Religion Today Film Festival

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THE WINNERS OF RELIGION TODAY 2007
Rome, Thursday 18 October 2007 The winners of the tenth edition of the Religion Today Film Festival have been named. Proceedings drew to a close this afternoon in Rome, host city of the first film festival dedicated to dialogue between religions, with the awards ceremony at the Sala Marconi in the Vatican City. In the presence of padre Federico Lombardi, the Deputy Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Holy See, the Deputy Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Italy, the event opened with a concert by the Italo-American guitarist Anthony Mazzella; there followed greetings by Massimo Manservigi and Lia G. Beltrami, president and artistic director of Religion Today respectively, a speech by Franca Coen, Councillor of the Mayor of Rome for multi-ethnic and inter-cultural policy, who underlined Rome City Council’s commitment to inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue, expressing the wish that the films of Religion Today, which have also been shown in schools, continue to educate people about other cultures. Also present were many of the participants in the workshop on cinema and religion organized by the Festival on the occasion of its tenth anniversary. For three days the Centro Nazareth in via Portuense played host to the International Jury of Religion Today 2007 and over 60 filmmakers, actors, and directors of important film festivals from over 15 countries worldwide (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Brazil, Canada, USA, France, Italy, Holland, Poland, Hungary, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Spain, South Africa, Israel). The “living workshop” organized as always by Religion Today confirmed how cinema is capable of acting as a go-between in order to bring people, nations and religions together. After 10 years of experience in dealing with professionals in the audio-visual field of communications, Religion Today sought to delve deeper into the themes discussed in previous editions, embarking on important moments of debate and sharing experiences on issues relating to the nature of and distribution of religious cinema. Both the workshop and awards ceremony saw the participation of the Polish filmmaker Kryzstof Zanussi, several times prize-winner of Religion Today Film Festival and jury member in 2005. “The Religion Today Festival – declared the master filmmaker - is aimed at those rare souls in the world of audio-visual communication who state their opinions on spiritual values and more precisely religious themes. Those of us who deal with religion in art, used to being sidelined and alone, thanks to this festival can meet others, like Don Quixote, working in the same direction: and this is already something worthwhile in itself. This year another significant fact is that many animators of festivals of this kind have finally been able to meet: thanks to this opportunity there will be more coordination and sharing of information. Perhaps this new century will re-examine the spiritual dimension. Today this seems to be a long way away, but thanks to the Festival and all those who seek to swim against the tide”. Don Mario Gretter, an export in inter-religious dialogue, presented the results of the first part of the workshop, dedicated to the cinematic representation of religious experience and its possible contribution to the cause of dialogue. “Among the ideas for reflections which emerged from a rich and varied discussion from many viewpoints - explained Gretter – the first point, widely shared, regards the question of authenticity, in its different aspects: sincerity and honesty towards oneself as an artist, being faithful to the religious content, and objectivity or neutrality in documentary making”. Another need which emerged from the discussion, totally in-keeping with the orientation of the Festival, is that of not diluting the heart of the message: “in this sense the temptation of seeking refuge in political correctness in the hope of not offending anyone should be shunned. The real challenge is that of recognizing differences, avoiding syncretism, in order to come to terms with it rather than trying to find a shallow common denominator”. In her speech Gilli Mendel, director of the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival who has collaborated with Religion Today for many years, summed up the results of the other workshop section, mostly composed