid as a stage of the Italian championship.

After the first edition of the Italian Parkour Games, a competition that took place during the previous edition of the Festival, the workshops, courses and shows of the n*1 parkour community in Italy - Xplore Parkour - are back.
But exhibitions and activities for adults and children certainly do not end here: the Regina and Kibe Team of Cattolica will be with us, specialized in balance board, roller and skateboard courses and shows, the San Marino Rugby Federation, with small introductory courses for beginners, the 5R Ama il Riuso team with the project dedicated to the little ones Riuso Race.

Street Art – Old Town
The squares of the medieval Old Town, a UNESCO heritage site, will be completely invaded by a rich programming of STREET ART shows.
Here is a brief summary of the Companies present:
- ALEX BARTI: Alex Mihajlovski was born in and has lived in Denmark since 1992. He designed and built his puppet in Spain, in 1986. The result is Barti, a puppet with a complex control system, with more than 40 thin strings and threads, mostly invisible. Alex allows Barti to move her body, facial features, fingers and express feelings in a unique way. The first show with the Barti puppet dates back to 1988. Since then, traveling mainly in Europe, he has discovered the world of puppets and the culture behind it. Unfortunately, since the 1970s, puppet shows have been gradually disappearing: this makes Alex Mihajlovski one of the few professional puppeteers left in variety shows and festivals around the world.

- CIA LANGOSTURA: Result of a scenographic collaboration between Annibale Galeano and Duo Cardio, Cia Langostura will bring the Copa-Copín show to SMIAF, inspired by a bohemian and timeless universe, where acrobatics and balance are the protagonists, giving way to illusion and playfulness.

- MUSICAPERBAMBINI: The ironic songwriter is ready to liven up the evenings of SMIAF, thanks to Manuel Bongiorni, multifaceted author, writer, actor and musician from Piacenza. MusicaPerBambini from music for children inherits the taste for the nursery rhyme, for the calembour, for the absurd that becomes normality.

- AIX: Aix and her assistant Rosita revolutionize the great classics of classic fakirism. With the help of brave volunteers, they will keep the audience in suspense for the entire duration of the show, until they cross a path of blades barefoot.

- LOMII: Acoustic duo from Cesena, composed by Emily Capanni and Lorenzo Brighi. The project, formed in 2016, sees the meeting and fusion of voices, accompanied by a guitar. Simplicity leaves room for variations and changes of atmosphere, moving between pop and Anglo-American folk. The project was born to occupy the streets and to find out where they lead.
- OPIFICIO BECCANOTTI: Paolo Beccari and Luca Zanotti, an eclectic duo from San Marino, will propose a journey that starts from blues and soul passing through rock and folk, all reinterpreted in an acoustic key rigorously played live without the aid of loops and sequences.

Large space reserved for reading, lessons and book presentations: do not miss the meetings dedicated to Baudelaire by Michele Ghiotti and Chiara Cicognani, the historical dissemination of Storia in Flanella, the presentation of the new book by Anna Chiara Macina (in collaboration with Carlo Biagioli Srl).

Off section
In addition to the official program, this edition presents some shows by artists who have chosen to enrich the review by performing in some locations in the Old Town, wearing a hat. Among the many you can meet: Giulio Linguiti circus performer, Corsaro Handpan, Collettivo Il Nido in "Notes for a Palomar".

Exhibitions and Workshops, Wellness Area
Thanks to the collaboration with Spazio d'Azione Visuale, a project by photographer Marco Vincenzi, an exhibition and a workshop will land at SMIAF: the first, curated by Ambra Lorito, will open on Friday 4 at 17.00, in the spaces of the University of the Republic of San Marine of Via Eugippo.
The second exhibition will instead be in the Torretta della Porta del Paese, curated by the artist Esther Cimmarrusti.
On Saturday morning, however, the Manicula workshop will be held at the Ex-Tiro di Murata space, led by Chiara Pavolucci and Enrico Malatesta, a multifaceted duo based in Cesena. Places are still available: to book, contact the number 327.4479979.
Not only art, but also activities related to well-being and care of body and mind. In the suggestive locations of the Garden of the Santa Chiara Monastery and the Orti Borghesi, it will be possible to take part in courses and treatments by: Patrica and recognition of Herbs, Hata Yoga, AcroYoga, Danced Movement, Thai Massage, Tai chi and Kung Fu, Salsa, Shiatsu Massage, Mantra and Card Reading.
The entire program can be consulted on the SMIAF social pages.

Partnership with Marlù to support young emerging talents
One of the main objectives of the Festival dei Giovani Saperi is to create an increasingly broad and cohesive network of talents, capable of bringing together emerging realities that can support each other in the active promotion of some performing arts. SMIAF, also for its sixteenth edition, decides to pursue this objective with the support of the San Marino company MARLU'.
The partnership between these two realities, which materialized for the first time in 2022 and which sees many common values at the centre, is getting stronger and, also for 2023, is confirmed with the offering of two Marlù Awards. Scholarships that will reward two deserving performative disciplines with an economic contribution that will have to be invested in a project that will help realize, or carry on, one's dream.
Furthermore, Marlù will support all the artists of SMIAF with an acknowledgment to thank the numerous performers for having put themselves on the line and having shown the public an interesting moment of art, inviting them to insist on conquering their goals.

Partners
To support the event again this year there are many realities among which we would like to mention: Marlù Gioielli, main sponsor of the event, Ecologia Sammarinese SRL, Energreen SRL, Carisp - Cassa di Risparmio of the Republic of San Marino, Giochi del Titano SPA, SUMS - Società Unione Mutuo Soccorso, Birra Amarcord, SIT Group, La Chiara Srl, L'Antincendio Sammarinese Srl, Gattei Impianti, Vivaio Zanotti, Fondazione Simoncini-Galluzzi, La Sociale Srl.
Media partners and technical sponsors are Radio Gamma and The Space Srl.

Services and Green Festival
We suggest participants to use the large car parks in San Marino, always remembering the parking area for campers and free camping located 2 minutes by car - 10 minutes on foot - from the Festival, equipped with toilets/showers.
You will find this area set up at the Ex Tiro a Volo di Murata, located in Via del Serrone 65.
The SMIAF Festival is as attentive as possible to environmental issues and to reduce its impact, it has implemented 3 special actions:
✅ personalized and reusable cups in hard plastic. For 3 years, disposable plastic has been completely eliminated from our bar areas;
✅ in the two main locations of the Festival, Campo Bruno Reffi and Zona Extreme P6 you will be able to find water columns for automatic refilling of bottles or glasses and the main drinking water fountains in the Old Town will also be indicated.
✅ the badges of artists and volunteers and the materials dedicated to the indications will be made of paper and not plasticized. Furthermore, there will be a reduction in the number of printed hard copies of the programme, alternatively proposing various information totems on different places of the event with all the indications inside.

Activities and Spaces for children
SMIAF is suitable for children and families, many of the shows and activities on the program are suitable for all ages. Furthermore, the Festival reserves spaces dedicated to play, relaxation and experimentation for the little ones, thanks to historical games and workshops promoted by the Ludoteca, to the Recycle Race organized by the 5R Ama il Reuso Association and to the various Extreme activities and disciplines, which you can try during all 3 days thanks to qualified instructors.

All that remains is to warmly invite you to bring this edition to life with us. We’ll be waiting for you in the Old Town!