7th edition of the Biennale College – Cinema

La Biennale di Venezia announces the presentation of the 12 projects that participated in the first workshop of the 7^th Biennale College – Cinema (2018/2019) in Venice from the 6^th to the 15^th of October 2018. The event, which took place on Monday October 15^th 2018 in Venice at the Biennale headquarters at Ca' Giustinian, was introduced by President Paolo Baratta and the Director of the Cinema Department Alberto Barbera.

Biennale College – Cinema
This is the programme by La Biennale di Venezia that cultivate young talents by offering them the opportunity to work side by side with the masters, to make feature-length micro-budget films. The Biennale College is an innovative and complex experience that engages every Department of La Biennale di Venezia.

The international Calls  of the 7^th edition
Of the 12 projects, 9 have been selected from the Biennale College Cinema – International call, and 3 from the Call of Biennale College Cinema – Italia. The Call for the latter was launched on February 20^th, the international call on May 8^th. A total of 190 applications were submitted. Overall, in the course of the 7 editions of the Biennale College – Cinema, 1.640 applications have been received from every corner of the world.

The first workshop of the 7^th edition
The 12 teams that submitted the selected projects (consisting of a director and a producer), from Bolivia, Chile, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the United States, participated in a preliminary workshop that was held in Venice from the 6^th to the 15^th of October 2018.

Presentation of the 12 projects of the 7^th edition
In a working session from at 3 pm to 6 pm on Monday October 15^th, the 12 teams will present their projects, offering a brief description of various aspects involved in the creation of their stories, their personal careers, their special influences and their vision of cinema.

Selection of 3 projects to make three feature-length films
Following this presentation, 3 teams only will be invited to attend two additional workshops, also to be held in Venice, from December 3^rd  through 6^th 2018 and from January 11^th through 15^th 2018, following which they will begin production on 3 feature-length films (debut or sophomore films) of which one will be Italian. The films will be low-cost, supported by a grant of 150 thousand euro, and will subsequently be presented at the 76^th Venice International Film Festival in 2019. The other 9 projects that are not selected will however be assisted and supervised.

• Hominarius - Federico Lagna (director, Italy) | Alice Drago (producer, Italy)
• Lucio is a werewolf: he lives like a voluntary prisoner with the innkeeper Pietro who tamed him. Everything changes when a prostitute named Aminah wants to hand Lucio a key.
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• False Positive - Kasia Plazinska (director, Poland) | Kamil Skalkowski​ (producer, Poland)
• The life of a successful professional David is shattered by small and large apocalypses. 
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• Marwell - Benjamin Bee (director, UK) | Maria Caruana Galizia (producer, UK)
• If you don't have any positive role models, sometimes you have to become your own…
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• This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection - Jeremiah Mosese (director, South Africa) | Cait Pansegrow and Bongiwe Selane (producers, South Africa)
• Amongst the pythonic mountains of land-locked Lesotho, an elderly widow winds up her earthly affairs and prepares to die. When her village is threated with forced resettlement, she finds a new will to live and in the final dramatic moments of her life, her legend is forged and made eternal.
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• Lessons of Love - Chiara Campara (director, Italy) | Tancredi Campello (producer, Italy) 
• Yuri is thirty years old and has never had a partner. He is the eldest son of the only cattle farmer left in a remote mountain village, and he has not resigned himself to his solitary life. In a short span of time, he will have to deal with new personal relationships and make some important decisions about his future, which he can no longer postpone.
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• Replaceable - Dániel Reich (director, Hungary) | Balázs Lóth (producer, Hungary)
• An anxious actor who shies away from human conflict has been working a special job: to play family members of strangers in faked, but joy-inducing life situations. After a baffling meeting with a woman from his past he decides to face his demons and start a new life.
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• The End of Love - Keren Ben Rafael (director, Israel) | Delphine Benroubi​ (producer, France)
• In the beginning, they made love even though they lived in different countries, but as time passed, their intimacy was killed. At the end, they fall in love for the first time.​    
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• Where Were We? - Tetsuya Tomina (director, Japan) | Mina Hatanaka (producer, Japan)
• Are we seen… or unseen by you?
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• The Properties of Metals - Antonio Bigini (director, Italy) | Claudio Giapponesi (producer, Italy)
• A small mountain village in 1970s Italy. Pietro, a child raised by his widower father, a surly man with money problems, begins to manifest mysterious powers: he can bend metal simply by touching it. A parapsychologist begins to study him.
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• The Naked Woman - Allie Avital (director, USA) | Meghan Doherty (producer, USA)
• After her father witnesses a mysterious crime during a family gathering, a young immigrant woman’s notion of masculinity is challenged.
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• Perros - Vinko Tomicic (director, Chile) | Alvaro Manzano (producer, Bolivia)
• Martin, a 14-year-old shoeshine boy from La Paz who has lived his entire life in the streets, begins to suspect that one of his best clients is his father, Mr. Novoa, a lonely tailor whose only emotional bond is his dog. Martin, anguished by this presentiment, devises a plan to kidnap the dog.
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• Those Who Whistle After Dark - Pinar Yorgancioglu (director, Turkey) | Sarah Seulki Oh (producer, South Korea)
• An encounter with a skeptical angel burdens recently retired Melih with an existential awakening. Can he and his family survive this curse together?