of festival directors and workers in the field of communication, on the question of distributing religious cinema. “There were more questions than answers which emerged from our group’s work. The first concerns the difference between religious cinema and cinema which deals with religions: and many other questions arise from this basic one. Nonetheless, we all acknowledge that the common aim of our work is that of promoting a better understanding of mankind, or ourselves. We endeavour to better understand each other and broaden our horizons. The experience of our group has proved that this is possible.” Durino the course of the ceremony, Padre Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Office, accepted a gift from the Festival and gave his best wishes to the organizers. “As the director of Vatican Radio, which is playing host to this event, I have to offer my heartfelt admiration and appreciation for this undertaking. I know that for 10 years you have been working positively for dialogue between religions, urging us all to strive for peace. We know how much Pope John Paul II in his prayers in Assisi supported this commitment, and also Pope Benedict XVI follows this line of thought. Radio Vatican tries to work towards this ideal. We are convinced that we should encourage bringing individuals, cultures and peoples together: in this we fully approve of the spirit in which Religion Today operates. The same goes for the Vatican Press Office: we feel that we really are on the same wavelength of inter-religious dialogue which we strive to continue together.” The International Jury, composed of Gilad Goldschmidt (filmmaker, Israel), Sydne Rome (actress, USA), Magali Van Reeth (representative of SIGNIS, France), Mojtaba Raie (filmmaker, Iran), Enzo Sisti (producer, Italy), then confered the following awards: • Religion Today Award “In the Spirit of the Faith” to “The Sun Shines on All Equally” by Abbas Rafei, Iran: A marvellous film which offers a story of faith which goes beyond religion. An affirmation that God is everywhere. The story of two women of different faiths searching for the truth. A film full of mystery interpreted by two extraordinary actresses. • Best feature film to “M for Mother” by the Iranian director Rasoul Mollagholipour, who recently passed away: A film which offers the public an in-depth understanding of the consequences of war, especially in the time of chemical weapons, a problem which should not be forgotten. Families of every religion share the problem of handicapped children. This film teaches us that the only way to rise above such problems and live a normal life is through unity and love. • Best documentary to “Yoel, Israel & Pashkavils” by Lina Chaplin, Israel: A film which offers us a glimpse of a world which would otherwise be unknown to us. The true sentiment of this Festival is that discovering unknown identities, even if not always in harmony with each other, is the first step towards mutual understanding, an opening towards dialogue, and lastly, towards achieving peace. • Best short film to “Milagros” by Javier Figuero, Spain: A film which offers a fresh and surprising look at divine providence and the miracle, something which is present in nearly all the films. Religion Today then presented a token of its appreciation to Krzsystof Zanussi, Anthony Mazzella and the Iranian Institute of Culture. Similarly, an award in memory of Michelangelo Antonioni was accepted by his widow Enrica; Marta Chieffo also accepted a gift in memory of her husband Claudio, a previous guest and collaborator of the Festival. The ceremony continued with the RELIGION YESTERDAY award by CINIT. Now in its 6th edition, the award, conferred on a filmmaker of the past who distinguished himself in his work in terms of cultural and poetic interest in religion, this year went to the memory of the master of Indian cinema Satyajit Ray. The following special award winners were also announced: • WOMEN AND RELIGION, awarded by the Town Council of Arco, to “The Sun Shines on All Equally” by Abbas Rafei, Iran; • ART AND RELIGION, awarded by the Fraternity of Nomadelfia, to “The Saint ” by Oleg Kovachev and Goran Blagoev, Bulgaria; • FRATERNITÀ NOMADELFIA, awarded by the Fraternity of Nomadelfia, to “Sowing in Tears” by Norman Servais, South Africa; • INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE “IN MEMORY OF DON SILVIO FRANCH” to “Jesus, the Spirit of God” by Nader Talbzadeh, Iran; • RELIGION TODAY “DON TONINO BELLO” ex aequo to “God is Close” by Ali