AsoloArtFilmFestival

31^ Edition

Asolo, 18-29 August 2012

“Over 40 competing films and 20 nations represented, 12 days of film screenings, awards, exhibitions, encounters, performances and video installations, will transform the beautiful town of Asolo into a great open-air stage. An outstanding section about Russia, in collaboration with Museo Civico of Asolo and Gipsoteca Antonio Canova of Possagno, will feature exhibitions and authors for their first time in Italy. Special screenings on Russian cinema in cooperation with the Foundation for Social and Cultural Initiatives of Mosca, the multimedia centre Lendok of St Petersburg and the Italian Institute of Culture of St Petersburg. Additionally, an exhibition dedicated to Francesco Conz, celebrating the 50-year anniversary of Fluxus which found a ‘shelter’ in Asolo. An installation in memory of Russian poet Josif Brodskij. An international music workshop held by Austrian violin-player Thomas Christian, performing various concerts in the local area. Last but not least, a tribute to Paraguayan cinema and a selection of animation films for children”.

The “Arts and Culture Award” will be dedicated to the memory of Francesco Conz, a prophet and advocate for Anti-Art movements like Fluxus, whose history is linked to Asolo.

The “Eleonora Duse Award” will be given to Olga Chagaoutdinova for her artistic research aimed to investigate cultural and iconographic aspects of Russian society, with an emphasis on the representation of the female role.

From the section Artists’ Biographies, dedicated to the historical reconstruction and critical interpretation of art and cinema protagonists, we will have the opportunity to appreciate “Painful Painting” in which Dutch director Catherine van Campen sheds a light on the extraordinary work of the painter Ronald Ophuis and on the strong relationship between art and reality which shines through his works: the artist indeed depicts the extreme violence of child-soldiers in Sierra Leone (Sunday 19^th August). Amongst all biographies, we would also like to recommend “Chez Frida Kahlo” by Xavier Villetard, a tribute to the famous Mexican female artist.

From the section Film on Architecture and Landscape -works dedicated to history, movements, protagonists, projects belonging to the architecture and town­planning field -we would like to mention “Piccola Terra” (Small Land) by directors Michele Trentini and Marco Romano, who came to Veneto, to Valstagna in the Canale del Brenta, to document new signs of hope. A documentary which succeeds in showing, through images taken from the past and attestations from the present, how such a harsh land can be today a reason of re-discovering (Saturday 18^th August).

Amongst Films on Design we cannot miss the short movie by Alessandro Bernard and Paolo Ceretto: “Program 101, when Olivetti created a PC”, a documentary about the unknown story of the invention of the first personal computer. The rise and descent of a group of Olivetti programmers that, unbeknown to the company, between Cold War and industrial espionage, managed to achieve the greatest invention of the XX century.

From the section Film on Video-art and Computer art -works which use informatic technologies as means of artistic expression -we will have the opportunity to watch the short film “Metachaos”, by the Italian film-maker Alessandro Bavari, a multidisciplinary project articulated in a short film, a photographic series and some mixed-technique paintings, aiming to represent the most tragic aspects of human genre and its inner movements, like war, madness, social changes and hate (Saturday 25^th August).

The section dedicated to Film Production Schools, which includes works produced by Advanced Cinema Institutes and Universities, hosts a selection of works of great quality such as “Zing”, a short movie made with computer animation by German school Filmakademie, quite remarkable for its impeccable technique and for its dark story narrated with unexpected sense of humour.

The festival will present a special evening with screenings dedicated to Paraguay, a selection of 3 films awarded internationally: “Karai Norte” by Marcelo Martinessi, based on the short novel “Arribeño del Norte” by Paraguyan writer Carlos Villagra Marsal; “Ahendu nde Sapucai” by Pablo Lamar, between identity and memory of Paraguay, pictured with admirable minimalism; “The Cinero” by Hugo Gammara which tells the story of the last travelling cinema of Paraguay (Sunday 26^th August). Amongst non-competing films, we should also mention the biography by Mirco Melanco about Giuseppe Taffarel, film director from Veneto who passed away in April this year and was granted a “Flavia Paulon” Career Award at the Asolo Film Festival in 2009 (Sunday 25^th August). Again: “Ritratti Veneti: Andrea Zanzotto” by Giovanna Pastega: one of the last interviews released by the famous poet from Treviso, recently passed away, which traces back all his personal and poetic life.

