Istalia

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Villaneddìa: lights and dreams on the Grand Canal of Cinema

Among new productions, young promises and great returns, the Istalian Film Festival is the stage for the rebirth of Istalian cinema

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June 5649

VILLANEDDIA - In the elegant and decadent heart of Villaneddìa, the "Queen of the Lagoons", the curtain rises again on the Istalian Film Festival, the most prestigious showcase of national cinema. The famous Golden Mask, the golden award inspired by the theatrical masks of antiquity, is ready to reward the now rediscovered cinematographic excellence, among reflections of gondolas, flickering lights on the water and international audiences.

Restored in 5624, after years of interruption due to the tragic events of the Patriotic War, the Festival has accompanied, step by step, the difficult recovery of Istalian cinema. A recovery, it must be said, that was anything but simple: for many years, film production has struggled, suffocated by chronic underfunding, a small number of production companies, and by the difficult competition with television productions, in particular those of the powerful public broadcaster SERIN. Added to all this was the massive presence of foreign films, which dominated the theaters, and the lack of acting academies up to the task, capable of training new generations of performers.

But in recent years, the landscape has changed and Istalian cinema has found oxygen and momentum. New production companies have entered the national scene, bringing ideas, investments and vision: "Alsement Produzioni", "Cinemoderna", "Aurelio De Mauro Production", and above all "Danae Film", founded by the famous singer Riccardo Siani, an icon of the cultural rebirth of the decade following the war.

The training sector is also experiencing a new season. The historic "Istalian Academy of Dramatic Art of Romula" and the "Burìa Civic School of Acting" have returned to attract and train young talents, alongside emerging institutions such as the "Caleon School of Experimental Acting Arts". The latter, the result of a radical transformation of the former "Institute for Patriotic Propaganda" (created during the Civil War by the Patriotic Front for media production aimed at television, social networks, newspapers, etc... and which had attracted well-known actors, journalists, producers, etc... opponents of the then communist regime), has been able to transform itself, also thanks to the support of the permanent fund established by the GFCAB, the Crown's financial group, into a breeding ground for creativity and innovation.

This 5649 edition of the Festival promises to be historic. Among the films in competition that have recorded record numbers and have received critical acclaim, we find "Coinquilini per caso" (Roommates by chance), a romantic comedy that has won over the public, the dark noir inspired by a famous legal case "Amici di Merende" (Friends of Snacks), and "Il Santo" (The Saint), an intense political drama favored to win the Golden Mask for best film, which deals with the moral contradictions of power with intensity.

Among the most anticipated protagonists on the red carpet and competing for individual awards we find Giordano Valmieri, nominated for best actor for his deep and tormented interpretation in "Il Santo", a role that many have already compared to the great interpreters of the past. Next to him, for the best actress award, Caterina Moreschi shines, protagonist of "Il tempo delle viole" (The time of violets), a family drama set in the rural countryside of Alaria that thrilled audiences and critics and won the last edition of the Festival.

The revelation categories of the year are perhaps the most symbolic of this new phase: among the male revelations, Leonardo Feranti stands out, a young promise coming from the Caleon School, who surprised everyone with his intense performance in "Notte su Sira" (Night over Sira). For the female revelations, the spotlight is on Giulia De Lorenzi, 21 years-old from Burìa, protagonist last year of the delicate film "Camera vista mare" (seaview room) and protagonist of "Coinquilini per caso", defined as a promise with the gaze of the great stars of the past.

The outlook is encouraging: Istalian directors, actors and producers are now looking ambitiously to the international scene. There are increasing requests for the reorganization of the Romula International Film Festival, once a flagship of global cinema, the final stage of the International Motion Picture Academy's Film Year, on a par with the Kaizhu, Rittersheim, Kaliburg and Valois festivals, the most prestigious globally.

Istalian cinema has not yet returned to its peak, but it has stopped surviving and has begun to live, tell stories, and excite. And Villaneddìa, with its streets, its theaters and its golden masks, is once again the stage for the Istalian cultural rebirth, the capital of the country's rediscovered cinematic dream.