Giornate degli Autori: twenty years of independent and audacious cinema

Giornate degli Autori, an independent section within the prestigious Venice International Film Festival, is preparing to enthusiastically celebrate its twentieth edition. This year will be particularly significant, as it will be the first without the founder Citto Maselli and President Andrea Purgatori, to whom the entire event is dedicated.

The artistic direction of Gaia Furrer has masterfully curated the selection of films, presenting an eclectic panorama of works that explore contemporary themes, challenge conventions and reveal the courage of the authors in overcoming their comfort zones.

Among the central themes of this year, the idea of choice stands out, the crucial moment in which life forces us to make decisions that change our path. In describing the essence of this year’s selection, Gaia Furrer uses the word “crossroads” to reflect on the plurality of options in the selected films and their power to undertake a common discourse beyond the first two decades of Giornate degli Autori.

Listen to our interview (in Italian) with Gaia Furrer, Artistic Director of the GdA, here.

THE SELECTION OF THE GIORNATE DEGLI AUTORI

A mix of 10 films in competition, seven special events, eight titles at the Venetian Nights and 4 Special Screenings in the Sala Laguna at the “Casa degli Autori” constitute the beating heart of the Giornate degli Autori, as Furrer, Gosetti and Purgatori explained to us during the FRED roundtable (in italian).

The selection of authors offers a variety of formal approaches, ranging from black and white to the use of colour, from documentary to fiction, and from experimental narration to pop elements. “Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant” by Ariane Louis-Seize, an independent and genre film, depicts a young vampire sick with empathy, refusing to kill and thus subverting the rules of her destiny.

Women behind and in front of the camera play an important role, and many stories tell of courageous, empathic and self-giving choices. The French director Élise Girard, for example, presents “Sidonie au Japon”, a film that takes us to Japan in search of oneself, where the protagonist Sidonie, played by the magnificent Isabelle Huppert, finds lost meaning and identity between past and present, between ghosts and reality.

Or Stefanie Kolk, a Dutch newcomer, with her “Melk”, tells us an intense story about donating excess breast milk, transforming suffering into a gesture of rebirth and generosity.

This year, Italian cinema mixes with different cultures, bringing an international gaze to Italy and opening new perspectives for the country’s cinematic identity. “Los océanos son los verdaderos continents” by Tommaso Santambrogio, the only Italian film in competition, is an engaging Italian-Cuban co-production set entirely in Cuba, which captures the melancholy and vitality of Cuban contemporaneity through the history of three generations.

SPECIAL EVENTS

For the twenty years of the event, special events will be dedicated to very talented directors. Céline Sciamma, President of the jury of the last edition of the GdA, will present a short film shot in Rome, “This is how a child becomes a poet”, and will dialogue with another great director, Teona Strugar Mitevska, who will offer the public a diary intimate and a political reflection with “21 days until the end of the world”.

Giornate degli Autori also celebrates Québec cinema with a day dedicated to the creative talent of French-speaking Canada. The restored version of “C.R.A.Z.Y.” by Jean-Marc Vallée, presented at the festival in 2005, will be screened in homage to the director, sanctioning the long relationship of love and respect between the festival and Québec cinema. Monia Chokri, director and actress from Quebec, will be the protagonist of a masterclass, where she will share her vision of cinema and her creative experiences.

THE ECLECTIC JOÃO PEDRO RODRIGUES TO LEAD THE JURY OF THE AUTHORS’ DAYS

Portuguese director João Pedro Rodrigues will preside over the jury of Giornate degli Autori, guiding the 27 Times Cinema, 27 young cinephiles from all European countries, in selecting the best film of the festival. Rodrigues is a multifaceted and provocative talent of contemporary cinema, perfectly in line with the festival’s philosophy, which embraces diversity, audacity and a fresh look at the world.

With enthusiasm, the Lisbon-born director expressed his joy in presiding over the jury composed of the 27 Times Cinema ambassadors of the European Parliament:

“As a young cinephile since the age of fifteen, I have developed a passionate and radical relationship with cinema. And I can’t wait to discover the unique gaze of each jury member.”

BETWEEN FUTURE AND MEMORY

“The twentieth-anniversary edition aims to be the identity manifesto of a contemporary cinema that looks to the new and protects memory” with these words, the Delegate Giorgio Gosetti is keen to underline the convivial, friendly and inclusive spirit with which Le Giornate degli Autori faces the milestone of twenty years, keeping alive the memory of President Andrea Purgatori. Gosetti then added:

“Andrea Purgatori has been able to make these characteristics his own and nourish them with his humanity, with a playful and vital smile, with his curiosity and passion for discovery.”

Listen to our interview (in Italian) with Giorgio Gosetti, General Delegate of the Giornate degli Autori, here.

The twentieth edition of Giornate degli Autori is therefore announced as a rite of passage, a moment of reflection on memory and projection towards the future, where the magic of cinema intertwines with the reality of the world and invites us to be better.