Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Venice Film Festival goes 69

I would love to be in Venice for the Festival, especially this year. Officially, it's number 69, but it's the 80th time they do it; it's bound to be the best -clammed in connotations. An equal give and take, it brings in mind.

The visuals complement my thought: just take a look at the poster. A blue rhino in a boat, a child (or man) fishing. They are afloat, thanks to the seventh art, cinema, according to Ricciotto Canudo. The image is alive because cinema exists; they are probably being filmed. Magical realism together with some Occupy Wall street scent. This is a statement, indeed.

69 Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica will take place in Venice from 29 August till 8 September. It hearts quality this year, they say. I say it dares to be different; opening night with Mira Nair and her new film The Reluctant Fundamentalist. How often do we see an opening night featuring a woman director, let me wonder. Albeit, an Indian one.

21 films out of 52 screened in Venice are directed by women. A shift in film programming strategy that was almost pressing, after the "La Barbe"(no, not Barbie) incident in Cannes Film Festival this year. They also have Takeshi Kitano, Kim Ki Duk and a lot of socio-political stuff related to the economic crisis, the Arab Spring et cetera. Always good to see a certain degree of "nowness" in between the hedonistic glam of red carpets. 

My only dissatisfaction is that I will be so close, yet so far this year. Genova is on the other side of the coast, I'm afraid.

Still, if the Lion roars, I can hear it from there. For sure.

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