Agnieszka Holland: “Cinema must tell reality again”
“The dangers of obscurantism, violence, oppression, and totalitarianism have been purged from the European agenda. Yet these dangers have not disappeared and Europe, the continent of freedom, human rights and democracy, is in danger of disappearing if it continues in today’s choices: it will become a fortress where people will be killed by ourselves.” Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland presents Zielona granica (The Green Border), “a film with a political ethos,” where she denounces Poland’s policy of rejecting migrants from the Middle East and Africa from the Belarusian border.
“The strength of the film is capturing the heart of reality. Today, cinema is weak compared to TV series because it is not involved enough in the narrative of the most pressing problems of the global world. Now that TV series seem to be losing space, cinema has to get back to telling the reality before our eyes: it has to deal with the fascist and populist politicians who are rearing their heads, the climate crisis, refugees, migrants leaving Africa and Asia to get to Europe. If cinema does this, it will not lose its moral force”. Holland thus vindicates the power of cinema and concludes by reading a note on the 60,000 victims of migration from 2014 to the present, asking journalists for a minute of silence.
Oscar Cosulich
Italian actors for Italian roles: the move of the Italian government
The controversy over the Italian-ness of actors in films that tell Italian stories and characters gets the government moving: “The issue debated after the release of the film Ferrari at the Venice Film Festival,” said Lucia Borgonzoni, the undersecretary with delegated authority for Audiovisual at a meeting at the Lido, “concerns the entire sector, and that is why I decided to convene a discussion table where Italian and foreign productions, actors, actresses and category representatives can address these issues jointly. The works will be hosted at the Ministry of Culture. Borgonzoni recalled that the Ministry’s commitment to support Italian productions and workers is a priority: “Premiums in the form of tax credits will be allocated to productions to promote the selection of Italian directors, actors and actresses.” In the decree allocating resources for 2023, about 370 million are earmarked for audiovisual productions.
Enrico Brignano: “Italian cinema has always been an example”
Enrico Brignano presented today in Venezia 80 Una commedia pericolosa, the new film by Alessandro Pondi starring Gabriella Pession, Paola Minaccioni and Fortunato Cerlino. The film will be released in theaters next August 30 distributed by 01 Distribution. After receiving the Magnifica Award Enrico Brignano stressed the importance of Italian cinema in the world: “I detest the talk related to the fact that there are no longer ‘those of the past’: It is impossible that a nation like ours, or the world in general, does not reproduce by DNA new artists, different but equally talented to those who have passed. I believe there is an underlying blindness in recognizing living talent. We should believe a little more in us Italians and know how to search our drawers better. Our cinema has always been an example, especially when it did not have the means, like when realism was born after the war.”
Davide Di Francesco
The cinema agenda
The Professional Days of Cinema in Sorrento, which will be held from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, 2023, were unveiled yesterday at the Italian Pavilion and for this edition have the claim ” Enforcement! “. Confirmed all the activities organized by the event dedicated to film exhibitors. In the same meeting also presented the new edition of the Meetings of arthouse cinema that this year will be held in Mantua from October 2 to 5. Closing the meeting at the Italian Pavilion were the organizers of Ciné & SDC Days (pictured), which ended a few months ago and announced the next edition to be held in Riccione in July 2024.
