Vittorio De Seta and Mako Sajko - Tribute
A program of short films that presents, intertwines and juxtaposes the works of two cult filmmakers, unconventional film artists, independent creators of a new cinematic vision on society.
Mako Sajko, sharp mind, eternal youth, playfulness, sparkle of a senior of old age. A man who never complained, who told juicy stories that made us chuckle. He always watched all the films at the Dokudoc festival, for him our festival was a holiday. Mako is a symbol of Slovenian documentary film. We know it can be good, but unfortunately we like to disable it at times. With his ideas, which we call to life, Mako lives on with us for the development of Slovenian documentary film!
- Maja Malus Azhdari, program selector, DOKUDOC International Documentary Film Festival, Maribor
Foto: archive DOKUDOC
As we wrote some time ago, Vittorio De Seta was for us, the I Mille Occhi film festival organized by the Anno uno association, a gift that keeps on giving. His films were a step ahead of their time and outlined the guidelines of film art. The need for expression has transcended all technological and production barriers. Each of his visits to the festival was a gift and a discovery for those of us who already knew him, as well as for those who were just beginning to learn about his works. He was a great and irreplaceable personality.
- Mila Lazić, program associate of the I Mille Occhi festival
Foto: archive I Mille Occhi
De Seta was born on October 15, 1923. In a few days he would have celebrated his hundredth birthday.
He died in November 2011 and was remembered by Martin Scorsese, who described him as "an anthropologist who spoke with the voice of a poet", as follows: "The news of the death of Vittorio De Seta shook me. His life was long and vital, and the last time I saw him a few years ago, he looked as if he had fifty years left to live, bursting with creativity, full of energy. De Seta is one of the greatest but neglected Italian directors, and his works deserve a much wider recognition. In the 1960s, we knew him for his extraordinary "Banditi a Orgosolo". Years later, we could see his documentaries in color, which he shot in the 1950s, poetic chronicles of life in southern Italy, Sardinia and Sicily. Those who saw the images, previously known to few, were fascinated by them. These are precious documents of customs and habits that were disappearing. (...) His oeuvre is one of the wonders of cinema. Vittorio De Seta was a truly great, dynamic artist and I mourn him."