31/08/2007

Presented this afternoon at a conference at the Filmmakers Villa, the 100 films and one country, Italy initiative is well underway and has recently formed its commission, which is establishing the criteria to follow in restoring, for now, 100 of the most valuable titles of Italian film history (still to be decided) and make them available to future generations, through distribution in schools and cinemas alike.

The panel was made up of the commission: Gianpiero Brunetta, Giovanni De Luna, Gianluca Farinelli, Fabio Ferzetti, Giovanni Grignaffini, Paolo Mereghetti, Morando Morandini, Domenico Starnone and Sergio Toffetti. The only commission member not present was director Gianni Amelio.

The conference was opened by Venice Days director and critic Ferzetti (see interview), who restated the urgent need to save those films that marked not only landmarks in international film, but also represented the creation of the post-WWII democratic state of Italy, and as such monuments of public interest. Thus, the criteria to follow in choosing the first 100 titles must be based not only on artistic merit, but also on the distribution of safeguarding a collective memory that is otherwise destined to disappear.

Minister of Culture Francesco Rutelli also came to the conference, and spoke of the importance of the political discussion on culture and cinema, especially for today’s young people, “who use films as a true instrument, seeing as how they utilize new audiovisual products more than ever thanks to new technologies.” To that end, he also proposed including a student representative body in the commission, to give voice to those for whom the project is ultimately destined.

Alessandro Battisti, president of Cinecitta Holding, agrees, adding that is imperative to unite the country’s cinematic and cultural patrimonies, “since a film is still not considered to be as important as a Canaletto painting or as an artistic-cultural work to be recognized by all and, as much, equally protected.”

The conference was attended by, among others: president of the Biennale Davide Croff, Alberto Barbera, Irene Bignardi, Gaetano Blandini, Carla Cattani, Teresa Cavina, Georgette Ranucci, Luciana Castellina, Giovanna Cau, Anselma Dall’Oglio, Laura Delli Colli, Fatima Djoumer, Emidio Greco, Andrea Martini, Citto Maselli, Diana Rulli, Enzo Sallustro, Luciano Sovena and Bruno Torri.

The initiative is supported by the Venice Biennale, Cineteca Nazionale, Cineteca di Bologna, Turin Film Museum, AGISCUOLA, ARCI, Mediateca Toscana, RAI SAT, SNGCI and SNCCI.