Authoritatively yours: the Author’s cinema

For the first time in the history of the Mostra Internazionale d’Arte cinematografica di Venezia there will be a new space for free cinema, complete with new talents, new stories and never seen before films.
Venice Days, organized by ANAC (the National Association of Cinematographic Authors) and the authors of API (Independent Authors and Producers) in complete agreement with the Venice Film Board will fill ten days of the biggest international Italian festival (from 2 to 11 September) - in their own inimitabile and recognisable style - with culture, entertainment, participation and celebration.
The fulfilment of the project Venice Days has been entrusted to the critic and festival director Giorgio Gosetti, on the model of the glorious event at Cannes, the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs and in complete programmimg harmony with the Berlin Forum des Jungen Films Both of these showcases will be ideally and operatively linked to the new Venetian section.
The events will take place in three well known venues, dedicated to all the authors present at the Festival. Here the Italian authors will act both as hosts and as principal characters: the Palagalileo, where the films selected for the showcase will be screened (priority access given to the press) and where meetings with the public will be held; the Author’s Villa where there will be daily meetings, discussions of the day’s topics in addition to a bit of healthy entertainment; and the Raisat Terrace where every evening the authors of Venice Days will be joined by the Festival guests.

Why a new space for the Festival?

When the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs was founded at the Cannes Film Festival in 1968 the French authors, in contention with the Festival, intended to create an independent space which would differ profoundly in style and idealism from the event at that time.
Throughout the years the SRF (Société des Réalisateurs Français) has supported and nurtured this independent space allowing it to grow into what it is today, one of the most significant events in international quality cinema, and transforming it little by little into an opportunity for discovery, research and innovation.
A similar thing happened at the Berlin Festival with the creation of the Internationales Forum des Jungen Films to give voice to those talents and that cinema and language that was rarely given a chance to speak out in the official sections. In this case too, with time, this parallel event has grown with the Festival while still maintaining a completely independent and recognisable character all of its own.
The creation of a similar space at the Venice Film Festival based upon these same characteristics will allow the Italian authors to recover the experience of direct commitment, offer alternative routes and ways which are different and parallel to the official section. An accent will be placed on the idea of an “author’s free space” on a circulation of ideas, and on the people and expressive innovations which are an inherent part of the title Venice Days.

The fulfilment of a project

This showcase is promoted by the cinematographic authors of ANAC and the authors of API in agreement with the Venice Film Festival Board.
In order to accomplish this project the cultural association “Venice Days”was founded. It is presided over by president Roberto Barzanti, vice presidents Emidio Greco and Francesco Maselli and, upon indication from the two associations, has the following partners: Giuliana Gamba, Francesco Ranieri Martinotti, Massimo Sani, Valerio Jalongo, Andrea Purgatori and Maurizio Sciarra.

The director of the project is Giorgio Gosetti, former vice director of the Gillo Pontecorvo Film Festival (1992-1996), director of Italia Cinema and then of Audiovisual Industry Promotion, director of the Courmayeur Noir in Festival and an Ansa journalist.
Sector professionals, international experts, and young students from Dams in Bologna have joined Giorgio Gosetti in the fulfilment of this project.

The committee consultants is made up of the critics Agnès-Catherine Poirier, Tadeusz Sobolewski and Adrian Wootton.

Venice Days is closely linked both to the Quinzaine and to the Forum thanks to the close artistic collaboration and the helpfulness of the selectors Olivier Père and Christoph Terhechte.

The films will be competing for the “European Cinema Label Award” for the promotion of cinema in Europe, established by the European "réseau" of quality traders and with the support of the EU MEDIA programme – Media Plus. The prize, which amounts to economic support for the distribution and the lasting run of films in member cinemas has only been assigned at the Quinzaine in Cannes since it was first awarded in 2003.

The Venetian jury is made up of Michel Demopoulos (Greece), Matthias Elwardt (Germany), Roman Gutek (Poland) and Georgette Ranucci (Italy).

Any first works will be eligible to compete for the "De Laurentiis Prize", along with all other debut films from the other official sections.

Venice Days will be inaugurated on 2 September in the Sala Grande. The official screenings will take place at the Palagalileo at 11.30 every day and there will be a chance to meet the cast after the screening. Various special programmes have been arranged with the Festival Board and will be announced in due time.

The Authors Villa will be the venue for a programme of daily meetings, special events, press conferences and presentations from early morning until late at night.