INTERVIEW. Philippe Manassero, President of the Departmental Olympic and Sports Committee of Alpes-Maritimes in charge of organizing the Nice Côte d’Azur Sport Film Festival, tells us more about the Nice Sports Film Festival, whose awards ceremony will be held on June 6 at the National Museum of Sport.
Tell us about the 2019 Festival
“This is the 4th edition this year. The delegate for France of the International Federation, Renato Tullio Ferrari, approached us, the CDOS 06, to get involved in the festival. I think what we were missing in our Olympic and sports structure was a sport and culture commission. I believe this festival fits perfectly into what we are looking for. That is to say, beyond the culture, having a civic approach, an awareness approach with different audiences, especially young people, that is, young schoolchildren, young students, young college students, young club members, and finally a sports approach. All of this through films that allow the emergence of the transversal axis of sport-citizenship.”
What is the goal of the festival?
“The desire of CDOS 06, for the fifth edition, is to develop even more. We want to dedicate two months to meeting with schools, sports clubs and young people to really show them films that provoke even more reflections to discuss with them. We would like to find a place, maybe the Cinémathèque of Nice, where we could gradually show all the films that will be awarded during the festival so that the public of Nice and the Côte d’Azur can immerse themselves in beautiful sports images.”
Can we talk about an educational dimension of the festival?
“Completely! The values of Olympism are friendship, excellence, fraternity, solidarity. These are the values of the Republic, and when we pass this message through sport, I think young people understand them quicker.”
How many films are presented at the festival?
“The ones registered on the platform to compete for an award, we count 439 films. It’s huge! We include sports and nature, for example, and the film that will receive the grand prize will indeed be an Olympic sport.”
How many countries are represented for this 4th edition?
“69 countries if I’m not mistaken. France was the first nation to register, Iran in second position and Italy third. Films about disability are presented and are exceedingly beautiful, some of which will be awarded. We tackle different themes and different sports. We have people from Russia, the Netherlands, Italy who are already here, who will receive awards. All of this shows that this festival is significant.”
What is the future of the festival?
“I am giving myself 3 to 4 years for it to become a major element of cinema and sport well beyond the Alpes-Maritimes. I think that on a French scale, it can become a festival like Deauville for American cinema or Chamrousse for humor. I think we must develop, and it’s a major task we will undertake. We will develop a more significant commission at the level of sport and culture and also work in concert with the department of Alpes-Maritimes, the city of Nice, and other municipalities that would like to ensure this festival takes its rightful place in the cinematic adventure of this region.”
