The selection panel of the third edition is composed by Enrico Vanzina, Elena Sofia Ricci, Francesco Bruni, Irene Ferri, Enrico Lucidi, Stefano De Sando and Fabien Pruvot
The selection panel of the third edition is composed by Enrico Vanzina, Elena Sofia Ricci, Francesco Bruni,
Irene Ferri, Enrico Lucidi, Stefano De Sando and Fabien Pruvot
“Aqua Film Festival”, third edition in Rome
The film festival dedicated to WATER will take place from June 7 to the 9 at the Caravaggio cinema and the Cinema Hou
– The Italian premiere of the animated film Big Fish & Begonia will open the festival –
Rome, May 22 – From Thursday, June 7 to Saturday, June 9 the third edition of Aqua Film Festival, the first international film festival, with meetings and workshops, focused on the theme of water, created and directed by Eleonora Vallone, actress, journalist and water sports expert, will take place in Rome, at the Caravaggio cinema and the Cinema House.
“The programme of the event, as well as the films in competition, meetings and workshops, dedicated to the theme “cinema and the water”, are willing to explore not only the imaginative influence of water, but also its deep relationship with human beings. As Vallone explains – images are more effective than words, and through the language of cinema we are able to raise public awareness on current social and environmental issues”.
The programme of the third edition presents, as usual, the international short film and mini short film competition, and includes meetings on the theme of water with Giovanni Spagnoletti, professor at the University of Tor Vergata, and criminologist Ruben Sharif De Luca, as well as workshops on the use of smartphone to produce films and video curricula. During the festival three full-length films will be screened: the Italian premiere of Big Fish & Begonia, by Liang Xuan and Zhang Chun, animated film about the extraordinary friendship between humans and creatures from underwater world (June 7 ); L’effet aquatique, by Solveig Anspach, about a love story between a foreign national and his swimming teacher (June 7), and the award-winning documentary Thank you for the rain, by Julia Dhar, about the incredible story of a Kenyan farmer who was able to mobilise the United Nations, demanding action for global warming effects (June 8).
Players of the festival are two international short film competitions: one for short films up to 25 minutes and one for mini short films up to 3 minutes, inspired by the theme of water. Films in competition have been selected among about 250 works, coming from 30 countries all over the world. More than 100 works came from Europe (Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, England, Slovenia, Slovakia, Greece and Russia). Finally, among this year’s innovation is the Aqua & Students section, dedicated to young people.
Short films in competition will be screened on Thursday, June 7 (from 3:00 pm) and Friday 8 (from 2:30 pm) at the Caravaggio Cinema (via Paisiello, 24), and the winners will be announced on Saturday June 9 at the House of Cinema (Largo Marcello Mastroianni, 1), in Rome.
The selection panel, composed by the screenwriter and producer Enrico Vanzina, actresses Elena Sofia Ricci and Irene Ferri, screenwriter and film director Francesco Bruni, director of photography Enrico Lucidi, actor and voice actor Stefano De Sando, film director and University professor Fabien Pruvot, will award the “Sister Water” prizes to the best short film and the best mini short film. The prize is offered by the Italian Cinema Experimental Centre.
Thursday, June 7
The first day of the festival will start at 9:00 am, at the Caravaggio Cinema (via Paisiello, 24), with the workshop entitled “The use of smartphone as professional tool for video shot” held by Andrea Cilento, Matteo Santi, Marco Ballerini, Mara Gugel and Damiano Miotto, from the production company and communication agency The Kingdom. During the lab (lasting 8 hours, divided in two days) the basic principles of shooting techniques, and their application to the common use of smartphone, will be explored.
At 3:00 pm the film programme will be officially inaugurated, with the screening of international short films in competition: Uma Kori by Patricia Albornoz (documentary, Bolivia); La prima figlia by Vladimir Di Prima (documentary, Italy); Je ne veux pas mourir by Massimo Loi and Gianluca Mangiasciutti; Drowning by Pedro Harres (animated film; Germany/Brasil); La fiebre del Oro by Raúl De La Fuente (documentary, Spain). The competition screening will take place until 6:00 pm, with Agua de Rìo by Luciano Nacci and Franco Tarantino (documentary; Argentina); Uomini e canali by Salvo Manzone (documentary, France); Agueseca by Jaime García Parra (fiction, Spain); Il leone del Tevere by Giuliano Cipollone (documentary, Italy) and Exhalaciòn by Al Díaz (experimental/fiction; Spain).
From 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm a cinema lesson by Giovanni Spagnoletti, professor at the Univeristy of Tor Vergata, on the theme “The fantastic element of water in the cinema” will take place. Starting from recent successes, like the Oscar winning film “The Shape of Water” by Guillermo del Toro, the class will highlight some of the many relationships between water and the cinema, from the historic, content, as well as theoretical points of view. A long and stormy story.
At 7:30 pm the first Italian premiere of the animated full-length film Big Fish & Begonia, by Liang Xuan and Zhang Chun (animated film, China, 2017, Draka Distribution). The film, that will be released in Italy in June by Draka Distribution, is set in a parallel world where the sky and the oceans are inverted, and humans are big fishes. Among them, the young woman Chun is in charge of growing begonias. On the day Chun turns sixteen, she is transformed into a dolphin to explore the human world.