Teamwork, plenary classes, individual sessions and exchanges of ideas: this was the programme of the first workshop of the 7^th edition of the Biennale College - Cinema, which was held at San Servolo (Venice) from October 6^th through 15^th, curated by Alberto Barbera and the Team of the Biennale College – Cinema (Savina Neirotti, Head of Programme).

The 12 project teams worked closely with leading figures in international and Italian independent cinema. The goal was to discuss their projects and the experiences of low-budget filmmaking, meeting directly with the tutors and with the other teams.

Depending on their role, the tutors and consultants were given specific assignments and worked in different ways with the teams as a whole:

Group Leaders: Michele Turnure Salleo, Titus Kreyenberg, Scott Macaulay
Each of them coordinated the work of a group that included 4 different projects, working with the group as a whole, or directly with the individual teams assigned to them. Each group discussed the aspects of their own project in detail, making and receiving suggestions from the other teams, and putting together all the ideas that came up in the other sessions.

Producer Consultants: Amra Baksic Camo, Agustina Chiarino, Samm Haillay
The production issues for each project were discussed, taking advantage of each group’s capabilities and understandings to share experiences and best practices in micro-budget filmmaking.

Script Consultants: Eilon Ratzkovsky, Ossi Nishri, Francoise Von Roy
Each script consultant worked with 4 dedicated projects throughout the entire workshop and coached the teams in writing the step outline first and then the screenplay.

2 Experts: Paul Tyler and Alec Von Bargen
Both advisors concentrated on the visual aspects of the projects. Paul Tyler led an individual workshop with each team, the purpose of which was to build their projects as effectively as possible. Alec Von Bargen brought the participants his experience as an artist; he held individual sessions with each team, which helped them find the central visual theme for their project. 

Pitching Trainer: Stefano Tealdi
In group and plenary sessions, the teams were assisted in developing a public presentation of their project, learning to describe the core of the project.

Specifically, the workshop programme was divided into several different activities, in which the teams worked in groups or together:

- Group sessions: three groups in all, consisting in four projects each.

- Team sessions: with the assigned tutor; with each tutor individually and with the three tutors together; 

- Case studies and lectures: plenary sessions for all participants.

- Individual meetings with the tutor of a different group: each team was given the possibility of getting feedback from tutors assigned to a different group.

- Writing: opportunity for individual work or discussion within each single team.

The Biennale College – Cinema, organized by La Biennale di Venezia, enjoys the support of the Ministry for the Cultural Heritage and Activities – General Direction Cinema. It is sponsored by the Università Telematica Pegaso. Condé Nast sustains the project. Biennale College – Cinema relies on the academic collaboration with IFP in New York and the TorinoFilmLab. The Director is Alberto Barbera, Head of Programme is Savina Neirotti.

