rome film festival: promoroma presents docufilm on matteo ricci by

Press Release
ROME FILM FESTIVAL: PROMOROMA PRESENTS
DOCUFILM ON MATTEO RICCI BY KOLNDREKAJ
Rome, 28th October 2010 - "Matteo Ricci, un gesuita nel regno del drago"
('Matteo Ricci: a Jesuit in the Kingdom of the Dragon'), the successful docufilm
created by Gjon Kolndrekaj is to be presented by the organization Promoroma
on the occasion of the opening of the Rome International Film Festival at the
prestigious "risonanza" section of the festival (at 18:30 in the Tempio di
Adriano in Piazza di Pietra). This year is dedicated to Matteo Ricci and
commemorates 400 years since the death of the Jesuit who, in 1600, began
missionary work in China after leaving his hometown of Macerata in Italy. For
this reason Promoroma strongly desired to have the film by Kolndrekaj shown at
the festival, an important work which is dedicated to Ricci and involved over two
years of production between Italy and China.
The docufilm was supported by the People's Republic of China, the Society of
Jesus, the Italian Foreign Ministry, the Diocese of Macerata and by the
Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
The film traces the principle events in the life of the Jesuit from Marche in Italy,
his versatility as a man of culture, scientist, man of letters and cartographer, and
was directly filmed in Beijing including the Forbidden City where Ricci was finally
laid to rest and which includes a mausoleum dedicated to the Jesuit. The
journey Italy-China is one of the leitmotifs of the work of the director who has
dedicated this docufilm "to the intercultural dialogue between the Occident and
the Orient, two worlds which Ricci helped draw together. Two very distant
worlds which in 1600, many years prior to globalization, were to confront one
another. Such a situation is unthinkable today, for us global citizens" - stated
Kolndrekaj.
Moderating the presentation of the docufilm, which includes the participation of
individuals form various notable institutions, politicians and members of the
ecclesiastical and cultural sectors, will be Mons. Dario E. Viganò, a noted
expert in cinema and President of the Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo who
stated that "Ricci was an extraordinary priest figure who, in spite of infinite
difficulties, managed to bring Christianity all the way to China. That was in 1582.
Such courage and such visionary spirit is also needed today".
The docufilm has been presented in Italy and abroad 63 times. Among the
various presentations what is particularly remembered is the world preview
Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo
Via Giuseppe Palombini, 6 · 00165 Roma · Telefono +39 06 96519200 · Fax +39 06 96519220
Email [email protected] · www.entespettacolo.org · Partita IVA 09273491002 e Codice Fiscale 97434740581
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shown in the Vatican (June 2009) in the presence of the Papal secretary, Mons.
Georg Genswein, Father Federico Lombardi, spokesman of the Holy See, and
the Ambassador of the Republic of China to the state of Italy who, for the first
time in history, entered into the Vatican. Moreover, the docufilm represented
Italy in Shanghai on the occasion of Expo 2010, and was the only Italian work
present at the International Symposium of Taipei. Among the other important
presentations there was also the presentation to Unesco in Paris, the Literary
Festival of Turin and the Cinema Festival of Venice (2009) with the Patriarchal
Cardinal of Venice, Angelo Scola.
Press Office
Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo
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The Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo was founded in 1946 and works within the field of
Italian cinema culture. Over the years it has become a leader in Cinema content which it
manages for ilsole24ore.com, virgilio.it, yahoo.it, libero.it, Comingsoon Television,
PreviewNetworks, MTV, ITS-Informatica, MSN, Tiscali, Nastro Azzurro, Noverca,
lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it and numerous others.
It carries out activity in traditional and electronic publishing through the web portal
www.cinematografo.it, organizes cultural events, international conferences, seminars and
festivals (www.tertiomillenniofilmfest.org), film trailers, often in collaboration with important
Italian and overseas partners, among which the 'Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia',
Cinecittà Luce SpA, "Cahiers du Cinéma", Fondazione Cineteca Italiana of Milan, Museo del
Cinema of Turin.
It publishes the Rivista del Cinematografo, the longest running Italian cinema periodical.
It runs the website www.cineconomy.com which was founded in 2009 in order to offer its users
a comprehensive view of the market and cinema industry in Italy. Through numerous articles on
politics and finance from major European newspapers and journals, Cineconomy offers a wide
variety of opinion and outlook in its attempt to provide a unitary outline of the situation in Europe.
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Each year it publishes the Report - The Market and the Cinema Industry in Italy which can be
downloaded free of charge from the above website.
The Tertio Millennio Film Fest is the first cinema festival organized with the Patronage of the
Vatican arriving at its 14th edition and developed by the Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo
presided over by Dario Edoardo Viganò and the "Rivista del Cinematografo" under the same
leadership. It is organized in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for Culture and Social
Communications and the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia - Cineteca Nazionale, with
contributions from the General Direction for Cinema of the Italian Ministry for Heritage and
Cultural Activity.
The Festival had the Patronage of the Presidency of the Italian Republic and the support of the
Department of Culture of the Rome local council.