email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

Vieri Razzini • Distributor

Five films against market rules

by 

Five films seen and awarded at top festivals (Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance). Five arthouse films that could not find normal distribution in Italy. They were chosen by Vieri Razzini and Cesare Petrillo of Teodora Film as an example of the many high quality, original and unconventional films that audiences miss out on every so often because of so-called “market rules”.

A series entitled Five Easy Pieces (like Bob Rafelson’s legendary 1970 film starring Jack Nicholson) will bring these five films in their original, subtitled versions, simultaneously to audiences from June 16-July 14 in ten cities (Rome, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Genoa, Padua, Pordenone, Turin, Udine and Savona).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

The films are: Time To Leave [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(France) by Francois Ozon; 13 (Tzameti) [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fanny Saadi
interview: Gela Babluani
film profile
]
(France/Germany) by Gela Babluani; Soap [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lars Bredo Rahbek
interview: Pernille Fischer Christensen
film profile
]
(Denmark) by Pernille Fischer Christensen; Tough Enough (Knallhart) [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(Denmark) by Detlev Buck, and The Yes Men (US) by Dan Ollman, Sarah Price and Chris Smith.

Cineuropa: Teodora, who has brought young directors to Italy such as Per Fly, Maria Blom, Susanne Bier, Lucrecia Martel, Cesc Gay, is trying to take on the market of a summer that promises nothing new. What are these "rules" that hinder the distribution of quality films?
Vieri Razzini: The first, wholly Italian, obstacle is dubbing, which costs €30-40,000. Advertising costs are also prohibitive, both for television and radio, which are practically obligatory. Not doing it would mean not giving a film visibility, yet at the same time people suspect that it’s money poorly spent. This is the market blackmail.

The market is capable, above all, of conditioning audiences.
Market conditioning consists of the fact that for the past 20 years, because of television, audiences have become used to a certain kind of entertainment, to television rhythms that are different from those of cinema. It is a different language, and people are not used to arthouse cinema’s, to its audacity. Quality cinema finds no space on TV: even though it is mandatory to dedicate a programming quota to quality Italian and European films, the rules are overturned. The fact that there is no space for these films is an enormous scandal.

Why did you choose these films in particular?
Throughout the year, at festivals and elsewhere, among the many anonymous films, you can see some that are very beautiful and diverse – for their language and content – from current parameters. It sometimes happens that we distributors fall in love with some of these films. 13 (Tzameti) struck me for its story, which was terribly cruel, as well as for the Georgian director’s extraordinary style, in which form and content unite perfectly, with an impressive and disturbing power. It is a film that remains in one’s memory for quite some time (see Focus ).

François Ozon’s film is the second instalment of a trilogy on mourning that the director began with Under the Sand. Soap is a debut that moved audiences and the jury of this year’s Berlin Film Festival, and left them almost dumbstruck. There is a delicate touch and intensity to this film that make this filmmaker a true discovery. Tough Enough by German director Detlev Buck belongs to the best realist school. Before making this film on the lives of today’s teenagers in Berlin’s poorest neighbourhoods, this actor/screenwriter/director spent a lot of time getting to know their schools, streets and hangouts. Lastly, The Yes Men, in which even Michael Moore appears, is a hilarious “no global” mockumentary on the WTO.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy