Text and photos courtesy of Philippine Italian Association
This year, the Moviemov Italian Film Festival also pays tribute to Pinocchio, features a social segment and includes for the first time a section on the Industry.
The 10th edition takes place online from February 1 to 6, 2021 bringing once more the Italian cinema to the Philippines. This edition welcomes the actress, Sara Serraiocco as guest of honor.
Following the great success of the past editions in Bangkok, Manila and Hanoi, Moviemov Italian Film Festival returns to the Philippines with its tenth edition: the festival will take place from February 1 to 6, 2021 in an out-and-out virtual movie house, thanks to the participation of My Movies, bringing once more the best of the new Italian cinema to the Philippines. The Guest of Honor of this 10th edition will be the actress, Sara Serraiocco, one of the new international faces of the Italian cinema.
“Given the measures taken to contain the spread of the pandemic in Asia”, the two artistic directors Fabia Bettini and Gianluca Giannelli announced, “we decided to confirm the tenth edition of Moviemov Italian Film Festival Manila making it accessible online, as we are convinced that more than ever, it’s important to restart through culture and cinema.”
“I’m honored to be the guest of honor of Moviemov, a festival that gives visibility to Italian movies in the Philippines”, declared Sara Serraiocco. “Especially in this difficult time for cinema, with the movie houses still closed”.
Produced and organized by the cultural association Playtownroma and directed by Fabia Bettini and Gianluca Giannelli, Moviemov Italian Film Festival is a nomadic festival created in 2010 thanks to the support of the Directorate general for Cinema of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and activities and on the request of the Italian Embassies in Bangkok, Manila and Hanoi, with the support of public institutions and other partners in Italy and abroad.
The main purpose of the festival is to create a platform for the contemporary Italian Cinema abroad, particularly in the South East Asia, a region that represents a more and more interesting destination, from the cultural and commercial points of view.
This year, for the first time, Moviemov Italian Cinema Philippines will be organized in three different parts: Moviemov Showcase, with eight movies and a tribute to Pinocchio, on the occasion of its 140th anniversary; Moviemov Industry; and a Social Segment, with the screenings of the short movie Princess by Silvia Luzi and Luca Bellino.
The festival is organized in the Philippines with the support of the Italian Embassy, the collaboration of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Philippine Italian Association, Ateneo de Naga, Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan, De La Salle University Bacolod (Institute of the Moving Image), De La Salle University Manila, College of Saint Benilde School of Arts and Design, University of the Philippines Diliman Film Institute and the endorsement of the media partners like CNN Philippines, ANC, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Business and News.
Moviemov showcase
This year’s showcase presents the following titles:
Moviemov Industry
An online business section with dedicated screenings and meetings will be organized with the purpose of promoting audiovisual products through dedicated screenings for buyers, panel discussions and online meetings, among others. A virtual fair experience, supported by a digital and secure tool for international relations activities, which allows us to provide to Italian and Filipino professionals an opportunity to be visible, to explore co-productions, funding and distribution of the most interesting and recent audiovisual products.
The Industry section is made possible thanks to the support of Ass.For.SEO, the funding by Regione Lazio and MOVIE UP 2020 and will be organized in collaboration with the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
Special Social Segment
A social segment, on the other hand, will represent a bridge of dialogue between Italy and the Philippines, a spotlight on realities that are often hidden but can emerge thanks to the power of images. For this edition, Moviemov will shed a light on the terrible fire that destroyed the homes of a Filipino community in Rome last August. The short film, Princess, directed by Silvia Luzi and Luca Bellino, tells of a silent community that lives on the edge of the river, in the center of Rome: men and women whose existence is ignored. As in an Italian Parasite, the protagonists of the short film are invisible to the city, and while the adults try to save what is left of their lives, three little girls imagine that to have a new home, it is enough to make a wish. A short film that has the great ambition of erasing the distance and put in contact worlds that are only seemingly disconnected.
Volevo Nascondermi, directed by Giorgio Diritti and starring Elio Germano, is the winning film of the 10th edition of Moviemov Italian Film Festival which took place from February 1 to 6, in collaboration with My Movies, and celebrated great Italian Art Cinema in the Philippines, reaching 4,900 viewers including movie screenings and talks, as well as 96,000 contacts.
