BERGAMO FILM MEETING

BERGAMO FILM MEETING
International Film Festival
35 edition | 11-19 March 2017
th
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The 2017 retrospective: Miloš Forman
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BFM Daily Strips: the Festival in comics
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Encounters: cinema and contemporary art - Franco Vaccari at Bergamo Film Meeting
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Bergamo Film Meeting opens Bergamo Jazz
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The Bergamo Film Meeting awards
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Kino Club: film proposals for schools and educational institutions
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Meeting Point 2017
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The call for volunteers
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Support BFM: the fundraising campaign for Bergamo Film Meeting Onlus Association
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This press kit has been prepared at the Bergamo Film Meeting press conference to present the 35 th edition previews
Thursday, December 1st, 2016 | h. 11AM Bergamo | Sala Riccardi - Teatro Donizetti
Bergamo Film Meeting Onlus via Pignolo, 123 | 24121 Bergamo | tel. +39 035 363087 | fax +39 035 341255
[email protected] | www.bergamofilmmeeting.it
BERGAMO FILM MEETING
35th edition | 11-19 March 2017
TOWARDS THE 35 th EDITION
Here are the first tidbits and previews of the 35 th edition of Bergamo Film Meeting, which will take place from March 11 to 19, 2017:
a big retrospective on the works of the award-winning Czech director Miloš Forman will usher in an edition full of surprises featuring,
as always, the great masters of cinema along with young talent and authors, the Competition - Exhibition, documentaries, animation
cinema and premieres. Supported in 2017 by the European Union through the MEDIA sub-program of Creative Europe, the Festival
gives ample space to our continent's cinema.
9 days of screenings, more than 150 films - short, medium and feature films - from around the world will form the program of the
next Bergamo Film Meeting, as always enriched by international guests, meetings with authors, special events, previews, and
guided screenings dedicated to schools and younger viewers. Thanks to a network of well-established partnerships with many local
institutions, the Festival keeps mixing cinema with visual arts, literature, music and comics, in an ongoing effort to engage, excite
and amaze its audience.
THE 2017 RETROSPECTIVE: MILOŠ FORMAN
5 Academy Awards and two Golden Globes for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; 8 Oscars for Amadeus; Golden Globe for The
People vs. Larry Flynt; Grand Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for Taking Off; Silver Bear for best director at the Berlin
Festival for Man on the Moon and, last but not least, Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement: these are some of the most prestigious
awards given to Miloš Forman during his long career.
Forman was born in Čáslav, a small city in eastern Bohemia - in the former Czechoslovakia - on February 18, 1932. In 1940 his father
was arrested by the Nazis, and evidence of Jewish blood found on his mother's family side. The first died in Buchenwald, the latter
in Auschwitz. Entrusted to the care of an uncle, like the protagonist of his feature film Cerný Petr (Black Peter, 1963) young Miloš
earned a living as an errand boy in a shop. After the war, once completed his studies he was admitted to a screenwriting course at
FAMU, the film Department of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. The cultural vitality, along with poor controls by the State
and the presence of prestigious teachers - such as writers Miloš Kratochvil and Milan Kundera, and directors Otakar Vávra and
Elmar Klos - made the faculty a unique experimental workshop, which will be decisive for the renaissance of Czechoslovak during the
60s, known as Nová Vlna (new wave). In 1962, Forman bought a 16mm Pentaflex and changed his destiny forever. He shot Konkurs
(Talent Competition), a mix of cinema vérité and candid camera. After the already mentioned Black Peter, which won the Locarno Film
Festival, in 1965 he directed Lásky Jedné Plavovlásky (Loves of a Blonde), a story of teenagers and adults, fathers and sons,
sentimental educations and apprenticeships to life. Oscar-nominated and featured in major festivals (Venice, London, New York), the
film launched Forman on the international scene. A 1967 release, Hori, Ma Panenko (The Firemen's Ball) is a ruthless analysis of
human behaviour, full of ridiculous and grotesque, in the background of a satirical pompous formality.
