Translated material
Venice-2007
"12" Nikita Mikhalkov, "Cargo 200" Alexei Barabanov, "Tap" by Alexander Mindadze
## 
Every year there are more and more film festivals, they compete with each other stronger than the paintings participating in them. Perhaps one of the best ways to promote the city, moreover, unknown is to organize a festival in it, an image and at the same time commercial.
The Venetian festival (it is also called a bridge) is the oldest in the world, which is part of the three leaders along with Cannes and Berlin. But it is he who is experiencing the greatest difficulties today.
 |
Firstly, in Venice-unlike Cannes and Berlin-there is still no film market that would provide a powerful tributary of the business community. She prefers to go to Toronto to the largest business festival (there is no competition), which is passing almost simultaneously with Mostroy and in many ways duplicating her program.
Secondly, expansion requires festival space. Official shows are held in the modest Palazzo del Cinema, built in 1937, at the dawn of the festival, when it was led by Italian fascists. To get out of the situation, the organizers announced the construction of the Nuvo Palazzo del Sinema complex, promising to become the largest and most expensive in Europe.
Thirdly, Venice, which in recent years, has been sponsored by the Italian right, the associates of Berlusconi, has become a hostage to political games. She was reproached for excessive bourgeois and high cost, in the fact that it is not enough accessible for ordinary spectators. In peak, Italian left has been conducting a large -scale and no less expensive festival in Rome since last year. It is conceived as democratic and is addressed to the public, which in the capital of Italy is much larger than in Venice. The people are entrusted to the people in Rome and the choice of winners. Of course, on the side of Mostra, which is part of the Venetian Biennale of Contemporary Art, status, prestige and many years of history, but you can’t buy them. But Rome, passing a month later, is able to lure films, and they are the main prey in the global festival race. And at the same time - the main stumbling block.
Films are no longer shared
- on elitist and massive, -
on arthouse and mainstream
Which movie today is considered festival, and which is not? Which of the directors is really relevant and independent, and who serves the political and aesthetic situation, to the creation of which festivals are directly related? How to distinguish some from others? These questions are open and each time require new answers.
It is only clear that festival films are no longer divided into elitist and massive, into arthouse and mainstream. And there and there there is its own conveyor. Both there and there new talents appear and artistic breakthroughs occur.
An example of this is the Venetian festival, for four consecutive years led by Marco Muller. Its main principle is a radical diversity. Obviously, the division into commercial and non -profit cinema is not a criterion for the selection of films for him. He takes into the competition both Hollywood directors, and those who are responsible for the myth of authentic author’s cinema, and glamorous tapes, and frankly leftist.
The main poles of Müller's interests are Hollywood and Cinema of Asia, the territory long -mastered, but stably bringing new fruits. The program of the upcoming festival includes sixteen American films (half of them in the competition!) And twelve Asian (four in the competition).
Regarding Hollywood, comments. First, ignoring it means to abandon the presence of superstars. Secondly, Hollywood cinema can also be copyrighted (it is no coincidence that in recent years, those American films that are later nominated for Oscar are subsequently nominated in Venice).
You can’t argue with Asian cinema either - it has been won the world for not the first decade, winning at the main festivals (the last Venetian, the last Berlin, the last Locarnsky, not to mention earlier triumphs), acquiring his own Hollywood (Chinese Zhang Imou, Chen Kayge, Taiwanese Enga Lee) and reconcileing the American industrial Or the same Eng, the owner of the Golden Leo of Venice-2005 for the “Gorbaty Mountain”, his new film “Obvious Communication” participates in the current competition).
It is interesting that Romanian cinema is not represented in Venice, the most relevant in Europe, which won the recent triumph in Cannes, and there is practically no movie from Latin America, which is also now on the rise. I don't think this is a special alignment. Everything is simpler - festival trends are determined by individual directors, and not the national affiliation of their films.
Already venerable classics are responsible for the old light in Venice - the French Eric Romer and Claude Shabrol, the British Ken Loocch and Peter Greenai (with the "adaptation" of the "night patrol" of Rembrandt), German Alexander Klyae and the ninety -nine -year -old Portuguese Manoel Di Oliveira, the oldest director in the world, regularly shooting the film in the year.
The ligament of America - Azia dates back to the wider opposition of the East - Wall, perhaps the most relevant and explosive in today's world. According to Marco Muller, war is the main theme of modernity. Brian de Palma in the “Extranster” tape tells about the American campaign in Iraq and its reflection-excretion in the media. Nikita Mikhalkov in the judicial drama "12" also could not do without politics. In his ramics of the classical film “Twelve Eallest Men”, Sidney Lyumet is judged by a Chechen boy accused of killing his stepfather - a Russian officer. This is the only Russian tape in the competition. In the parallel program “Venetian Days”, the European premiere of Balabanov’s “Cargo 200” will be held, the existential drama “Separation” - directed debut of Alexander Mindadze (he can compete for the award named after Luigi de Laurentis) will participate in the “Criticism Week”. Also, Leonid Rybakov, “People from Stone”, are selected in the shortcoming program.
Venice
- Without Italians -
 |
Recently, Venice has been distinguished by special hospitality in relation to our cinema. In the late Soviet years and during the period of restructuring, we most often fell into Berlin, known for its strong politicism. Today, the socio-political, and simply realistic cinema in Russia is practically not shot, and if it is made, then not at the level that meets international standards. But we have activated the tradition of the parable-metaphorical, semi-astricular cinema, which is more relied on on the power of style than on specific meanings. It was this wave that successfully picked up the bridge. Confirmation of this is the triumph of the “return” of Andrei Zvyagintsev in 2003. Let us recall the “euphoria”, “island” and even “free swimming” who participated in the last year’s program of Mostra.
Let me remind you that Nikita Mikhalkov also won in Venice with Urgo. Then, in 1991, the second most important prize was received by Zhang Imou, the chairman of the current jury, exclusively directorial and frighteningly powerful. It, in particular, includes Paul Verkhoven, Alejandro Gonzalez injarita, Jane Campion and Catherine Brayy.
For a year now, the Italians can not defeat in Venice. This fact clearly bothers the organizers of the festival - three Italian paintings participate in the current competition at once. To strengthen the national presence, Bernardo Bertolucci will be awarded the Honorary “Golden Leo” and the retrospective of the Italian spaghetti westers will be held, which will be presented by the expert in the genre Quentin Tarantino (he starred in the competitive film of the Japanese Takashi Miika). At the same time, star Americans will also honor - Tim Barton and Ridley Scott. And separately - Alexander Sokurov, who will be awarded the honorary prize named after Robert Bresson.