Vazirian, Iran, and “Un Noel au Tibet” by Jean-Baptiste Warluzel, Falk van Gaver e Constantin de Slizewic, France; • PORTRAITS - IN MEMORY OF MASSIMO PREVEDELLO to “ Luce Verticale” by Salvatore Presti, Italy; • SCHOOL AND RELIGION, awarded by the student jury of Ferrara, ex aequo to “Parparim” by Jaap Van Heudsen, Israel-Holland, and “ Perfect World” by Diego D’Innocenzo and Marco Leopardi, Italy; • RELIGION AND HUMAN RIGHTS, awarded by the student jury of Ferrara, to “Posada” by Mark McGregor, USA Also present at the ceremony was a delegation of Mennonites (Amish), Anabaptist protestants, who also had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI during the course of the morning. The documentary film “A Perfect World” by Marco Leopardi and Diego D’Innocenzo is dedicated to the Mennonite comminuties of Central America, at the crossroads of tradition and opening towards modernity. Religion Today continues with more screenings and meetings at which the special prizes will be awarded in the various host cities of the Festival now in its tenth year (Arco 19 October; Nomadelfia 19 October; Trento 20 October; Ferrara 25 October). At the end of a whole week of cinema and reflection in Milan, on Saturday 27 October the following special prizes will be conferred by the citizens’ jury: LINGUISTIC RESEARCH, awarded by the Dipartimento di Scienze della Comunicazione e dello Spettacolo dell'Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and COMPASSION, awarded by the City of Milan to the film which best represents the specific theme of the festival, this year dedicated to the theme “Conflict and Compassion along Paths of Faith”. Religion Today Press Office Via S. Croce 63, 38100 Trento Tel. e Fax +39.0461.981853 http://www.religionfilm.com email: religion.today@gmail.com
RELIGION TODAY AT THE MILESTONE OF ITS TENTH EDITION
Trento, September 29th 2007 It’s been ten years since Religion Today came into being. A good reason why this year’s festival will take on a particularly rich mantle. The Religion Today Film Festival began in Trento in 1997 as the first film festival in the world dedicated solely to dialogue between religions. Since then over one thousand films from every continent have been entered into the competition, which has established itself as an important occasion for discussion and sharing experiences on how the language of cinema lends itself to communicating the religious dimension. Alongside the competition another aspect of the festival has developed, that of a “living workshop” between filmmakers and cinematographic experts of different faiths and nationalities, intended as a way of “exploring the differences” in order to bring people together, enhancing the wealth of differences between them which no ‘easy’ dialogue can ignore or knowingly suppress. This year the Religion Today project has found new support thanks to the generosity of its numerous sponsors and patrons, both public and private who had faith in the festival and in the values it seeks to promote. On the eve of its tenth birthday Religion Today’s traditional host cities have been pushed to the limit of their capacity whilst we have received interesting proposals from new places, both in Italy and abroad. In Italy Religion Today is preparing to celebrate this milestone edition with a dense programme all over Trento and the surrounding province (5-20 October), Bolzano (4 October), Rome (16-18 October), Milan (21-28 October), Nomadelfia – Grosseto (19 October, 28 November-1 December) and Ferrara (21 and 25 October). The centrality of Rome, which - without diminishing the importance of Trento where the festival began - will highlight the dimension of sharing a convivial experience of comparison and fusion under the guidance of the Polish director Krysztof Zanussi, while Milan will host the in-depth study seminars at which the participation of prestigious scholars and international guests is envisaged. Furthermore the on-going work to create a network of film festivals interested in enhancing the profile of religious cinema. The network of contacts has widened for this 2007 edition and includes collaborations with the Mostra de Cinema e Religião, San Paolo, Brazil and the Dhaka International Film Festival in Bangladesh. A new logo, the result of a long journey of reflection and at the same time, the synthesis of a greater project, which is aimed at giving more emphasis to the spiritual dimension of the festival itself. The tenth anniversary edition is also characterised by the record