A special Russian cinema season, made possible thanks to the cooperation of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation, together with the Foundation for Social and Cultural Initiatives of Mosca, will feature numerous films amongst which: “The Reverse Side of Stalker” by Igor Majboroda, the tale of the dramatic life and working history of one the most legendary Russian director of photography, Georgij Ivanovic Rerberg (1937–1999). Like a detective story, Majboroda reconstructs the backstage of “Stalker”, the film by Andrej Tarkovskij, myth busting and humanizing his figure whilst at the same time revealing another unexpected truth (from 23^rd to 27^th August, starting from 6.00pm).

Additionally, on Sunday 26^th of August at 10.00am, we are pleased to present the initiative in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture of St Petersburg and the Multimedia Institute “Lendok” of St Petersburg, featuring a selection of documentary and historical videos by Russian production such as “Two Highways” by Alexander Markov and Nick Teplov, a film on the artist’s life or as per the director’s words: “a collaboration with the artist himself: an attempt to transfer his art (the spirit of his art I’d say) to a new medium, an attempt to visually render the future projects of the artist”.

Finally, at the Teatro Eleonora Duse (26^th August, starting from 5.00pm) there will be a show for children and their families with a special selection of animation films.

OUTSIDE THE FESTIVAL (IL FESTIVAL FUORI)

As usual, this year Festival will be joined by exhibitions and events ‘outside’ the movie theatre which will involve different spaces in Asolo, making the town a widespread stage. For the first time the festival will include the prestigious Gipsoteca Antonio Canova in Possagno.

This year, the exhibitions will be dedicated to Russia and will take place from the 18^th August to the 16^th September. The Picture Gallery of Museo Civico of Asolo will host the group photography exhibition “Mother Russia”. As a tribute to the extraordinary female figures that made Asolo famous worldwide (e.g. the actress Eleonora Duse or the writer Freya Stark), the exhibition will present a series of female portraits realised by important and emerging Russian authors (Igor Starkov, Sasha Rudelsky, Anastasia Khorashilova, Max Sher, Katerina Belkina…).

On the other hand, the prestigious Gipsoteca in Possagno will host two exhibitions: the project “Generations of Winter” by Russian artist Polina Pakhomova, a visual interpretation of the novel by Vasily Aksyonov about the Stalinist repression and The Great Terror written, and the project by Stefano Seconetti Seconde, an artist from Buenos Aires but with origins from Possagno, that will consist of an installation dedicated to the peace and memory of Russian campaign.

At the Gobbato Exhibition Rooms in Via Regina Cornaro, there’ll be a solo show by Olga Chagaoutdinova. The project shows a series of pictures and a video­installation never shown before, which raise questions about the role of women and their representation in contemporary society.

The Galleria Browing will host an interactive exhibition by London duo Denise Wyllie e Clare O’ Hagan. Already awarded in the past edition for their film “First Darkness”, the artists have decided to come back to Asolo and organise a special event.

The Galleria Browing will host an interactive exhibition by London duo Denise Wyllie e Clare O’ Hagan. Already awarded in the past edition for their film “First Darkness”, the artists have decided to come back to Asolo and organise a special event.

The Galleria Browing will host an interactive exhibition by London duo Denise Wyllie e Clare O’ Hagan. Already awarded in the past edition for their film “First Darkness”, the artists have decided to come back to Asolo and organise a special event.

A striking audio-visual installation dedicated to the memory of Russian poet and Nobel Laureate in Literature Josif Brodskij will be based at Torre Reata, Asolo.

On Saturday 25^th August, at 8.00 pm, at the Canova Temple in Possagno, we will have the opportunity to assist the performance of Fabrizio Saiu entitled “Peso, Posa, Figura” (Weight, Pose, Figure), centred on the relationship between movement and matter which find a synthesis in a silent motion. Facing Canova Temple, in a historical and environmental context, the artist will bind his body to dozens of cymbals performing a dance as archetype of the movement itself.

THE MUSIC

This year, we’re honoured to flank numerous musical events promoted in conjunction with “Interflumina: culture and identity between the rivers Brenta and Piave”. We start with a music workshop organised by Real Corte Armonica, with the participation of famous Austrian violin-player Thomas Christian and a group of 14 music students coming from all over the world (South Africa, China, Turkey, Japan, etc.). Many concerts will involve the students on the territory around Asolo: on the 24^th August at the Gipsoteca Antonio Canova in Possagno, on the 26^th August at Villa Barbaro in Maser, on the 28^th August at the Sala della Ragione in Asolo and on the 29^th August at the Azienda Agricola Rechsteiner in Piavon di Oderzo.