“I’m happy to receive the news of this recognition by Moviemov Italian Film Festival”, said film-maker, Giorgio Diritti. “I’m very happy that the life of this particular artist and the sentiment of his art have reached the Philippines. I can imagine a very happy Ligabue, smiling, riding his bike in discovering that far-away Country, from island to island, looking for new animals to paint and perhaps meeting some artist like him, not very well known, but so confident of his own worth to be able to overcome any humiliation, hardship, loneliness. I’m thankful for this award that I share with all those that made this adventure possible, Elio above all, but also my technical and artistic team as well as Palomar that believed in this project”.
“Another prestigious recognition, that follows the Silver Bear in Berlin, to a movie I strongly wanted and to which I’m very attached”, said Carlo Degli Esposti from Palomar. “Despite the plague of the Covid, the poetry in the direction by Giorgio Diritti and the powerful interpretation by Elio Germano brought the right recognition to the art and the imaginary madness of Antonio Ligabue”.
This year, Moviemov Italian Film Festival also hosted many Encounters online with actors and filmmakers that presented the films in the Showcase: Non Odiare (Thou Shalt Not Hate), Volevo Nascondermi (Hidden Away), I Predatori (The Predators), Palazzo di Giustizia (Ordinary Justice), Padrenostro, Punta Sacra, Pinocchio e Il mio Corpo. Among the guests that took part in this year’s festival are film-makers Claudio Noce, Mauro Mancini, Chiara Bellosi, Francesca Mazzoleni, Michele Pennetta, actors Rocco Papaleo, Maurizio Lombardi, Daphne Scoccia, Giovanni Anzaldo, Paola Lavini, screenwriter Tania Pedroni, set designer Paki Meduri, and costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini.
Filmmakers Silvia Luzi e Luca Bellino presented their short-film Princess that tells of about the terrible fire of last August that razed the homes of a Filipino community in Rome.
Moviemov Italian Film Festival included a tribute to Pinocchio as well, in occasion of the 140 year anniversary of the first appearance of the character in a sequel released on the weekly “Giornale per i bambini” (Children’s newspaper), screening some movies dedicated to the beloved wooden puppet, including the animation Pinocchio (2012) by Enzo D’Alò; Le avventure di Pinocchio by Luigi Comencini; the TV mini-series Pinocchio (2009) by Alberto Sironi; and Pinocchio (2002) directed by and starring Roberto Benigni. The tribute, culminating with a masterclass conducted by writer Marco Franzoso, was a journey between literature and cinema and was made possible thanks to the support of the Embassy of Italy in the Philippines and the collaboration with the Philippine Italian Association and Ateneo de Naga University Press.
MOVIEMOV INDUSTRY
For the first time the festival hosted an online part dedicated to business: the objective was the promotion of audiovisual products through screenings targeting buyers, panel discussions and meetings online.
“We are very happy about this year participation, not only of the audience but of institutions and the industry”, said the artistic directors Fabia Bettini and Gianluca Giannelli. “Moviemov, year after year, has become a platform to share and allow the discovery of Italian cinema not only by the audience but also by the industry”.
The Industry section was made possible thanks to the help of Ass.For.SEO, the Global Subsidy MOVIE UP 2020, aiming to strengthen the skill of professionals for the promotion of the internationalization and the innovation in the audiovisual sector, and founded by the Regione Lazio – Assessorato Formazione, Ricerca, Scuola, Università e Turismo, POR FSE 2014-2020. The industry section was made possible also thanks to the essential support of the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
MOVIEMOV ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Produced and organized by Playtownroma, directed by Fabia Bettini and Gianluca Giannelli, Moviemov Italian Film Festival is a nomadic festival created in 2010 thanks to the support of the Directorate general for Cinema of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and upon request of the Italian Embassies in Bangkok, Manila and Hanoi, with the support of public institutions and other partners in Italy and abroad. The main purpose of the festival is to create a platform for contemporary Italian Cinema abroad, particularly in South East Asia, a region that represents an increasingly more interesting destination, from the cultural and business point of view.
This year festival in the Philippines, was organized with the support of the following local partners: Embassy of Italy in Manila, Philippine Italian Association, Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines; the universities: Ateneo de Naga, Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan, De la Salle University in Bacolod (Institute of the Moving Image), University of the Philippines Diliman (Film Institute), De la Salle University in Manila, College of Saint Benilde (School of Arts and Design); the media partners: ANC, CNN Philippines, The Philippine Business and News, The Inquirer.