number of films entered – over 150 - and the higher than average artistic quality of works. Given the number and standard of works entered, for the first time the selection committee decided to increase from 40 to 47 the number of films in competition. A further 4 films, technically excluded as they were made before 2005, have been admitted but are not in competition as they were judged to be particularly interesting. The chosen films - 11 feature-length films, 14 shorts and 22 documentaries - come from 19 nations on three continents (Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Iran, Indonesia, Italia, Israel, Poland, the United Kingdom, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, U.S.A.), and represent the world’s major religions (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mazdaism, Mennonites, Waldesians, Christianity in its Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant versions). Several important famous people from the world of cinema and religion will help to make the programme of intense events special. Starting with the international and multi-faith Jury, which includes Sydne Rome - actress, Gilad Goldschmidt - filmmaker, Magali Van Reeth - cinema critic and SIGNIS representative, Mojtaba Raie – filmmaker, and Enzo Sisti – producer. Relations with schools continue to grow and the number of screenings reserved for students has increased. There will also be the unprecedented student jury made up of 63 students from 9 different high schools around Ferrara whose important contribution to Religion Today will be the delicate task of choosing the films they mot identify with. This year’s theme, “Compassion: conflict and compassion along paths of faith”, seemed to be the most apt at illustrating the nature of the festival’s ten-year journey. “Compassion" is an underestimated word in both human and religious terms, whose subtleties make it worthy of deeper consideration. "Compassion" indicates a sensation of “feeling together”, being on the same wavelength, breaking down those barriers which we all create to defend ourselves from a possible enemy and beginning to follow paths leading towards common ground; those which cross the inner spirit of men and of God. “Compassion” means sharing without eliminating the 'difference' which makes us all ‘unique and inimitable’. It is the happy medium between fundamentalism and losing one’s identity. The basis of real dialogue and maybe a genuine encounter with God. Religion Today Press Office Via S. Croce 63, 38100 Trento Tel. e Fax +39.0461.981853 http://www.religionfilm.com email: religion.today@gmail.com
FILMS SELECTED FOR THE TENTH EDITION OF RELIGION TODAY
Trento, August 27th 2007 Some 150 films were entered for the tenth edition of Religion Today, the International Festival of Cinema and Religion. Given the quantity and quality of the films, for the first time the selection committee decided to raise the number of works entered for the competition from 40 to 47. A further 4 films, which according to the regulations could not be included as they were produced before 2005, have been admitted but not in competition since they are of particular interest. The 47 films chosen, representing the main world religions (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mazdaism, Mennonites, Waldesians, Christianity (in all its versions: Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant), come from 20 nations of three continents (Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Indonesia, Iran, Northern Ireland, Israel, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, U.S.A., U.K.). The films are as follows according to category. 11 feature films: 48 ANGELS by Marion Comer (United Kingdom); BEYOND THE SKY by Fereidoun Hassanpour (Iran); GOD IS CLOSE by Ali Vazirian (Iran); JESUS, THE SPIRIT OF GOD by Nader Talebzadeh (Iran); L’INCHIESTA by Giulio Base (Italy/Spain/U.S.A./Bulgaria); LA MIA CANZONE by Altizio Sante (Italy); LE MELE DI ADAMO by Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark); M FOR MOTHER by Rasoul Mollagholipour (Iran); THE FATHER OF CHEMISTRY by Javad Afshar (Iran); THE SUN SHINES ON ALL EQUALLY by Abbas Rafei (Iran); TWILIGHT by Ghasem Jafari (Iran). 