So far 19 feature-length films have been made during the first (2012/2013), second (2013/2014), third (2014/2015), fourth (2015/2016) and fifth (2016/17) and sixth (2017-18) editions of the Biennale College – Cinema, and screened as world premieres respectively at the 70^th Venice International Film Festival 2013, at the 71^st Venice International Film Festival 2014, at the 72^ndVenice International Film Festival 2015, at the 73^rd Venice International Film Festival 2016, at the 74^th Venice International Film Festival, at the 75^th Venice International Film Festival and later at other festivals, winning many awards and receiving excellent critical reviews.

• The three films from the 1^st edition of the Biennale College – Cinema (2012-2013):

1. Memphis (USA) by Tim Sutton (director), produced by John Baker, participated in the Sundance Film Festival, the NEXT <=> competition, the Miami Film Festival, the Irish Film Institute, the Wisconsin Film Festival, the Sarasota Film Festival and the Sundance-London Film and Music Festival. In the USA, it was distributed in theatres in the summer of 2014 by Kino Lorber, in VOD for Vimeo one month after it was released, and was shown on cable TV on the AMC/Sundance Channel Global.
2. Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy (Thailand) by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (director), produced by Aditya Assarat , participated in the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, winning the Netpac Competition for Best Asian Film; the Busan International Film Festival, the Festival Internacional de Cine Valdivia, the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Torino Film Festival, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Pan-Asia Film Festival, the Italian Film Festival - Special Venice Edition (Asian Showcase) in Singapore, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, the San Francisco International Film Festival. It also won 4 Thailand National Film Awards (out of 10): Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing; and 3 Bangkok Critics Assembly Awards (out of 9): Best Actress, Best Editing, Best Art Direction; it won 5 Kom Chad Luek Award nominations: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress. It was released in theatres in Thailand on November 28^th 2013, and in England and Ireland in the fall of 2014 (distributed by day-for-night).
3. Yuri Esposito (Italy) by Alessio Fava (director), produced by Max Chicco, participated in the Stockholm International Film Festival and the Torino Film Festival, garnering excellent reviews.

• The three films from the 2^nd edition of the Biennale College – Cinema (2013-2014):

1. Blood Cells by Joseph Bull (director, Great Britain), Luke Seomore (director, Great Britain), Samm Haillay (producer, Great Britain), Ben Young (producer, Great Britain), participated in the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2015. It was released in theatres in England and in Canada, and on many VOD platforms all over the world, including the United States and Italy.
2. H. by Rania Attieh (director, Lebanon), Daniel Garcia (director, USA), Shruti Rya Ganguly (producer, India), Pierce Varous (producer, USA), won the Kiehl’s Someone to Watch Award at the Independent Spirit Awards 2015. It participated in the Sundance Film Festival 2015 in the NEXT <=> competition. It also participated in the Berlin Film Festival 2015 in the Forum section. It won the Guanajuato Film Festival 2015. It was presented in other festivals such as the International Istanbul Film Festival, the Sarasota Film Festival, the Independent Film Festival of Boston, the Nashville Film Festival, the Jeonju International Film Festival, the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Little Rock Film Festival. It was screened at the MoMA and distributed in theatres in New York in April 2016.
3. Short Skin by Duccio Chiarini (director, Italy), Babak Jalali (producer, Iran/Great Britain), participated in the Generation 14plus competition of the Berlinale Generation section at the Berlin Film Festival 2015, and won the Ciak d’oro 2015 for Best Debut Film. It was released in Italian movie theatres on April 23^rd, 2015 by Good Films, confirming the critical acclaim it had received at the festivals. It also participated in the Istanbul Film Festival, the Stockholm International Film Festival, and won the Festival Il Cinema Italiano Visto da Milano. It was released in theatres in NYC in October for Breaking Glass Pictures. It may be found in DVD for CG Entertainment.

