2011 Blog
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What remains
The red carpet shows the wear of thousands of people who filled Teatro Vittoria. In the air are memories of the many stories we heard told. The directors who leave Bosco Chiesanuova say their thanks. They were enthusiastic about this 17th edition of the Festival. In the Piazza del Festival there are still signs of the nighttime celebrations. Telephones calls arrive from people asking to see the winning films. On the Festival's site are portraits, interviews, glimpses behind the scenes... Now there's a lot of time to think about the programme, read the catalogue, and reflect on those films that marveled, and those that disappointed. We overheard someone say that this was the best edition so far of the Film Festival della Lessinia. Maybe yes, so far. Sunday, August 27
Jacob
Little Jacob climbs onto the stage, elegantly dressed in a traditional Bavarian costume, with his "guest" pass clearly visible. The audience applauds warmly. With him is his mother, Uschi. They are the protagonists of the film, Die Sennerin un ihr Sohn (The Dairymaid and her Son), by Matti Bauer. A simple story...wel,l then, its true that the Film Festival della Lessinia doesn't need special effects.All we need is the sweet face of this child who has left his cows, his games with the lizards, and his raids in the woods for one day to come to the Film Festival as a protagonist. We have arrived at the decisive day when the Festival winners will be announced. Jacob has already gotten his prize; so have we, to have him here with us. Saturday, August 27
Crowds
The green of Ireland lights up the "TV window" of Teatro Vittoria. Projected on this huge screen above the Piazza del Festival are images from films, interviews with directors, and shots from the photo gallery. Down below, in the piazza, hundreds of people are listening to the group, Birkin Tree, who brought the best of Irish music to the Festival. At the Osteria del Festival, the Guinness is flowing. In the theatre, the screenings go on, without interruption. The children's workshops are all filled to capacity. Well, how many people have come to the 2011 Festival della Lessinia? Tonight the screenings will go on late into the night. Friday, August 26
The other jury
A special jury is at work at the 17th Film Festival della Lessinia. Thanks to the association Microcosm, for the first time a group of inmates from the Verona Prison has been formed to view the 20 films in competition and choose a winner from amongst them. An international jury of eight members will assign the prize, which will be awarded along with the other official prizes during the awards ceremony on Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, August 25
The jury at work
The international jury of the XVII Film Festival della Lessinia is busy viewing the 20 works in competition for the Lessinia d'Oro, the Lessinia d'Argento and the other special prizes. From the few comments overheard from the jury members, who work secretly in a private screening room, Adela Peeva, Marzia Pellegrino, Fausto De Stefani, Martin Kaufmann and Yassine El Idrissi have identified a common thread in this edition: shepherds and their sheep, recurring subjects in nearly all of the films. Their lips are sealed, on the other hand, regarding the prize winners. They will only be revealed on Saturday, August 27, during the awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Who will win the Lessinia d'Oro 2011? Wednesday, August 24
Timber!
Double shift for the “Little Woodsmen” workshop organized by the Veronese Forestry Office. The first round, at 10 am this morning was sold out, so a second turn was added in the afternoon. They made it back to the Teatro Vittoria of Bosco Chiesanuova just in time for the rich program of animated films in Children’s Mountains. Tuesday, August 23
Other peaks
What is an Alpinist doing at the Film Festival della Lessinia? Don’t the regulations say that the Festival excludes films about mountaineering, sports, and expeditions? “I like to walk, above all at night”, say Fausto De Stefani to the microphone of the Festival TV. “It’s totally different at night, the dimensions change, every noise tells a story. If you had called me to talk about Alpinism, I wouldn’t have come. Or maybe it isn’t important any longer to listen to the stories about shepherds, coal workers, and artisans who live in the mountains? Fausto De Stefani, after having climbed all of the mountains in the world over 8000, is now scaling his most important peaks: solidarity, with projects in Nepal, environmental protection, with Mountain Wilderness, and poetry, with the woods of the fables. When he starts to recount in the Piazza del Festival, the true feats are those of little Galesh in the mountains of Iran, the “battles of the queens” in the Alps, and the nomads in Zanskar. Monday, August 22
Welcome to the Stone Bar
The crowds are deep at the newly inaugurated "Osteria del Festival" next to the Teatro Vittoria. The piazza in the centre of Bosco Chiesanuova has been transformed, overnight, into a bar built entirely out of stone fragments from the Lessinia Mountains, loaded into modular cages and stacked high to form walls and a bar. Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble would feel right at home here, sipping a beer or a chalice of Bertani wine along with a plate of local cheeses from the Monte Veronese DOP Consortium and cold-cuts supplied by Corrado Benedetti. Sunday, August 21
The music in the background
“Like a prayer.” The eyes of the spectators who leave the Teatro Vittoria light up. Are these Gregorian melodies that accompany us into the Chauvet cave? And are we in a cave or a Romanesque church? And who are these artists from 30.000 years ago? Who was this prehistoric Michelangelo? The buffalos run, the horses gallop, and the panthers follow their prey. There is only one human figure in this treasure trove of painting. A woman coupled with a bison, hugging an enormous stalactite. Did they believe in God, these men? Because their prayer is incised in this rock. And the Film Festival stopped. Forget the 3D glasses. The spectators were silent and each sang, privately, his song of surprise. “Are these people really our ancestors? What has happened to that refined taste? That beauty? That harmony? No, something must if happened if Man has regressed so much”. Outside of the theatre, the prayers continue. The spectators stay a little longer, as though they don’t want to let go of the beauty that they’d tasted. Werner Herzog found the right note, along with these artists, with this film. Yes, he is the child of these artists, who had already intuited the invention of cinema with their rock paintings in motion. And so, it makes one think, there is hope. Maybe we really are their children. Saturday, August 20
The music in the background
At a certain point, when Harold climbed the last part of the skyscraper wall, you felt like you were right there, with him. Michael Lösch’s music got louder. Helga Plankesteiner’s clarinet embodied the dizziness of the impromptu climber. The Festival also climbed its mountain, arriving punctually for the preview event on Friday with Safety Last by Harold Lloyd. Dietmar Zingl hand-carried the film from Innsbruck. When he saw it projected on the screen of Teatro Vittoria, he was grinning under that heavy beard. Whoever thought the Film Festival della Lessinia would show films about skyscraper climbing? The audience got it right away, and left the theatre smiling. “Great start—bravi!” A friend of the Festival from New York sent an SMS: “Have a great festival!” But now we’ll start with the real mountains, those made of rocks, woods, and meadows. Harold makes it to the top of his skyscraper. His true love is waiting for him. When they embrace, the audience applauds. Martin Kaufmann, from the Cineclub di Bolzano, had told us that Lloyd’s films are a lesson in film history. At a certain point the music stops, respectfully, one beat behind the images. “The music has to be in the background, we can’t overdo it. The film is the protagonist”. That’s what Helga, the clarinettist, seated at a table at the just-inaugurated Osteria del Festival, has to say. There is a huge, bright moon. The air is balmy. It’s nice to sit outside. The Film Festival della Lessinia is off and running. And it seems there’s a great desire for films. Friday, August 19