14 shorts: ENDLESS JOURNEY by Khalid Mahmood Mithu (Bangladesh/Myanmar/Korea); GHEFLAT by Saeed Motarassed (Iran); MASHI AND MASHIANEH by Hassan Naghashi (Iran); MAYBE SOMEWEHERE ELSE by Davoud Jalili (Iran); MILAGROS by Javier Figuero (Spagna); PARPARIM by Jaap Van Heudsen (Israel); QUANDO MADRE TERESA ERA GONXHE by Ylli Pepo (Albania); SOLDIER by Soheila Javaheri (Afghanistan); STAYING BAREFOOT TILL THE DAYBREAK by Ghasem Ansari (Iran); THE MOONLIGHT PRAYER by Mehdi Rahmani (Iran); THE RETURN by Naor Gilad (Israele); THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY by Mohsen Barmahani (Iran); UNFINISHED by Arun K. Vir (U.S.A.); VITA DI GIACOMO by Luca e Diego Governatori (France). 22 documentaries: DOCTOR HAASS by Alexandr Kuprin and Mikhail Volfkovich (Russia); FILM FANATIC by Shlomo Hazan (Israel); IL CIBO DELL’ANIMA by Piero Cannizzaro (Italy; IN SEARCH OF TRUTH by Deiren Masterson (Canada); LITTLE BROTHER - CHARLES DE FOUCAULD by Krzysztof Zurowski (Poland); LUCE VERTICALE. ROSARIO LIVATINO. IL MARTIRIO by Salvatore Presti (Italy); MEVLANA THE SEVEN PIECES OF ADVICE by Krzysztof Zurowski (Poland); MY CAREER IN THE CHURCH by Catherine Ulmer López (Italy/Spain); PADRE ALEGRIA by Marek Polacek (Slovakis); PICTURING MARY by Martin Johnson (U.K./U.S.A.); POSADA by Mark McGregor (U.S.A.); QUANDO L'AMORE SI FA DONO by Carlo and Paola De Biase (Italy); ROSSO PORPORA by Mohammed Soudani (Switzerland); SOWING THE TEARS by Norman Servais (South Africa); STORIA DI ABRAMO FIGLIO DI TERACH by Alberto Castellani (Italy); THE BUDDHA RESIDES AT BOROBUDUR by Marselli Sumarno (Indonesia); THE BULGARIAN PRESENCE IN THE ETERNAL CITY by Maria Trayanova (BULGARIA); THE MONASTERY by Chester Dent (U.S.A.); THE SAINT by Oleg Kovachev and Goran Blagoev (Bulgaria); UN MONDO PERFETTO by Diego D'Innocenzo and Marco Leopardi (Italy); UN NOËL AU TIBET by Jean-Baptiste Warluzel, Falk van Gaver and Constantine de Slizewic (France); YOEL, ISRAEL & PASHKAVILS by Lina Chaplin (Israel). Not in competition: MAN DANCIN’ by Norman Stone (feature film, U.K.); RACCONTO DI NATALE by Alessandro Trettenero (short, Italy); FONTENAY MINUTE D’ETERNITÉ by Louis Blazy (documentary, France); UN ANGOLO DI TIBET by Marco Leopardi (documentary, Italy). From among the films in competition the international and multi-faith Festival Jury, including Sydne Rome - actress, Gilad Goldschmidt - filmmaker, Magali Van Reeth - film critic and representative of SIGNIS, Motabye Raie – filmmaker, and Enzo Sisti – producer, will award the Grand Prize “IN THE SPIRIT OF FAITH” and the awards for the best film of each category. The winners will be announced on 18 October in the Sala Marconi at the Vatican City. According to Festival tradition, the following special prizes on a theme will be awarded: * WOMEN AND RELIGION - By the Municipality of Arco - Trento (Arco 19 October) * NOMADELFIA FRATERNITY IN MEMORY OF MASSIMO PREVEDELLO - by the Nomadelfia Fraternity (Nomadelfia 19 October) * INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE “IN MEMORY OF DON SILVIO FRANCH” RELIGION TODAY “DON TONINO BELLO” ART AND RELIGION (Trento 20 October) * SCHOOLS and RELIGION RELIGION and HUMAN RIGHTS - the prize will be awarded by a jury of 68 students from different high schools, who will choose the film on a religious theme which is most suitable for a young audience (Ferrara 25 October) * LINGUISTIC RISEARCH - awarded by the Dipartimento di Scienze della Comunicazione e dello Spettacolo, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore COMPASSION: THE THEME OF THIS YEAR – confered by the City of Milan to the film which best represents the specific theme of the festival, this year dedicated to “Compassion - Conflict and Compassion along Paths of Faith” (Milan 27 October). Religion Today Press Office Via S. Croce 63, 38100 Trento Tel. e Fax +39.0461.981853 http://www.religionfilm.com email: religion.today@gmail.com
TOWARDS THE TENTH EDITION
Trento, November 23th 2006 The 9th edition has closed less then a month ago, but the works for the tenth edition are already in progress: the international festival of cinema and religion Religion Today is setting up a year dense with events and great news. Born in Trento in the 1998 as the first cinematographic festival in the world focused on the dialogue between different faiths, RT fosters a vision that brings value to the differences to fight against preconcepts and prove that living together is possible. The 2006 edition has crossed 4 continents with 45 great movies, giving a voice to artistic and religious experiences that hardly fit in the international cinematographic circuits and gathering in Trento directors, producers and people of faith willing to debate about their own and others’ beliefs. Now, RT starts again from Nomadelfia, first step of a journey which will lead