• The 3 films from the 3^rd edition of the Biennale College – Cinema (2014/15) were presented at the 72^nd Venice International Film Festival 2015 (2 – 12 September):

1. Baby Bump by Kuba Czekaj (director, Poland), Magdalena Kaminska (producer, Poland), was released in theatres in Poland on June 3^rd 2016. At the Venice Film Festival in 2015 it won a Special Mention of the Queer Lion Award. Other acknowledgments around the world include a Special Mention at the Gdynia Film Festival, the Journalists' Award and Best Director award at the Youth and Cinema Festival, a Special mention at the Sopot Film Festival, and the Programming Award for Artistic Achievement at the OUTFEST in Los Angeles.
2. Blanka by Kohki Hasei (director, Japan), Flaminio Zadra (producer, Italy) won the Lanterna Magica Award and the Sorriso Diverso Venezia 2015 award at the Venice International Film Festival 2015. It has many other acknowledgments including the Netpac Award at the Kolkata International Film Festival 2015, and has participated in many festivals around the world including Göteborg, Küstendorf, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, and Busan. It has been distributed in France, Spain and Switzerland.
3. The Fits by Anna Rose Holmer (director, Usa), Lisa Kjerulff (producer, Usa) won enthusiastic reviews at the Venice International Film Festival 2015 from “The Hollywood Reporter” (“a rough-diamond discovery”) and “Cahiers du Cinéma” (“the most exciting debut film of the festival”). It participated in Sundance 2016, in New Directors/New Films in NYC, and in more than 30 festivals around the world including Sarasota, Karlovy Vary and the Deauville Film Festival 2016 (in competition). It was released in theatres in the United States by Oscilloscope Laboratories on June 3rd 2016, where it achieved the second highest average per theatre on the first weekend. It is available in DVD and Blu-ray in the United States. It was sold for cable TV in much of the world, and was released in theatres in France in early 2017. Anna Rose Holmer was listed as one of the '25 New Faces of Independent Cinema' by Filmmaker Magazine in 2015.

• The 4 films of the 4^th edition of the Biennale College – Cinema (2015/16) were presented at the 73^rd Venice International Film Festival 2016 (31 August - 10 September):

1. Una Hermana – One Sister by Verena Kuri (director and producer, Argentina), Sofia Brockenshire (director and producer, Argentina).
2. Mukti Bhawan – Hotel Salvation by Shubhashish Bhutiani (director, India), Sanjay Bhutiani (producer, India) received a 10-minute standing ovation and won the XXIII Prix "Enrico Fulchignoni" awarded by the UNESCO jury.
3. Orecchie by Alessandro Aronadio (director, Italy), Costanza Coldagelli (producer, Italy), won three collateral awards at the 2016 Venice International Film Festival: the Premio ARCA CinemaGiovani for Best Italian; the Menzione Fedic - Il Giornale del Cibo for the best film dealing with food; the Premio Nuova Imaie to Daniele Parisi as best acting debut of the Venice Film Festival.
4. La Soledad by Jorge Thielen Armand (director, Venezuela), Adriana Herrera (producer, Venezuela), Rodrigo Michelangeli (producer, Venezuela), Manon Ardisson (producer, Venezuela).

• The 3 films of the 5^th edition of the Biennale College – Cinema (2016/17) were presented at the 74^th Venice International Film Festival 2017 (30 August – 9 September):

1. Beautiful Things (Italy) – Giorgio Ferrero (director), Federico Biasin (producer) – debut film. At the 2017 Venice Film Festival it won the Premio Arca CinemaGiovani for best Italian film. In 2018 it won first prize in the NEXT:WAVE section dedicated to rising directors at the CPH:DOX in Copenhagen.
2. Strange Colours (Australia) – Alena Lodkina (director), Kate Laurie, Isaac Wall (producers) – debut film
3. Martyr  (Lebanon) – Mazen Khaled (director), Diala Kachmar (producer) – sophomore film.

• The 3 films of the 6^th edition of the Biennale College – Cinema (2017/18) were presented at the 75^th Venice International Film Festival 2018 (29 August – 8 September):

1. Deva - Petra Szöcs (director, Hungary) | Péter Fülöp (producer, Hungary) | Gergő Nagy (co-writer, Hungary) – debut film
2. Zen sul ghiaccio sottile - Margherita Ferri (director, Italy) | Chiara Galloni (producer, Italy) –  debut film
3. Yuva - Emre Yeksan (director, Turkey) | Anna Maria Aslanoglu (producer, Turkey) – sophomore film.