The magnificent Great Beauty 

La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) has been a hit since it was first screened in the Cannes Film Festival last year. It took the press by storm and has been described Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentio’s best film yet. What’s more, this visually spectacular film recently won the best foreign film award at Golden Globe.

It’s an intriguing story about the carefree life of Jep Gambardella, a celebrity journalist, squandering his talent his one and only novel brought him. The filmmaker's muse, Toni Carallo plays the film's protagonist, and seduces the viewers about the pleasures of upper class lifestyle and fame. Foremost the narrative is as much about the portrait of Gambardella's grandiose home city and his solitary life. 

In the opening scene, a Chinese tourist drops dead to the magnificent Italian opera overlooking the spectacular Rome. Was it the sight of the grand city that pulled that last smile on his face or something else; we are left to wonder. Sound has a significant role in the narrative. Amidst the hedonistic disco scene the melancholic side of Jep Gambardella is revealed.

However, after Jep's 65^th his life takes an unexpected turn. Emotionally unattached, he continues attending high profile private events and uses his connections for secret visits to the city museums, enjoying the privileges of his profession. Gradually Gambardella's weakness and great obsession for beauty keeps grows.

Throughout the film Gambardella recollects his reflections of his first and lost love. It's during the late night walks in the city centre when his age and loneliness creep in. Despite it he meets many mysterious characters: a retired stripper, priest, nun with whom all he connects in his mecca - rooftop flat next to the grandiose Colousseum.

 

If are a fan of art house films, original stories then I highly recommend watching The Great Beauty. You won’t be disappointed it. It’s a thought provoking film with fine acting from Toni Servillo playing Jep Gambardella. 

Pictures credits:  http://www.everymancinema.com/cinemas/leeds/mon-30-09-13/the-great-beauty

My second night at the Tartuff love film festival.  

Previous memories of warm summer nights in Tartu had been replaced by a rather nippy weather. Many eager film lovers were present early again but this time wrapped in thick rainproof coats and blankets. 

Ever since I saw the program of Tartuff festival I was determined to see this particular film. Mainly because it is a foreign film depicting elements of real life situations in Arab countries. 

Where do we go now? is an excellent production by a female filmmaker who also stars as one of the main characters in the film. Nadine Labaki, a Lebanese director collected many awards with this film that portrays suffering and optimism in this isolated village where Muslims and Christians live together. It is a heart-warming and a humorous tale where a love interest emerges on the backdrop between a local bar owner, a beautiful widow and her charming decorator.

The film’s title was always in the spotlight telling the story how the wives joint forces and try avoiding violence occuring between the two religious parties. To me the most suprising moment was seeing one of the eldery widows washing his son with his daughter present in a rather modern bathroom. 

As a whole it is a long film. But the amusement brought by wives, widows and daughters to the remote and scenic location maintains a constant flow and viewers interest. Despite the religious conflict the film illustrates how faith and collectivism preserve life hopeful in this village. 

To me this film was definitely one of the best choices in Tartuff with a different approach on love. 

Interview with the filmmaker about the film. 

http://www.sonyclassics.com/wheredowegonow/presskit.pdf

Tartu love film festival Tartuff returns for its 7th year

6.-11th August 2012

"On love, with love. We can always dream, and sometimes, when you know how to put the vision into words, it’s said, dreams come true…... So, then, let's all set our minds to thinking about love – with love." 

It is a beautiful time to gather in southern Estonia where the annual love film festival takes place. During the warm and long summer nights the country's second biggest city, Tartu attracts many locals and visitors to enjoy the open air film festival. The program features over 24 films screened mostly at the town hall square. It is my second time at this festival, only this year I will be part of the volunteers brigage!

"With the help of leaders and visionaries in their respective fields, we’d like to turn it into a city wide cultural festival where the various fine arts would meet on the streets, squares and back lots. This year is the pilot project, with Town Hall Square and the films screened there still at the centre, but thanks to the leadership of Helen Sildna, we will also see youth ensembles (mainly from Tartu and vicinity) perform in courtyards and cafes. Berk Vaher has been invited to the Paulig tent to lively up Tartu’s summer literary life, and the city’s own stand-up comedians will take the stage. Young landscape architect Mari Rohtla will enrich the cityscape with her interactive landscape and urban architecture installations,"
says Tiina Lokk, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival's director.

Earlier this sumer I took part of the Isola International Film Festival in Slovenia. I founded it a rewarding experience mainly because of the festival's low key exposure and relaxed atmosphere. Over the 5 days I watched many great films from vivid Bollywood cinema to documentaries about urban life, met few film critics and chatted to some of the filmmakers.

In a way Tartuff embodies a similar notion of a film festival as the one in Isola. Tartu is a relatively small university city, where many interesting art and culture events are being hosted for various age groups. This year the Tartu Music Week and Prima Vesta literature festival will also be part of the overall program. Georges Méliès science fiction film, A Trip to the Moon will be the opening film at the Tartuff.


For further information about the festival and program

http://2012.tartuff.ee/eng/home

An artist’s dream?

Until yesterday I was very keen on moving to Berlin because of the city’s carefree reputation and the many artists it attracts. But this idea started to fade when I immersed myself to the world of Station Topolò in my research for this article. 