the Festival also in Jerusalem and Rome. From November 30th to December 2th, for the third consecutive year, RT will be in the tuscan community “Nomadelfia”: 300 persons – 50 families – that live together following the word of Gospel in a little village near Grosseto, Italy. At Nomadelfia RT will organize three days of religious cinema with a selection of the movies in contest during the last edition of the Festival. The event involves also CINIT (Cineforum Italiano) and COE (Centro Orientativo Educativo), which for the last 20 years has been promoting the cinematographic productions from the South of the World. On December 1st, the RT artistic director Lia G. Beltrm,i will present her book “A ritroso verso la luce. Cinema e vita sulla rotta dei Magi ” (“Backward to the light. Cinema and life along the journey of the Magi”) at the Centro di Spiritualità e Cultura (Center for Spirituality and Culture) “Papa Luciani” of S. Giustina, in Belluno, Italy. On December 7th, invited by Dean Tadeus Lewicki, RT will attend the international conference on cinema and education organized by the Department Of Communication Sciences of the Pontificia Salesiana University Of Rome; the Festival is among the few realities of its kind to which the organizers asked to report on its history of success and to contribute to the discussion on the topic of the conferences. RT, always warmly welcomed in the Israeli capital, from December 16th to December 19th will attend for the seventh consecutive year the Jewish Film Festival of Jerusalem. The collaboration is due to the will of Lia Van Leer, founder of the Israeli Cineteque and of the Jewish Film Festival, which catalogue even this year will have a section about RT. Moreover, Lia Beltrami has been asked to join the jury of such a relevant event for the Jewish identity. Meanwhile, the great news for the tenth edition are developing: in 2007 RT will double by extending to a full month of movies and workshops the traditional meeting in Trento, and by organizing in Rome a rich celebrative section in collaboration with the Vatican University. There will be three days of movies, conferences, debates and workshops on cinematographic technique and the communication of religious values. Moreover, the many fans of the Festival have a new chance to express their support. On November 23rd, indeed, it was founded the Association Amici di Religion Today (Friends of Religion Today Association) that has the aim of promoting the diffusion of ethic and religious sensitivity, the dialogue and the mutual knowledge between cultures supporting, at any level and in any form, the experience of the first Festival of cinema and religion in the world. Religion Today Press Office via S. Croce 63, 38100 Trento. Tel e Fax +39.0461.981853 email: religion.today@gmail.com
THE WINNERS OF RELIGION TODAY 2006
Trento, October 14th 2006 The final day of the Religion Today film festival began as usual with screenings for schools: in the course of the morning middle school students in the Video Room at the Centro Culturale Santa Chiara saw the documentary As Parlattë by husband and wife team Marzia Pellegrino and Sandro Gastinelli, meeting the filmmakers after the screening in order to ask questions on the staging of the Passion of Jesus as represented every year by the inhabitants of Entracque, in the Maritime Alps. This was followed by the short film from Iran The Wind Will Wind Over the Wheat Farms Again by Esmael Yousefi Ramandi and by a meeting with Sheik Abdul Aziz Bukhari who, dressed in typical costume, told the teenagers about his personal experiences – with three wives and six children – and social responsibilities, as head of the Jerusalem Sufi Community. High school students at Cinema San Marco were also able to meet the Sheik before the screening of the feature film When All Were Asleep by Iranian filmmaker Fereydoon Hasanpour and Au Temp du Ramadan on the month-long fast which involves all Muslims except children. The midday press conference involved a mixed group of filmmakers, amongst which some of the Italians whose films are in competition: Angelo Bassi, producer of Antonio, Guerriero di Dio, the Roman film director Carlo De Biase who works with his wife Paola almost exclusively on the theme of hagiography – this year offering the film A Siracusa, Dove Pianse Maria – and documentary-maker Marzia Pellegrino; from Switzerland Andrea Canetta and Davide De Nigris, with La Pensione Del Prete (The Priest’s Retirement), which accurately records daily life in