Salotto al Festival - Unnamed Footage Festival 9 (2026)

·1 hr 9 min·5 clips

The hosts discuss their favorite festival, the Unnamed Footage Festival, which showcases diegetic camera horror films from underground and festival circuits.

The episode begins with the hosts setting a horror-themed tone and introducing the Unnamed Footage Festival as their favorite event, focusing on diegetic camera horror. They explain they have covered it annually since 2021 and will not review each film individually but instead pose broad questions. The first question centers on 'diegetic coherence,' the consistency of a film's in-universe recording device and editing. Ale cites 'Heritage' by Baptista Agostini Croce as a pure example, following two cousins in Corsica with a family camera. Simone mentions 'The Killing Cell' by Carson Chovaisa and James Bessie, set in 2006, as another pole. They discuss films like 'American Guinea Pig' and 'Slaughter of the Swine' as examples of charismatic killer narratives. The debate intensifies with 'Infirmary' by Nicolás Pineda, a film set in an abandoned psychiatric hospital that uses non-diegetic music, leading to disagreements about its effectiveness. Marco argues it works as a videogame-like experience, while Ale criticizes the intrusive music. The conversation shifts to geographical diversity, with films like 'Heritage' in Corsica, 'Saming' in Thailand, 'Devil's Teardrop' in Peru, and 'Alan at Night' in Brooklyn. Simone connects this to folk horror, where local legends influence plots. They note the prevalence of sequels and spiritual sequels, such as 'Frogmen' and 'We Put the World to Sleep' by Adrien Tofei. The hosts reflect on the festival's growth from a virtual event in 2021 to a week-long in-person event in San Francisco. They discuss whether it is gaining recognition through auteurs, international films, and selections from other festivals, or if it remains niche. The episode concludes with thoughts on the festival's role in giving internet-born content big-screen dignity and the need for broader critical discourse.

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