This 28th edition once again allowed for a dive into Italian culture, the discovery of recent and unreleased films, and the emergence of new artists in transalpine cinema.
Who better than Joël Bayen-Sauneres, the programming director and artistic soul of the event, to draw some conclusions?
Nice Premium: It’s time for the assessment…
Joel Bayen-Sauneres: This year, the challenge was daring: An Italian festival based on intimacy, featuring several challenging films that are not difficult to access, but profound. No comedies, but numerous films reflecting on this theme of intimacy. And because it is Italian cinema, intimacy is deeply linked to social aspects, daily life, or even history. But the festival’s audience consists of connoisseurs, and films like “L’uomo che Verrà” (Audience Award), “La Pecora Nera” (great critical success), or “Sette opere di misericordia” (Garibaldi Award) were well received. Others sparked debate (like “L’ultimo sogno di Howard Costello” or “Il colore del vento”), but the encounters and the very notion of a festival are also about that.
NP: The festival is starting to be recognized as a cultural event…
JBS: This year, the festival was particularly rich in encounters. Many additional productions and directors joined the official guests and planned evenings, leading to more events and new interactions with the audience. Little by little, the festival, always eagerly anticipated by the Nice audience, is becoming known across the Alps in the homeland of the films we enjoy programming and discovering together year after year.
NP: A festival also means a budget…
JBS: It’s important to point out the major novelty of this 2013 festival: the financial endowment of the Garibaldi Award thanks to the support of the Dante Alighieri association/committee of Nice. This support allows the award and the festival to reach a new level of quality, public, and professional visibility. Every year, the festival welcomes new partners, all aiming to discover and celebrate Italian cinema and culture.