the only retirement home for priests in Switzerland: an analytical portrait of five ex-clergymen reveals their charisma, their different attitudes and passions, their concrete need for autonomy and independence. The Bulgarian filmmaker Rossen Elezov presents the figure of author and screenwriter Svoboda Bucharova, throughout her personal journey from active Communist to her conversion to Christianity: in the format of documentary cum fiction, the work expresses a personal interpretation and an objective description of social crises and contemporary moral questions. The yound Canadian filmmaker David Naglieri, along with Marc Boudignon with Opus Dei: Decoding God’s Work, was able to esamine the truth behind the fiction written by The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown, interviewing amongst others Vatican expert John Allen, in order to present the real Opus Dei. In the afternoon films were shown in original language at Centro Santa Chiara: A Piece Of Bread by the Persian Kamal Tabrizi and (out of competition) Diario Trentino della GMG 2005 by Andrea Cagol. At Cinema San Marco in via San Bernardino, the short film from Iran Monotheism by Mohammad Tamini and the renowned film Die Grosse Stille (The Great Silence) by Philip Gröning, which in its 164 minutes enables us to appreciate the unfolding of a day in the life of a monastic order. WINNER OF THE NINETH EDITION OF RELIGION TODAY In the evening at the Cinema San Marco there has been the awards ceremony of the nineth edition of Religion Today. The award for the BEST SHORT FILM goes to: "A Letter for Andre" (Iran) director and editor: Zohreh Zamani, Ali Hajipoor This film seems to be about the specific problems of filmmakers. What to do when the subject of the film dies before a single roll of film has been shot? The 88-year-old “subject” is a Christian, who has nurtured a muslim woman and her children to whom she has rented a house. What is in play is human interaction at the most fundamental level. This is, above all an intelligent film dealing with the struggle to reflect life through cinema in general, and Iranian cinema in particular, and the obligation and love filmmakers should have towards their fictional—and real--characters. The award for the BEST DOCUMENTARY goes to: "Covenant: Woman, God and all between" (Israel) director and screenplay: Nurit Jacobs Yinon This observational documentary shows the circumstancies surrounding the circumcision of a newly born sons of a Israeli orthodox women, but it reflects the expressions of any woman who doesn’t wish her child to suffer, yet who feels constrained to accept the practices of her religion. We’d also like to commend "With Extreme Cruelty" (Bulgaria) Director: Rossen Elezov A documentary in a classical mode, which tells the story of Svoboda Bucharova, the communist daughter of an anarchist father executed by the Nazis during Second World War, who is now a christian. A bewildering tale of the 20th century, told with the help of stills, archive film and several interviews with Svoboda Bucharova herself. We chose it as an inspiring way to tell a story from the past The award for BEST FEATURE FILM goes to "He" (Iran) director: Rahbar Ghanbari, editor: Rahbar Ghanbari, Reza Mirkarimi This is a deceptively simple film; the story of respected citizen in a poor village, approached to become a mullah in a richer, more substantial community. where he may be able to bring electricty, roads, and plumbing to the village he leaves behind. His cattle are sick and his gravely ill daughter needs an operation. Yet he hesitates, because of the powerful ties which bind him to the village, and the love which the villagers bear for him. To some, the ending may be ambiguous, but the passion and sensitivity with which his dilemma is treated is a tribute to the film’s maker. It is a loving description of rural Iranian life, which sensitively explores the distinction between the fluid and treacherous lines which separate documentary from fiction.to tell the story of a leader who lovesand respects his people and is loved and respected by them in turn. The IN THE SPIRIT OF FAITH award goes to "For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Bosnia-Erzegovina). Directed by Dzemal Sabic This short film seemed to us to encapsulate the spirit of this festival. This is not simply because of the tenacity with which the Sacristan continues to summon worshippers to a service to which they will probably—almost certainly—never come. This is a moving image festival, and