Resfest arriva
quest’anno a Torino al culmine di una stagione estremamente ricca sia di
appuntamenti cinematografici che di manifestazioni culturali in generale.
Il Festival ritorna nella città che l’anno scorso ha ospitato la sua
prima tappa italiana, confermando una naturale sintonia con Torino:
infatti, il carattere innovativo di Resfest, il suo ruolo di talent
scout, la sua capacità di scoprire nuove tendenze, di presentare
tecnologie all’avanguardia, di ipotizzare quale potrebbe essere il
cinema di domani si sposano bene con la vocazione sperimentale, spesso
pionieristica, che ha fatto e fa di Torino e del Piemonte una città e
una regione “laboratorio” per antonomasia.
Non a caso Resfest è stato,
nel frattempo, scoperto anche da altre città italiane, a conferma,
ancora una volta, della bontà di un’intuizione nata sotto la Mole: una
circostanza che costituisce, in realtà, un elemento di forza, e dimostra
che il “sistema cinema” a Torino è già, di fatto, una realtà vitale e
operativa, in grado di accogliere iniziative nuove, originali,
appetibili e di inserirle all’interno di un patrimonio di realtà e
tradizioni sedimentate. Le numerose manifestazioni e istituzioni che nel
tempo hanno reso Torino e il Piemonte terre di cinema, la loro vivace
proliferazione nel corso degli anni, sono, anche storicamente, forse il
segno più spettacolare e immediato di un’inventiva e di una capacità
costante di rinnovarsi su cui la città e la regione possono, con
legittima fiducia e ottimismo, continuare a contare.
Gianni Oliva
Assessore alla cultura e alle politiche giovanili
Welcome Back
Resfest!
Resfest is a festival that is
very different from all the others. It is not located in one place, but
instead its strength lies in the fact that it is a travelling show,
going on tour to more than 40 cities in the world. In this way it
reaches fundamental centers of avant-guard culture from the Egyptian
Theater in Hollywood to the seat of the American Cinemathieque, from the
Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago to the Nanyang Academy of Fine
Arts in Singapore, from the Laforet Museum in Tokyo to the National Film
Institute in Dublin and the National Film Theater in London. Resfest
offers its selected filmmakers to meet an enormous and passionate public
without having to jump through the hoops of marketing. Those who are
chosen go directly from their computers to an extraordinary
international audience. It is exactly for this reason that the number of
works that are proposed for the selection process at Resfest grows every
year (this year there was a record 2200 titles), and requires a
selection of absolute excellence both for technical innovation and for
expressive quality. Resfest has a twofold assignment of bringing to its
spectators the best of the avant-guard, that would otherwise be quite
difficult to track down and also the festival functions as a talent
scout. Many of the authors have had an international launching as a
result of Resfest. Over time the festival has made itself respected
throughout the world as a pioneer in the artistic and technological
fields, becoming the standard-bearer in a movement of avant-guarde in
which to meet and confront diverse arts.
Resfest turns 10 this year and makes its second appearance in Italy. We
are proud that Turin became the first Italian city last year to be
included on the tour. We are delighted that Torino has been reconfirmed
this year again! We would like to take this opportunity to thank Regione
Piemonte and Compagnia di San Paolo for their generous support. In every
city, in fact, the local organization gives the festival a personal
character, integrating the screening program with special events. In the
Turin edition there are numerous happenings including a selection of
works made by new animation talents arriving from all over the world and
a survey of rising Italian directors to be seen in the Visual Muzik
program produced by Marco Mancuso for Dissonanze 2006. In Turin the
richness of the innovative culture of the city is underlined with the
parties and live shows (Stylophonic, Luis Nieto, LUOMO and dj Fabrizio
Vespa) that will take place in various well known clubs (AB+, The Beach
and Hiroshima Mon Amour). In addition there will be meetings with
directors (from the English duo Bert & Bertie to the Mexican Ramos and
the French Janoud and Roisin) and with technical and production
professionals (California's Motion Theory, England's The-Mill and Italy
's FastForward). It is important to note that in Turin the Resfest is
organized by the Virtuality Conference, the most important Italian
meeting for digital images, a conference where specialists have the
occaision to listen to and meet the foremost experts in the world of
film technology. In fact there will be the opportunity for the public to
meet some of the authors who don't just parade their works along a
catwalk, but who will discuss their work, the creative techniques and
the behind the scenes. One finds, therefore a unique mix in Resfest
between an international environment that projects Turin into the
circuit of large avant-guard cities, a program of over 200 screenings,
numerous meetings and presentations with the protagonists along with a
particular atmosphere: the climate of a global village party in which
from Brazil to Korea passing through Paris and Berlin, one meets, one
talks and one has fun with those who believe in the vitality of
creatioin through consistently new sounds and images. It's one big
digital bash and in the end we are all proud that it takes place in
Turin.
Maria Elena Gutierrez, Associate
Professor, State University of New York, Buffalo
Producer Resfest/10 Turin
Director Virtuality Conference
