In the Hills Above Roma: I Castelli Animati
16 12 2008 |
| Genzano di Roma from across the lake. All images courtesy of Heather Kenyon. |
What is it about Italians? Give any of them a microphone and invite them to speak and they immediately turn into the best public speakers known to man. Joking, calling out to the audience, laughing, and then delivering interesting insight and banter. This is I Castelli Animati. Led by unfazable festival director, Luca Raffaelli, the festival bounced along for four days, from November 26 – 30, 2008 in Genzano di Roma, a little hill town north of Rome located around sparkling blue lakes.
Luca has created an usual way of presenting films in that, as usual, there are several categories of films. However, the categories are broken up into screenings of just 15 – 30 minutes. So one will see three student films, then a few films from the prestigious international competition, then a few more from the Italian or international showcase and then a retrospective will take place and then next a special guest will have a word, and then suddenly student films will appear again! And each spoonful of screenings is introduced by Luca who does an impromptu interview with whomever is in the audience with a relationship to the films. If – and admit it, we’ve all done it – if snoozing at festivals is a habit of yours, it won’t be at I Castelli. Lights come up, lights go down, films come on, people charge up to the front of the audience for quick interviews, people shout out, children come and go and so on and so on. But…the presentation isn’t chaotic or irritating or disrespectful to the films. Rather it is lovely, endearing and charming. “I liked the festival as the films were presented like in a theatre show,” says juror Gerben Schermer, festival director of Holland’s HAFF. “This way of presentation creates an intimate relationship with the audience. And, of course, no screening can begin without Luca yelling out, ‘Bonna visione!’” He must collapse of exhaustion after helming four days of screenings – most lasting over 12 hours a day – with such exuberance, but such is the gentle charisma of Luca and of I Castelli.
Categories : Festivals, I Castelli Animati