A special mention to the concert that will take place at Villa Barbaro in Maser directed by Roberto Zampellon that will perform “The four seasons” by A. Vivaldi with the violin-player Fabrizio Cipriani (23^rd August at 8.30pm) and, at the Gipsoteca in Possagno, the concert “To the Beauty!” by L. van Beethoven and F. Schubert, played by Thomas Christian (Violin), Simone Tieppo (Cello), Eric Chumachenco (Piano) (27^th August 8.45pm).

And for those who feel brave enough, on the 19th August, at 4.30am in the morning, there will be the opportunity to experience the moving performance of wind instruments only, the “Aurora Concert, dedicated to Peace and Brotherhood amongst Peoples” by Central European orchestra “Lorenzo da Ponte”, directed by Roberto Zampellon and performed at the Cima Grappa.

THE JURY AND THE AWARDS

The Jury of the 31st Edition is composed by: Vittorio Dalle Ore, former assistant of Akira Kurosawa and cinema producer; Mikkel Maltha, musical supervisor of film productions; Prati Kulshreshtha, journalist and Indian university lecturer; Carlo Bragagnolo, documentary film-maker; and photographer Manlio Brusatin, lecturer at the Faculty of Design of Politecnico of Milan and the Faculty of Architecture of Alghero, who has also collaborated with various Venice Biennale of Visual Arts, Architecture and Theatre.

The Awards will be announced and given at the end of the festival (Wednesday 28^th August at 6.00pm). The screening of winning films will follow.

In addition to these awards, as every year, AsoloArtFilmFestival will tribute two special awards (18^th August at 6.00pm). The Art and Culture Award -dedicated to important personalities who contributed to disseminate culture and education on the territory -will celebrate the memory of Francesco Conz, prophet and advocate of Anti-Art movements like Fluxus whose history is significantly connected to Asolo. At the Teatro Eleonora Duse, an exhibition will show some works and documents which testify the extraordinary Francesco Conz’s cultural heritage. The Eleonora Duse Award, reserved to female figures distinguished for their artistic merit, will be given to the Russian artist Olga Chagaoutdinova, for her research aimed to investigate cultural and iconographic aspects of Russian society with an emphasis on the representation of the female role.

THE HISTORY OF THE FESTIVAL

Re-established 10 years ago with the new name of AsoloArtFilmFestival, this is the oldest art film festival in the world: it all started in 1973 thanks to the bright intuition of Flavia Paulon – critic, essay writer and officer of Film Venice Biennale – and thanks to the far-sightedness of the local government willing to sustain the cultural wakening of the town; the festival was initially focused on art film and artist’s biographies only and originated from a fringe of Venice Biennale which decided to abandon all minor film festival due to the protests of ’68

Flavia Paulon was the founder and artistic director until 1982 and under her leadership the festival enjoyed a period of great international success. Over the years, the Asolo Film Festival has hosted various relevant figures amongst which art critics such as Guido Perocco, Umbro Apollonio, Francois Le Targat, film critics such as Mario Verdone and Nedo Ivaldi and the film director Henri Stork. Many famous artists and film directors have participated in the festival: Andrej Tarkovskij (winner of the first edition of the festival), Alain Resnais, Jean Rouch, Nam June Paik, Hermann Nitsch, Adrian Maben, Luciano Emmer, Giorgio Treves, Fabrizio Plessi, Gaetano Pesce, Luca Verdone.

After a few years break, thanks to the work of the association AIAF, the International Festival was brought back to life under the name of AsoloArtFilmFestival following the cultural tradition of Flavia Paulon and representing the ideal continuation. Thanks to the worldwide acknowledgement now received, the festival represents more than 50 nations every year with an average of 500 works submitted to each edition. All films get preserved and archived, becoming part of a large AIAF medium-theca which counts more than 5000 titles.

A.I.A.F. -AsoloInternationalArtFestival – Foresto Vecchio, 8 – 31011 Asolo (TV) Italy – C. F. -P. IVA 03720080260 TEL. +39 0423 1995235-36 – www.asolofilmfestival.it – [email protected]
Ente con personalità giuridica privata D.G.R. N°59/41.03 del 18/04/03