Up the curtain on the 19° Gran Paradiso Film Festival
Today, Thursday 23 July 2015, at the Conference Room of the Mole Antonelliana – Museo del Cinema di Torino the Gran Paradiso Film Festival was revealed to the press; during the press conference intervened Annapaola Venezia – Vice-Secretary General of Fondazione CRT, Francesca Gambetta – Compagnia di San Paolo, Program Torino e le Alpi - Franco Allera – Mayor of the Municipality of Cogne, Roberto Pagani – Councilor for Tourism of the Municipality of Champorcher, Italo Cerise – President of the Gran Paradiso National Park, and Luisa Vuillermoz – Artistic Director of the Festival.
The Festival, that will take place from the 24 to the 29 of August in Cogne, Champorcher, Ceresole Reale, Rhêmes-Saint-Georges and Villeneuve, will open in Cogne with “L’homme aux semelles de vent”, Arthur Rimbaud’s life with music by the band L’Orage. The exhibition will be the prelude to the signature of the Gran Paradiso Valleys Charter, a proposal written and signed by stakeholders, institutions and citizens aiming at fostering policies for the conservation of biodiversity and for the sustainable and conscious fruition of the fragile natural environment.
This year’s edition proposes, for the feature films of the International Competition, a selection of films that have been awarded in the main international festivals of nature documentaries, presenting eight Italian previews and a world premiere by Brando Quilici. The films come from nine countries and three different continents, and they tell stories of animals and men, hostile or closely linked, antagonistic or fraternal. CortoNatura is a more experimental section, dedicated to short movies where animations, fiction or mini-documentaries will explore the wildlife world.
The films will be awarded by the audience, that will select the winner of the “Trofeo Stambecco d’Oro”, and by the technical jury, led by Danilo Mainardi.
The theme of this year’s edition is “the Path”, and it will be explored during the cycle De Rerum Natura through conferences, meetings, shows and events on theme related to environment and nature. Internationally renowned guests will tell their story finding their path of life and their relationship with Nature; Francesco Bonami, Monsignor Franco Lovignana, Nerio Nesi, Carlo Ratti, Alberto Sinigaglia, Luciano Valle, Luciano Violante, Franco Zagari and Flavio Caroli, special guest of this year’s edition, will enrich the programme.
Professor Flavio Caroli, meditating on nature, declares: “ “Deus sive Natura”, said Spinoza. For us, little men, Nature is the meaning of space (the space-time of the past and the future) and it is, and always will, the space of vertigo, in search of a remote truth”.
“The selection of the films allows us to examine the complexity of nature under various perspectives – declares Artistic Director Luisa Vuillermoz – and features a great variety. Variety of topics, of countries and settings, but also of shooting techniques and narrative styles.
The Gran Paradiso Valleys Charter – explains Luisa Vuillermoz – that we are presenting for this edition, is a tool of involvement and meditation on the subjects linked to sustainability. A Charter whose purpose is to be the heritage that the Gran Paradiso Film Festival leaves on how to combine preservation and development in the interests of present and future generations".
The award ceremony of the 18th Gran Paradiso Film Festival will take place at 9 p.m. on Saturday 29 August in Cogne's Maison de la Grivola. It will be an emotional evening, with Marco Albino Ferrari, journalist and writer, founder of the magazine “Meridiani Montagne”, accompanying the audience through the milestones of the life of Milena Bethaz, a park ranger who was involved in a tragic accident at 3000 metres above sea level. A story made of determination and love for nature and mountain, the path of her brave comeback after she had been struck by a thunder.
Two new sections will characterise this year’s programme: Aria di Festival, outdoors events to enjoy the territory, and Festival Off, with the screening hors concours of the film Alberi che camminano by Mattia Colombo and written by Erri De Luca and Il mio amico Nanuk by Brando Quilici.
This year the Festival has expanded its territory, historically linked to the Gran Paradiso, also to the Mont Avic area, following the path of Giroparchi, a project that, during the last five years brought back to its ancient splendour the historical net of trails of the royal hunt reserve of King Victor-Emmanuel II.
The Festival is organised by Fondation Grand Paradis in partnership with Valle d'Aosta Autonomous Region - Department of Tourism, Sport, Commerce and Transport; Giroparchi Project – PAR FAS Valle d’Aosta 2007/2013; Compagnia di San Paolo; Fondazione CRT; Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities; Gran Paradiso National Park; Municipality of Cogne; Federparchi; Office Régional du Tourisme; Municipality of Ceresole Reale; Municipality of Champorcher; Municipality of Rhêmes-Saint-Georges; Municipality of Villeneuve; Alpine Convention and Montura.
Info:
Luisa Vuillermoz – Artistic Director Tel. +39 3404759787 luisa.vuillermoz@grand-paradis.it
Marta Franceschetti – Press Office Tel. +39 3394776466 press@martafranceschetti.com
Gran Paradiso Film Festival Tel. +39 0165-75301 info@grand-paradis.it www.gpff.it