Writing on cinema
International call open to young under-30 graduates from all over the world with an excellent knowledge of spoken and written Italian language, researchers in Cinema, to write critical texts that will be collected in a publication of la Biennale di Venezia.
Research will be on the ground: the selected candidates will be invited to participate in the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
On the basis of the theme proposed by the Director of the Cinema Department, Alberto Barbera, the selected candidates will carry out in the Archives, guided by tutor, a search for sources and historical references, to write a text in Italian of a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 15 pages, from its first draft to the printed version.
A maximum of 4 candidates will be selected.
Three phases of research and activities are planned in Venice in the Biennale venues (Ca’ Giustinian, Lido di Venezia, Biennale Library at Giardini, Historical Archives at Vega)
Thanks to Swiss Seaside Foundation.
TITLE
The Venice International Film Festival, 1992–1996.
THEME
The 1990s at the Venice Biennale Film Festival were profoundly shaped by Gillo Pontecorvo’s (Pisa, 1919 – Rome, 2006) five-year tenure as artistic director, from 1992 to 1996. An internationally renowned director, known for a style that was at once minimalist yet personal and powerful, based on a dry, documentary-like approach and a strong sense of social critique, he had, despite a relatively limited body of work, already earned major acknowledgments by that time, including the 1966 Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Nastro d’Argento for Best Director for The Battle of Algiers (a masterpiece that was also nominated for three Oscars: Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Foreign Language Film), and later two David di Donatello Awards, for Queimada (1969) in 1970 and Ogro (1979) in 1980.
Initially appointed by President architect Paolo Portoghesi and the outgoing Board of La Biennale as curator for a single edition (1992) Pontecorvo was confirmed as Artistic Director of the Festival for the following four-year term (1993–1996) by the Board chaired by the great critic (and former director of the Festival) Gianluigi Rondi. At a time when the Cannes Film Festival was enjoying particular prestige (having awarded three consecutive Palmes d’Or from 1989 to 1991 to emerging American filmmakers such as Soderbergh, Lynch, and the Coen brothers), Italy responded by once again appointing a director to lead the Festival in order to revitalize it, as had been done in the previous decade under the leadership of Carlo Lizzani (1979–1982).
As Artistic Director of the Festival, Gillo Pontecorvo sought to leave his personal mark by first and foremost establishing the World Authors’ Assembly, a sort of permanent gathering of the greatest living filmmakers, who met in Lido to discuss and defend the quality and future of auteur cinema in the face of the excesses of commercialization. Pontecorvo also immediately set out to revitalize the area around the Palazzo del Cinema by attracting young people through the organization of rock concerts and the CinemAvvenire initiative, which provided accreditation and discounted accommodations for this audience, facilitating their dialogue with directors and actors through meetings and debates led by experts.
The film festivals directed by Pontecorvo showcased the most significant international auteur cinema of the 1990s, a period preceding the digital era that sought new paths both in terms of screenwriting (non-linear narratives) and in exploring new regions (the Far East and Oceania in particular).
Major American and international filmmakers arrive at Lido, including Robert Altman with America Today (which tied for the 1993 Golden Lion with Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors: Blue), Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron, Abel Ferrara, Gregg Araki, Julian Schnabel, Neil Jordan, Sally Potter, Michael Radford (whose Il postino, starring Massimo Troisi, was screened), Claude Chabrol, João Cèsar Monteiro, and Milčo Mančevski (Before the Rain, 1994 Golden Lion). Robert Zemeckis’s Forrest Gump (6 Oscars, including Best Picture) and Mel Gibson’s Braveheart (5 Oscars, including Best Picture) swept the Oscars. Far Eastern cinema takes center stage at the awards. Zhang Yimou’s The Story of Qiu Ju wins the 1992 Golden Lion. In 1994, the jury chaired by David Lynch boldly awards the Golden Lion to Vive l’amour by Taiwanese master Tsai Ming-liang. 1995 marked the year that former director Guglielmo Biraghi served as jury president, awarding the Golden Lion to Tran Anh Hung’s Cyclo. As for promising young talents from overseas, James Gray, brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski, Guillermo del Toro, and Bryan Singer made their debuts. Jane Campion returned from Oceania, and Peter Jackson, Lee Tamahori, and Rolf de Heer made their debuts. Several young Italian talents emerged during this period: Mario Martone, Carlo Virzì, and Antonio Capuano.
Among the innovations, it is worth mentioning the “Finestra sulle immagini” section, a sort of workshop dedicated to short, medium-length, and feature-length films, focused on the avant-garde and experimentation.
In 1993, during the presentation of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to Steven Spielberg, the American director (who was presenting Jurassic Park at that edition) made a grand gesture of affection toward Pontecorvo. Spielberg surprised him by returning the Golden Lion Pontecorvo had won for The Battle of Algiers, which he had sold at a charity auction years earlier, and which Spielberg had wanted to recover as a tribute to the man he considered one of his mentors.
Ultimately, the Venice Film Festival during Pontecorvo’s era, thanks in part to the unique personality of this director, unfolds as a compelling narrative, rich with chapters that are partly worth exploring in greater depth, partly worth rediscovering, and partly worth analyzing for insights that remain relevant today.
Tutor: Paolo Lughi
Graduated in Cinema History, journalist, he is Head of Institutional Press Office and Cinema of La Biennale di Venezia.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
First phase - from 1-13 September 2026
Participation in the activities scheduled within the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and beginning of research activities at the Historical Archive and Library guided by the tutor.
Second phase - from 19-23 October 2026
specific research activities at the Historical Archive and Library guided by the tutor;
deadline for sending the first draft of the text 02/11/2026
Third phase - from 9-13 November 2026
Analysis and in-depth study of the first draft of the text with the tutor at the Historical Archive and the Library;
The deadline for sending the final text is 13/12/2026.
Conditions and rules of participation
The international call is open to young under-30 graduates from all over the world with an excellent knowledge of spoken and written Italian language.
Attendance for the whole programme is mandatory for participation in the project.
A maximum of 4 candidates will be selected.
The selected participants will be hosted in shared apartments provided by la Biennale di Venezia.
La Biennale di Venezia will also provide participants with tickets for local public transport and meals (lunches).
Selected participants will be required to pay a registration fee in the amount of € 80 (VAT included, non-refundable), to be paid exclusively by credit card, after receiving the admission notification and, in any case, no later than the date to be specified.
Note: Applications will not be accepted from candidates selected in previous Biennale College ASAC - Writing in Residency editions.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Documentation
The documentation - which must be sent in Italian exclusively via the online form - consists of:
a) Curriculum vitae - please also specify:
a.1) Bachelor's/Master's degree or equivalent degree
a.2) thesis degree title, course of study
a.3) knowledge of spoken and written Italian - minimum required level C1
a.4) other languages known and level
b) submission of 2 texts
1 - cover letter (maximum length 2 pages)
2 - an essay, including bibliographical references, on the theme of the call (maximum length 2 pages)
Two selection phases are envisaged, the first on the basis of the requested documentation and the second by interview.
La Biennale di Venezia reserves the right in any case to modify, cancel or interrupt the initiative described above, in that the announcement or the selection do not constitute a binding contract for the same, nor do they entail the right to the reimbursement of any expense other than those specified above.
The integral acceptance of the conditions of the Biennale College Archivio – Writing in residency - Cinema call makes the application eligible.
Applications open on 3rd July 2026
Applications deadline: 26th July 2026