In 1968, shortly before the invasion of Czechoslovakia, Forman moved to the United States after a stop in Paris to complete, with
Jean-Claude Carrière, the screenplay of Taking Off, filmed in Hollywood in 1971. Generational conflict, drugs, rebellion, folk music,
money, are the ingredients of a story that reflects the lacerations of a U.S. society scarred, among other things, by the tragic
assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.
The film fiasco dragged Forman into a state of severe depression. In 1973 Michael Douglas introduced him to Ken Kesey's novel "One
Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest", from which the director adapted the film of the same name starring Jack Nicholson. One flew over the
cuckoo's nest won 5 Oscars: best picture, director, screenplay, male and female actors in a leading role. Institutional violence,
moralism, Puritanistic ideology vs. transgression, madness, diversity: the themes of oppression and opposition to the established
order continue to permeate the poetry of the Czech author.
Bergamo Film Meeting Onlus via Pignolo, 123 | 24121 Bergamo | tel. +39 035 363087 | fax +39 035 341255
[email protected] | www.bergamofilmmeeting.it
The film was a major blockbuster, Forman became a celebrity and, in 1977, he acquired American citizenship. With a starting budget
of ten million dollars he directed the musical Hair (1979), the story of a young man sent off to fight in Vietnam and one of the biggest
hits of the 60s on Broadway: an ode to peace and free love. 1981 is the release year of Ragtime, from the bestseller by E.L.
Doctorow, a historical epic of America in the 10s. 1984 is the year of Amadeus, which tells story of the troubled relationship between
Mozart and Antonio Salieri. The film won 8 Oscars: best picture, director, actor in a leading role, screenplay, costumes, sound,
makeup and set design. In 2002, a 180' Director's Cut version of Amadeus - with a remastered soundtrack and three previously
unreleased scenes - is released.
His following feature films are Valmont (1984), adapted from "Dangerous liasons" by Laclos and The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996),
biopic about the pornographic magazine tychoon, awarded with the Golden Bear in Berlin. Another biopic is Man on the Moon (1999),
the story of American actor and comedian Andy Kaufman - one of the most famous interpreters of anti-humour - featuring an
outstanding Jim Carrey. After a long string of successes, in 2006 Forman - currently in retirement due to a severe condition affecting
his right eye - shot what likely will be his last film: Goya's Ghosts, starring Javier Bardem and Natalie Portman, where the Spanish
painter is portrayed as a witness of some of the most dramatic events of his era.
Bergamo Film Meeting will screen all films by the Czech master. Part of the retrospective will subsequently be hosted at the Cineteca
di Bologna.
In cooperation with the Czech Centre of Milan.
BFM DAILY STRIP: THE FESTIVAL IN COMICS
For the third year in a row, part of the Festival experience will be... comics!
With a full access pass to the backstage, the projection booths and the most secret corners, five among the top Italian illustrators
will recount their adventure at the Festival through their daily strips.
Three promising young authors, Cristina Portolano, Francesco Guarnaccia and Martoz will be joined by two among the most wellknown and appreciated Italian illustrators: Leo Ortolani, the creator of Rat-Man, and Davide Toffolo, also frontman of the band Tre
Allegri Ragazzi Morti.
The event will take place throughout the 10 days of the festival: the host, journalist Simone Tempia, will do the honours introducing
the guests to the audience; just like in the past years, we will also offer a cinema & comics workshop in collaboration with Incrocio
Quarenghi bookshop, and Corpoc will print the daily strips turning them into a full-fledged magazine for BFM 35.
In collaboration with Corpoc and Incrocio Quarenghi bookshop.
ENCOUNTERS: CINEMA AND CONTEMPORARY ART
FRANCO VACCARI AT BERGAMO FILM MEETING
From the beginning, in the second half of the 60s, Franco Vaccari (Modena, 1936) developed his artistic research around three
fundamental themes: the dissolution of the modernist aesthetic object; the use of photography, film and video, in order to engage the
viewer in a process of participation and critical reflection on the media; emphasis on specific contextual conditions of experience
with particular reference to the public spaces and the city. Such elements place Vaccari's works within a particular strand of
conceptual art in which the traditional notion of the artwork looks totally outdated.