 

Yesterday afternoon, fashionably late, I went to the picnic with a mission. But first I had to throw away this invisible ‘journalist hat’ and enjoy a glass of local red wine. While swinging along the groovy dance beats in this idyllic beachside spot, I already spotted some familiar faces. But my mission was to find out what is Station Topolò and what exactly happens in this ‘artistic paradise’? The two Italian artists, Donatella Ruttar and Anja Medved kindly shared their story of Topolò, even though I had not seen the movies about it.

Anja Medved, director of both films, talks about her journey to the station, a place she first joined as a spectator and where later on she presented her work. From there the snowball started to roll, she immersed herself in the task to capture the essence of this village and the Station Topolò’s. But what really stood out for me was when Medved said that the film it is not a documentary but rather an attempt trying to catch the spirit of the station and of the village that have grown into a one union over the years.  On the other hand, the most fascinating part of the film is that it features material shot by local youngsters aged 12 to 18 who grew up with the Station.  In the end “I also made an interview with them and asked how they imagine Topolò in 50 years,” said Medved. 

Until today the village of Topolò, which is tucked away in Italy next to the border of Slovenia, is still alive because of the ‘station’.  There are no shops, no bars and even finding a way to this remote location can be a mission. Donatella Ruttar, who founded the Station Topolo about 20 years ago with Moreno Miorelli, describes that the essence of the station was to “ make this the centre of the world and try to articulate this idea of ourselves.” She also adds that the idea is “all about sharing.”

Honestly at this point I cannot think of a better place where to dive into the artistic world and let the creative juices flow. How is it possible that there is a paradise for artists? Yet you have to support yourself to an extent but from an artist’s point of view: fantastic weather conditions, a roof over your head, a space for making your art and delicious Italian food from kind residents. This all sounds good enough for me to guarantee motivation.

But to join the community there is one requirement, in smooth terms. Just as Adam and Eve in the paradise had to stick to a rule, Medved noted that the art there should reflect the spirit of the village and the location. Ruttar corrected me when I classified the gathering with artists in July as a festival. In station Topolò, she said, they don’t classify things but they just do them.  Nowadays apart from the gathering during the summer month the only people who reside there are locals, and occasionally writers and poets.  

In the end Ruttar kindly thanked me. For a moment I did think, do I really want to spread the word about this little creative hub called station or not? But why not? It is not like I know where it exactly locates, which I think is the beauty of this village. 


Published in Otok Daily brochure, in association with Pina for Isola International Film Festival 2012. 
http://www.pina.si/otokdaily/

Koen's curtains

If film festivals are supposed to establish an interconnection among the audience, the press, the filmmakers, this is particularly true Kino OTOK, this elements having remained as the core of the festival for the past 8 years.

On a bright morning I met up with Koen Van Daele who is one of the programmers for the Isola International Film Festival. With the echo of children's laughter on a background van Daele dives into to the conversation clearly with a strong passion for film. »I am very much an old school believer in author cinema. So I believe that there is a person or a group of persons who are behind the film, so that is not a product, something which has grown on to the market and is there to sell and entertain. That it is an artefact, that it is a work of somebody with a vision and an idea to bring those ideas to the screen.»

Van Daele shares that he has been surrounded by films since his youth: from watching Austrian and catasthrope movies in the 70s to attending a film school in Brussels where he shortly after also got involved in writing about films. But he adds that his interest into films »took on many many different shapes and changed a lot. But I keep on being interested in very very different types of cinema«, from watching great Hollywood to Bollywood movies.

Listening to him I find that he almost portrays a visual image of the atmosphere in the 19th century «when the curtains roll open« and the moment when the filmmaker 'will tell you' something. He adds that this is totally lost today. All of a sudden I find myself taking a step back in my mind and thinking about my first experience with cinema. I remember in my home in southern Estonia the film nights took place at a local cultural house, where before the film screening the worn black curtains were pulled on a side and the screen rolled down. To an extent I agree with him and miss the notion of visiting a cinema as if watching a spectacle.

He has been a programer at Cinemathek in Ljubljana for 6 years now and coordinated many special programms. It was his position as a programmer for the documentary section in Kino OTOK that established his link with the Isola International Film Festival. He explains that as a programmer one of the key things for him is always to see the film and imagine the public before it is there.

Van Daele uses Yorgos Lanthimos film Alps as an example, explaining that what makes it a very strong film is »the language that it invents in a way. The total freshness of ideas, cinematic ideas. So its not that so much a tool to convey messages but that as a way of expression. To me film is really an art. Even it is also something to make money.»

When touching on the atmosphere he notes that »the goal here was that they (the directors) would be here the full period from the beginning to the end. And that we would also try to create a certain level of complicity between filmmakers, audience, critics and that we would all be part of the same thing.« The notion of no division and that of experiencing the festival as a collective way are deeply embedded in the connection the event establishes with its visitors. And what I have gathered over the last few days is that it still for the filmakers one of the most memorable festival experiences.

From my side I am still experiencing this euphoria moment. Like really? Was it the director of the Whore's glory whom I have seen when enjoying my morning splash at the local beach this week? And to be honest for me it was enough. Because this is what I enjoy here in Isola the most, we share s space where there are no barries no fences and no 'media hats'. I could actually say this experience for me is an invisible autogram by a renowed filmmaker.  

Published in Otok Daily brochure, in association with Pina for Isola International Film Festival 2012. 
http://www.pina.si/otokdaily/

Text: Katre Laan

Image: Blanca Selas Chao