Celico International Arts Festival concludes with mafia representation debate

The Celico International Arts Festival wrapped up on 31 May in the small town of Celico, Calabria. The final evening featured a talk titled “Mafia between reality and representation”, bringing together Naples chief prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, writer and Ndrangheta expert Antonio Nicaso, Rai Fiction vicedirector Ivan Carlei, actor Cesare Bocci and director Paolo Girelli. The discussion examined how cinema and television portray organized crime and urged creators to base narratives on real court documents.

After the talk, filmmaker Giovanni Veronesi presented a multimedia performance called “Vi porto al cinema”. Honorary festival president David Cronenberg attended the closing events. The festival, organized by the Comune di Celico in partnership with the University of Calabria and supported financially by the Ministry of Tourism and Poste Italiane, explored the theme “Alchimie Creative”. All sessions were free of charge and required advance booking.

The nine‑day program, running from 23 to 31 May, combined screenings, literary talks and artistic installations aimed at fostering cultural dialogue about contemporary issues such as the evolution of the mafia in the digital age.