Bergamo Film Meeting strengthens and renews its collaboration with The Blank - a cultural association that, since 2010, advocates
for the knowledge and diffusion of contemporary art in Bergamo - by promoting a tribute to Italian artist and photographer Franco
Vaccari.
From March 11 to 19, the Sala alla Porta Sant'Agostino will host the environmental video installation Esposizione in tempo reale
n. 32: La stufa di Cartesio (Exposition in real time #32: Descartes' stove - 2004), while a selection of the artist’s video works will be
screened at Cinema San Marco.
In Esposizione in tempo reale n. 32: La stufa di Cartesio, Vaccari focuses his investigation on the inception of the intellectual
adventure of Descartes, the French philosopher and father of Rationalism who, after a night of exciting and revealing dreams,
decided to devote himself to philosophy, drawing energy from forms of irrational thinking.
Bergamo Film Meeting Onlus via Pignolo, 123 | 24121 Bergamo | tel. +39 035 363087 | fax +39 035 341255
[email protected] | www.bergamofilmmeeting.it
Meanwhile, at Cinema San Marco we will present an overview of the artist's 40-decades long research through the screening of his
video works: Nei Sotterranei (Underground, 1966-67), Cani lenti (Slow Dogs, 1971), La via Emilia è un aeroporto (The via Emilia is an
airport, 2000) and Provvista di ricordi per il tempo dell’Alzheimer (Stockpile of memories for the Alzheimer days, 2003).
Esposizione in tempo reale n. 32: La stufa di Cartesio
Bergamo, March 11 - 19, 2017 | Sala alla Porta Sant'Agostino, Via della Fara
Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 15:30 - 19:30 | Saturday-Sunday: 11:00 - 19:30
Free entry
Selected Videos
Bergamo, March 11 - 19, 2017 | Cinema San Marco Piazzale della Repubblica - 2
In collaboration with The Blank association.
BERGAMO FILM MEETING OPENS BERGAMO JAZZ
Bergamo Film Meeting renews its collaboration with Bergamo Jazz: the now customary passing of the torch between the two
festivals is set for Sunday afternoon March 19, 2017 and will consist in two performances with the DROPS project at their centre: a
brainchild of Tino Tracanna (saxophones), Walter "Bonnot" Buonanno (live electronics) and Roberto Cecchetto (guitar), pursuing a
mix of acoustic and electronic sounds. The trio will open the evening with a live scoring of René Clair's Paris Qui Dort - one of the
first sci-fi movies in the history of cinema - and then, after expanding to Awa Fall (vocals) and Andrea Baronchelli (trombone), the
ensemble will interact with the live painting act of Spanish artist Zësar Bahamonte, thus establishing an unprecedented
triangulation between Bergamo Film Meeting, Bergamo Jazz (entering the core of their programming from March 23 to 26 ) and
Pigmenti, a social cooperative project of Patronato San Vincenzo.
In collaboration with Bergamo Jazz.
THE BERGAMO FILM MEETING AWARDS
COMPETITION – EXHIBITION
As always devoted to new authors, the international competition presents seven feature films, unreleased in Italy and characterised
by the linguistic and narrative originality with which they deal with themes of contemporary life. The feature films selected will
compete for the Bergamo Film Meeting Prize, awarded to the three best movies of the section on the basis of the preferences
expressed by the public. The winning film will receive the Bergamo Film Meeting – Banca Popolare di Bergamo prize, worth €5.000,
established in support of those productions that invest in young authors and independent cinema.
CLOSE UP
Short, medium and feature films: independent productions from the international scene, all unreleased - or almost - in Italy.
