06/04/2016 - The South Tyrolean festival (13-17 April), changes name, strengthens exchanges between Italy and Germany, and will feature a focus on Slovenia

In celebration of its 30th birthday, the Bolzano Film Festival has changed name, becoming the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen, and is also changing its role. This year’s edition of the South Tyrolean festival (13-17 April) aims to strengthen exchanges between Italy and Germany with more Italian productions in the programme than in previous editions. This year’s programme will also feature important premieres, such as the world premiere of Fräulein – Una fiaba d’inverno [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which will open the Festival on 13 April with the director and the protagonists, Christian De Sica and Lucia Mascino, in attendance. The film is the debut piece by 34-year-old director from Marche Caterina Carone, who wrote the storyline of the film during the 1^st edition of the Script Lab Racconti. The film is produced by Tempesta with Rai Cinema and was supported by the BLS Film Fund both in the pre-production and production stages. Filming took place entirely on the Renon plateau in South Tyrol.

The Festival will host a feature film competition and a short film competition. The films being shown in competition include the premiere of Agnes [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Johannes Schmid and A Heavy Heart [+see also:
trailer
interview: Thomas Stuber
film profile] by Thomas Stuber from Germany, and Italian films Lost and Beautiful [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pietro Marcello ­
film profile] by Pietro Marcello, Era d’estate [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Fiorella Infascelli and Lands of Saints [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Fernando Muraca. Also being shown in competition are Swiss films A Decent Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Micha Lewinsky and The Swallow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Mano Khalil, and Austrian film Thank You for Bombing [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Barbara Eder.

Also new to this year’s edition of the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen is the focus on Europe: 2016 is the year of Slovenia, to which a special event attended by a rich array of guests, including directors Jan Cvitkovič and Janez Burger, producer Miha Černec, and the director of the Portorož Film Festival, Igor Prassel, will be dedicated.

Oscar-winning Czech director Jiri Menzel will be a guest at this year’s Bolzano FFB, where he will meet with audiences. Another guest of honour will be Italian actor and director Sergio Castellitto. The winner of four Nastro d’Argento awards, three David di Donatello awards and a European Film Award, the Festival will dedicate a tribute to him by screening three films from his long career: The Star Maker (1995, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore), Don’t Move (2004, directed by Castellitto) and You Can’t Save Yourself Alone [+see also:
trailer
making of
interview: Sergio Castellitto
film profile] (2015, directed by Castellitto).

Another new feature of this year’s edition is the Final Touch: Intense Feedback From Experts, a training opportunity for young filmmakers aimed at supporting them in fine tuning their pieces (submitted in rough cut form). An independent jury, made up of members of the Festival team, together with representatives of IDM (BLS) chose the three documentary projects participating this year: 38°//Nord by Nunzio Gringero, Quellmalz by Mike Ramsauer, and Punishment Island by Laura Cini.

(Translated from Italian)