At 10:00 pm the programme continues with the screening of L’effet aquatique by Solveig Anspach (France, Island, 2016, Cinema), about the love affair between Samir, introvert and clumsy, and Agathe, swimming instructor. To seduce her, he registers to her course, pretending he doesn’t know how to swim.
Friday, June 8
The second day will start at 9:00 am with the video making workshop (until 1:00 pm), followed at 2:30 pm by the screening of the winning short films in the section Aqua & Students, at the Cinema Caravaggio. Afterwards, at 3:30 pm, the second part of the international short film competition will be introduced, with the screening of: Negra Soy by Laura Bermúdez (documentary, Honduras); Acquasanta by Mauro Maugeri (documentary, Italy); Grands Vents by Nicolas Bellaiche (fiction, France); Rios – El Naya by Elder Manuel Tobar Panchoaga (animated film/documentary, Colombia). The programme continues with Mon Pére le poisson by Britta Potthoff and Adrien Pavie (fiction, France); Seneye by Hasan Gunduz (fiction; Turkey); Kozmak by Alireza Salmanpour (fiction, Iran); Salir del agua by Isabel Casanova (fiction, Spain) and Serenissima Brescia by Nicola Lucini (documentary, Italy).
At 6:00 the mini short films of the official competition will be the key players, with the screening of We are (Water) by Giovanna Senatore (animated film, Italy); Suspicious Reflection by Paolo Conti (animated film, Italy); Er nasone by Claudio Fratticci (documentary, Italy); Sea di Sabrina Zerkowitz (animated film, Spain); Elemento by Nina Paola Marin Diaz (fiction, Colombia); Pianosa – Prison Island by Letizia Lianza (documentary, Italy); Chao Pescao by Andrés Forero Serna (animated film, Colombia).
From 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, a panel discussion will follow, held by the criminologist and writer Ruben Sharif De Luca, and entitled Yellow & Black Water: the shape of water in detective stories. After a short introduction on the psychological meanings of water, Sharif De Luca will embark on a journey in the history of the “seventh art”, to explore the thousand shapes of water in detective and crime stories, including a detailed analysis of Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpieces. An original and fascinating journey within the mysteries of water. An unmissable event for all cinema enthusiasts.
At 9:00 pm the documentary Thank you for the rain by Julia Dhar (Norway/United Kingdom, 2017) will be presented prime time. Kisilu, a Kenyan small farmer, starts filming his family to tell the story about how climate change affected their lives. When his house is destroyed in a storm, he starts a local movement that takes his message to the United Nations and the Paris climate conference COP21. A warm and moving story about a hero of present times.
Saturday, June 9
The last day will take place at the Deluxe Room of the House of Cinema. From 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm a workshop on the theme “self-taping with smart tools, dedicated to actors and aspiring actors”, also addressed to people willing to produce high quality “video-curricula” , will be carried out by Marco Ballerini and the actress, film director and acting teacher Jennifer Norton. At the end of workshop, attendance certificates will be issued.
At 8:30 pm the award ceremony will take place: the jury will announce the winners of the two “SISTER WATER” prizes for the best short film and the best mini short film. “WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT” Special Mentions, awarded by Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, will be conferred by Maurizio Codurri, President of the Italian Association of Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Among “WATER & THE ISLAND” prizes, conferred by ANCIM – National Association of Small Islands: “AQUA & ANIMATION”, a new feature this year, will be awarded to the best animated short film or mini short film, and “AQUA & FILM ComingSoon”, special mention to the best film director (the winning short film will be streamed from the website www.comingsoon.it). The Jury will moreover award the mention “AQUA STUDENTS NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL” to the best short films of the section dedicated to schools. The two prizes will be conferred by the company ACQUA SMART srl, “devoted to spread the culture and value of water, by supporting cultural and social initiatives, aimed at raising awareness on this resource, and at promoting a responsible use for sustainable development”.
Prizes and mentions will be created by the jewel stylist Marina Corazziari, who designed turquoise sculptures, and created for Aqua Film Festival a special gift for all guests and participants, a drop made of stone and silver. Artistic photos representing the connection between her jewels and the sea will be exhibited at the cinema Caravaggio and Michelangelo Gioielli atelier.
Aqua Film Festival is realised by the Association Universi Aqua.
Aqua Film festival has been supported, since the first edition, by Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Italian Association of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation onlus. The event is also supported by: Italian National Committee of Unesco, WWAP – World Water Assessment Programme, Italian Ministry of the Environment, Consulate of the Principality of Monaco in Florence, Ancim – National Association of Small Islands, C.O.N.I. – Italian Olympic Committee, Italian Cinema Experimental Centre, Acqua Smart srl, International University of Monaco, Schools of the Elba Island. Technical Sponsors: Aquaniene, Artemare, Michelangelo Gioielli and Marina Corazziari.
Media partner: Coming Soon (www.comingsoon.it). With 9.000.000 users and 25.000.000 page views per month, comingsoon.it is the favourite website of cinema fans. On comingsoon.it you can find everything on the entertainment world: cinema, TV films, digital videos, TV series, music, games and books. The festival also avails itself of Freetime Excellence media partnership.
Info on: www.aquafilmfestival.org – aff@aquafilmfestival.org
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