L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 6 L.A., and the ICE - Italian Trade Promotion Agency, have filled a gap in the local offer of enter- tainment, by organizing this noteworthy showcase of the very b e s t I t a l i a n , a n d e s p e c i a l l y Sicilian independent cinema. On the occasion of this much anticipated first edition in L.A., Rocca is going to announce offi- cially the dates for the 2016 Taormina Film Fest, which will be hosted in the same marvelous a n c i e n t G r e e k t h e a t e r i n Taormina, from June 10 to the 18. T h e G e n e r a l C o n s u l o f Italy in L.A. is going to make i t o f f i c i a l , b y h o n o r i n g t h e T a o r m i n a F i l m F e s t @ LosAngeles with an award, con- ferred to Tiziana Rocca by the Councilman, Joe Buscaino. We from L'Italo-Americano warmly wish Tiziana's brain- child to catch on fast in L.A. What's your cultural back- ground? Was there a specific m o m e n t o f r e a l i z a t i o n , i n which you decided to join the entertainment business? For twenty-five years, I've been working in the entertain- ment business. I was a pioneer in my field, having become the first female events' manager in Italy. Today, I believe that in order to organize a festival, you need to be an "entertainment manag- e r " , a b l e t o f i n d a b a l a n c e between quality and glamour. T h e C a n n e s F i l m F e s t i v a l remains the ideal model to look after. At Taormina Film Fest, we focus on young, emergent talent. We want to recognize the new media, which are quickly chang- ing the ways of telling stories. Our festival was the first in Italy to award the best web series. To put together a successful festival, it's essential to take some risks, by welcoming innov- ative formulas along with the not yet established filmmakers. What was your experience as film festival attendee like, before taking up your manage- rial position? I particularly love the Venice Film Festival. Its current direc- tor, Alberto Barbera, hosts a spe- cial award conferred to female filmmakers, in partnership with the Taormina Film Fest. Over the years, I've been a r e g u l a r a t t h e p r e s t i g i o u s Venetian competition. However, in the past, my focus was on the publicity and marketing side of the movie industry. Nowadays, film festivals are n o t f u n d e d b y t h e S t a t e a n y longer, but financed by sponsors. It's necessary to increase the event's visibility and appeal, in order to secure those private resources. Certainly not an easy task, but the Taormina Film Fest's revitalized success shows that it's feasible. A strong evidence is offered by the fact that major US movie studios, which for long time did- n't take part to our event, have been coming back in these past four years. One of our main objectives, by partnering with several insti- tutions, is to fight the typical Italian summer slump and to expand Italy's film distribution t o s u m m e r , l i k e i t n o r m a l l y occurs in the US. O n t h e T a o r m i n a F i l m Fest's official website - as you refer to Italian actress/film- m a k e r A s i a A r g e n t o , w h o "godmothered" last edition – y o u s t a t e : " H a v i n g s u c h a strong, brave and fierce woman as godmother of a Festival that has always placed particular attention towards the female universe is a matter of pride for us." Isn't that a paradox how this remarkable tradition take p l a c e i n s u c h a b a c k w a r d - looking region, like Sicily? I have never thought in these terms, but times have changed in Sicily as well. Now women are liberated in Southern Italy and, often, eager to come out on top, before raising their own fami- lies. A s a w o m a n , I ' v e a l w a y s intended to represent female filmmakers, in the fairest way possible. I'm glad that several worldwide festivals are doing the same, more and more. Another matter of pride to me, is how our festival gives particular attention to philan- thropic causes, by also confer- ring the Taormina Humanitarian Award upon the most remark- able personalities, operating in this field. Last in a long series of recipi- ents, actress Rosario Dawson, who, in the last edition, gave voice to the female victims of domestic violence in Africa. T h e 2 0 1 5 T a o r m i n a F i l m Fest showcased also a new app, which enables the blind to be more engaged, in the fruition of the movies. In the Taormina Film Fest's p a s t e d i t i o n , a b r a n d n e w "USA Day" was introduced in the calendar. What was that about? I n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h t h e Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Italian Association of Film Industries (ANICA) and the U.S. Embassy, we hosted a networking day, d u r i n g w h i c h I t a l i a n a n d American indie producers could meet and, possibly, further col- laborations. The event served also to pro- mote all the benefits, offered by Sicily, and Italy in general, as filming locations. Due to the USA Day's large success, we're going to repeat it again in the next edition. Reveal us more about what we are going to see, at this first e d i t i o n o f t h e TaorminaFilmFest@LosAngele s. How do you envision the expansion of Italian Cinema abroad? We are going to kick off our first edition with the solo exhibi- tion, Phil Stern. Welcome back to Sicily, a real tribute to the WWII war photographer, who followed the US troops to docu- ment the liberation of the Italian island. A l o n g s i d e a c o l l e c t i o n o f p h o t o g r a p h s b y C a r m e l o Nicosia, we are going to screen t h e d o c u m e n t a r y P h i l S t e r n . Sicily 1943. The War and The Soul (Sicilia 1943. La guerra e l'anima) by Ezio Costanzo and Filippo Arlotta. Essential part of my "mis- sion" is to showcase the first and second placed among the young documentary filmmakers from Sicily, Elio Sofia and Francesco Cannavà, with the auspice of ini- tiating their international collab- oration. I t a l i a n a c t r e s s , V a l e r i a Golino - awarded with the pres- tigious Coppa Volpi, during last Venice Film Festival – is going t o b e t h e r e c i p i e n t o f t h e TaorminaFilmFest@LosAngeles Award, sponsored by our main media partner, Variety. As far as the expansion of our movies abroad, there has b e e n a l r e a d y a c o n s i d e r a b l e number of noteworthy initia- t i v e s i n L . A . - l i k e C i n e m a Italian Style, coproduced by Luce Cinecittà – which have been screening the very best of our cinema. Recently, Italian top direc- tors, the likes of Matteo Garrone and Paolo Sorrentino, but also a veteran like Giuseppe Tornatore, have been successfully casting international actors. Films, such as 2014 Oscar winner The Great Beauty but a l s o t h e l a t e s t A g e n t 0 0 7 ' s Spectre (2015) – partly shot in Rome – are drawing attention to t h e c a p i t a l a s w e l l a s o t h e r Italian cities as ideal locations. It's essential to showcase our films to US indie producers, as a way to promote Italian cinema and foster co-productions. In conclusion, what do you like about L.A.? I've been coming here for many years and I love it. Lots of m y f r i e n d s l i v e h e r e . L o s Angeles is like a second home to me. I strongly wanted to create this "bridge" between Taormina and L.A. Taormina Film Fest in L.A. is going to last longer in the next editions and I will always keep a prolific exchange between Sicily and L.A. Tiziana Rocca, General Manager of TFF, and actor Richard Gere. Photo courtesy of T. Rocca LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY "At Taormina Film Fest, we focus on young, emergent talent" Continued from page 1

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