22/02/2016 - BERLIN 2016: The president and CEO of the Istituto Luce-Cinecittà speaks about the winner of the Golden Bear, the documentary by Gianfranco Rosi that has already been sold in dozens of countries

“The triumph at Berlin of Gianfranco Rosi’s film is the result of a balance between the talent and generosity of its writer, the awareness of public film bodies (the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, Istituto Luce Cinecittà, Rai Cinema), the strength of independent production (21Uno Film, Stemal Entertainment), and international appeal (the film is a co-production with French companies Les Films d'Ici and ARTE)”. These were the words of approval for the winner of the Golden Bear, Fire at Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gianfranco Rosi
film profile], of the Berlinale, in a statement issued by the president and CEO of the Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, Roberto Cicutto.

“Dozens of countries have already purchased the film, even with the significant international successes of a number of other titles. The new Film Law has freed up for funds. We need to treasure these experiences to make sure they go even further to convincing people that Italian film and audiovisuals are not just a fleeting asset for the country”, concluded Cicutto. 

For Rai Cinema, which co-produced the film with Donatella Palermo and the Istituto Luce - Cinecittà, and has followed and supported Rosi’s creative talent for years, Fire at Sea “is an exemplary representation of our vision of public service through film”, said the CEO of RAI Cinema Paolo Del Brocco. “Because it’s a film of high artistic quality that gets to the heart of a global social and political reflection on new migration phenomena with extraordinary precision. It tackles highly topical issues at the centre of current national and European political debate, through the means of an artist who neither proposes nor suggests solutions, but portrays the complexities of human and social events unfolding in juxtaposition on the small island of Lampedusa”.

Doc/it, the Association of Italian Documentary Filmmakers, also congratulated Gianfranco Rosi, proud of the victory and what it means, as “once again, the strength of Italian documentaries has shown the genre to be a truly creative type of film with the ability to make people reflect on reality, and one that is appreciated at big international film festivals”.

(Translated from Italian)