The Board of Directors of the Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta, has approved the outline of the project for the Biennale College – Cinema, which will be set in motion in the coming months.

The objective is to associate the Venice Film Festival with a specialization workshop open to young filmmakers from around the world, for the production of low-budget films. The challenge is to succeed in creating, at the conclusion of a series of year-long activities, 3 feature-length audio-visual works.

The Biennale College – Cinema, though inspired by existing models of directing workshops, will be “ground-breaking” and will fill a gap in the current supply of educational opportunities: it will not compete with but complete the activities of film schools around the world.

This is a project of decisive importance. As a result, the Cinema Sector of the Biennale returns with an original new configuration, launching a programme of Permanent Activities “beyond the Venice Film Festival”, with the same commitment to develop new creative energies for artistic production that inspires the Biennale College in all the Sectors of this institution.

“The Biennale di Venezia - stated President Baratta – thereby intends to become a national and international point of reference for creativity in each artistic discipline, including cinema, by welcoming the great masters along with young talents, and offering them opportunities to develop a productive future”.

The objective of the workshop is also to advance research into micro and low-budget productions, which in this time of crisis have become one of the few possibilities for young talents to experiment with feature-length films. The project will also offer online distribution of the works, thereby addressing one of the most sensitive issues in independent filmmaking today: visibility.

 

The 69th Venice International Film Festival (29 August – 8 September 2012) will also mark the debut of the new Light Market, which should give particular momentum to the Industry Office, working towards the creation of a new structure as an actual Market (which in the earliest phases must necessarily be light) that can better respond to the needs and expectations of producers, distributors, buyers, sellers, agents and film promotion agencies.

The main goal is to attract professionals from around the world, by offering them the structure and organization that will allow them to build enough business to justify the investment of coming to Venice.

The first step will consist in increasing the possibility for buyers of viewing and buying the films offered by vendors via the Video Library, besides the ones already viewed at the Venice International Film Festival.

The Market spaces will contain a three-fold structure: the Video Library, the Business Center and the Industry Club.

A four-year programme will be started for the Industry Office/Light Market in the venues currently available and it will be accomplished in the new facilities inside the new building.

Meetings are currently being held between the Biennale and the public institutions – with a new unity of intent between the various subjects and administrations involved – to define a plan concerning the urban renewal of the area dedicated to the Venice Film Festival on the Lido, with the construction of a new, smaller and more functional structure, and the ongoing renovation of the spaces as planned in the programme proposed by the Biennale and approved by the Conference of Services held on 22 July 2011.

 

The Board of Directors has approved the Regulations of the 69th Venice International Film Festival, following the recommendations of the new Director Alberto Barbera.

 

The new Regulations include in particular:

The lighter programme of the Venice Film Festival, which will become more selective, will ensure that each selected film will have a better slot in the schedule and increased visibility, greater possibilities for additional screenings with more comfortable viewing conditions for the public and professionals and is coherent with the current programmes for the renovation of the spaces.

 

Sections, Juries and Awards

Venezia 69

International competition with no more than 20 feature-length films presented as world premiere screenings.

 

Out of Competition presents some of the most significant works of the year, with a maximum of 11 titles, in particular films directed by authors of recognized importance who have participated in Competition at the Venice International Film Festival. The midnight slot will screen some of the films in the Out of Competition section, though no more than 3 titles with characteristics that make them appropriate for this particular projection time. The selection is open exclusively to full-length feature films presented at the Venice Film Festival as world premiere screenings. This rule may be waived under exceptional circumstances, for films that have not yet been screened in public outside the country of origin.

 

A competitive selection of films that are representative of the many trends and components of contemporary film. Debut films and full-length feature films from the fringes, as well as works that tackle current genres and production, with the intent of producing innovation and creative originality. The Orizzonti section will also host a competitive selection of short films lasting a maximum of 20 minutes, selected on the basis of quality and originality of language and creative approach. The selection is open exclusively to feature-length and short films presented as world premieres at the Venice Film Festival. This rule may be waived under exceptional circumstances, for films that have not yet been shown in public outside the country of origin.

 

 

A series of no more than 8 films – debut works – independently organized by a commission appointed by the Italian National Film Critics’ Syndicate (SNCCI) on the basis of their own regulations.

 

A series of no more than 12 films independently promoted by the Italian filmmakers’ associations ANAC and 100 Autorion the basis of their own regulations.

 

Juries and Awards

An International Jury of 7 to 9 personalities from the world of cinema and culture from various countries, excluding any person involved in any capacity in the production of the films in the selection or who may have an interest in their distribution, will award the following prizes for the feature films, with no ex-aequo awards allowed (except for the Coppa Volpi and the Premio Mastroianni):

   - Prize for best screenplay

   - Prize for best technical contribution

 

An International Jury of 5 to 7 personalities from the world of cinema and culture from various countries, excluding any person involved in any capacity in the production of the films in the selection or who may have an interest in their distribution, will award the following prizes, with no ex-aequo awards allowed:

All the debut feature-length films presented in the various competitive sections of the Venice Film Festival (Official Selection and Independent and Parallel Sections) will be eligible for the Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film. An International Jury of 5 personalities from the world of cinema and culture from various countries, including one producer, will award a prize of 100,000 US dollars, donated by Filmauro, to be divided equally between the director and producer (no ex-aequo awards allowed).

 

The Director will make a recommendation to the President and the Board of Directors to award one Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement (under exceptional circumstances two Lions may be awarded).

 

Consultants, Experts and Correspondents

For the selection process, the Director of the Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera will rely on the following Consultants and Experts:

 The Correspondents for the Venice Film Festival around the world are:

  · USA, Canada: Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan

  · South America: Violeta Bava

  · China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea: Elena Pollacchi

  · Southeast Asia: Paolo Bertolin

  · Russia: Petr Shepotinnik

  · Arab Countries: Viola Shafik

  · Iran: Mohammad Atebbai

 

 

The Management of the Hotel Excelsior on the Lido has announced that the renovation scheduled for the premises will take place in phases starting in October 2012 and will continue throughout the winter months and not beyond. This will make it possible for the Hotel to open as usual during the summer season, with the same number of rooms as always.