Documentary films in which the filmmaker's inquiring and attentive gaze delves without hesitation into the heart of reality, proving
capable of grasping and synthetizing the visible and the invisible, of telling the story of a theme, a place, a character in "close-up",
with intensity and participation. The winning film will receive the Cgil Bergamo Prize for Best Documentary - Close up section
worth €2.000, awarded to the best film on the basis of the preferences expressed by the public, to promote and support
independent film productions.
KINO CLUB: FILM PROPOSALS FOR SCHOOLS AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
From Monday 13 to Saturday March 18 at Capitol Cinema, KINO CLUB will present a rich selection of screenings aimed at children of
various age groups, to introduce them to arthouse cinema through films from all over the world.
The program includes a selection of feature films presented at major international festivals - such as the award-winning Ma vie de
courgette (My Life as a Zucchini) by Claude Barras, Song of the Sea by Tomm Moore, Jamais contente (Miss Impossible) by Émilie
Deleuze and Min Lilla Syster (My Skinny Sister) by Sanna Lenken – and of great interest both in terms of style and subject matter;
also featured in the program is a selection of masterpieces from the past : the Academy Award-nominated films for best short
animation from the 60s to now will be shown to illustrate the techniques and styles that have anticipated current trends.
Bergamo Film Meeting Onlus via Pignolo, 123 | 24121 Bergamo | tel. +39 035 363087 | fax +39 035 341255
[email protected] | www.bergamofilmmeeting.it
During the next edition, the collaboration with KloosterKino of Nijmegen (The Netherlands) will also be introduced: the curators of
the Dutch animated short film festival will present us with their "best of".
Along with the guided screenings, Kino Club will also offer guided tours and workshops.
In collaboration with KloosterKino.
MEETING POINT
Just like the previous years, the go-to place and social hub for the 2017 edition will be the Meeting Point at Piazza della Libertà, a
space for everyone in attendance to meet up, chill out and enjoy the Festival experience outside the screening venues. For the sixth
consecutive year, the Meeting Point will be managed by Birrificio Indipendente Elav from Comun Nuovo, which will take care of the
catering service, providing the audience with craft beer and proposing a series of special events, tastings, musical events and DJ
sets.
In collaboration with Birrificio Indipendente Elav.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
The call for volunteers for the 35th edition of Bergamo Film Meeting is now open, and aimed at students or just movie fans interested
in taking part in the making of a major cultural event; they will join and support the organizing staff and experience first-hand the
backstage of one of the most prestigious international film festivals.
THANKS TO
Comune di Bergamo, Unione Europea – Creative Europe – MEDIA, Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo –
Direzione Generale per il Cinema, Camera di Commercio e Industria di Bergamo, Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione della Comunità
Bergamasca, B-Consult, AdBlue by Azotal, Azotal, UBI – Banca Popolare di Bergamo, Fondazione Banca Popolare di Bergamo Onlus,
Fondazione ASM - Gruppo a2a, CGIL Bergamo, Siae, Birrificio Indipendente ELAV, Centro Ceco – Milano, ATB – TEB, Pedrali, Avisco,
The Blank, Civica Scuola di Cinema – Fondazione Milano, GAMeC, Libreria Incrocio Quarenghi, Pedalopolis, Visit Bergamo, Cantina
Sociale Bergamasca, Corpoc, Hotel Petronilla, Lab 80 film, Asifa, Fic – Federazione Italiana Cineforum, Fondazione Alasca,
Laboratorio 80, Università degli Studi di Bergamo.
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Bergamo Film Meeting Onlus Press Office
Ada Tullo | + 39 035 363087 | +39 349 2674900
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Domestic Press Office
Lorena Borghi | Studio Sottocorno | +39 02 20402142 | +39 348 5834403
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Foreign Press Office
Gloria Zerbinati | +39 338 1200517
[email protected] | [email protected]
Bergamo Film Meeting Onlus via Pignolo, 123 | 24121 Bergamo | tel. +39 035 363087 | fax +39 035 341255
[email protected] | www.bergamofilmmeeting.it