the film is a tribute to the dedication of the film maker too. How long did it take him to position the wool yarn with which the film opens? How long did it take him to make the scene of the plums rolling down the hill with which the film closes? Faith is something film makers need just as much as Sacristans. SPECIAL PRIZES “DONNA E RELIGIONE”/ WOMEN AND RELIGION WHEN ALL WERE ASLEEP, Iran Di Fereydoon Hasanpour “DON SILVIO FRANCH, TESTIMONI DELLA PACE” / DON SILGIO FRANCH, TESTIMONIALS OF PEACE WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?, India DI Ajay Kanchan ARTE E RELIGIONE / RELIGION AND ART AWARD BY CASATA MONFORT AS PARLATTE, Italia Di M.Pellegrino e S.Gastinelli FOR THE BEST TV DOCUMENTARY OPUS DAY: DECODING GOD’S WORK, Canada di D. Naglieri e M.Boudignon RELIGIONE E SOCIETA’ / RELIGION AND SOCIETY LA PENSIONE DEL PRETE, Svizzera Di A.Canetta e D.De Nigris “RELIGIONI PER LA PACE” / RELIGIONS FOR PEACE RED ROBIN, Iran di Parviz Sheikhtadi MIGLIOR ATTORE / BEST ACTOR Hossein Yari, per il film DAY BREAK, Iran PREMIO GIOVANI REGISTI IN “MEMORIA MASSIMO PREVEDELLO” / YOUNG DIRECTORS AWARD “IN MEMORY OF MASSIMO PREVEDELLO” Keren Hakak for KAPAROT, Israele FRATERNITA’ DI NOMADELFIA / FRATERNITY OF NOMADELFIA THE GREEN CHARIOT, Israel Di Gilad Goldschmidt Press Office Religion Today
THIRD DAY OF RELIGION TODAY 2006
Trento, October 13th 2006 Today’s screenings for schools were: for adolescents at San Marco, Why Does it Happen? By the Indian filmmaker Ajay Kanchan, about a young man who discovers he has contracted HIV, and With Extreme Cruelty by the Bulgarian Rossen Elezov, a biographical documentary on the life of author and screenwriter Svoboda Bucharova who converted to Christianity; schoolchildren were able to meet Rev. Dominic Emmanuel, producer of the Indian film whose idea it was to make the film in the first place. At the Video Room in the Centro Santa Chiara primary school children watched the documentary As Parlattë by Marzia Pellegrino and Sandro Gastinelli from Piemonte: the filmmakers were present to answer questions on the making of the Passion of Jesus represented every year in Entracque, in val di Gesso in the Maritime Alps. There was a strong Iranian presence on this third day of the festival: the press conference began at 11.00 with a group of Muslim guests. The young director Rouhollah Hejazi, who directed the film The Moon Faced in competition with other feature films, tells the story of a father who has lost two newborn children and decides to visit a sanctuary to pray for the health of his third son. Along the way he meets important people and significant and symbolic signs appear. The important female producer of When All Were Asleep, Fereshteh Taerpour, underlined the necessity of the metaphor in the language of Iranian cinema, even a decade after the revolution filmmaking is still hindered by religious laws and aesthetic prohibitions which are difficult to resolve unless in a symbolic way. Her film also makes use of metaphor in order to tell the story of an old woman who wishes to visit Mecca before she dies. This is not possible, but the village children who are very fond of her organise a journey which becomes more than mystic and spiritual. Mrs Taerpour bumped into the screenwriter while he was waiting for a fiend in the Khaneh Film Production building. After sharing the story inspired by her mother over a cup of tea, work began on the film which is at the same time personal yet cardies a universal message of a woman who chooses to live life to the full which goes beyond the boundaries of any religion. The filmmaker Fereydoon Hasanpour, with the aim of attracting a significant audience in spite of the restrictive theme of the story, had the chance to direct two famous Iranian actors, alongside other non-professionals and children. Altogether they brought about a great final result, despite the problems of rendering the acting of the former natural, which was almost more problematic than getting the latter to interpret the drama. Also present was the actor of Day Break, a feature film on the death penalty – which, according to the Koran, in Iran the family of the victim may decide to carry out or not. The hypnotic, crystalline gaze of actor Hossein Yari make up for the lack of dialogue: practically the whole film consists of waiting for a resolution which never comes, set in a prison cell. A further contribution to the press conference was that of Jamshid Mojaddadi, director of the touching documentary on the first transplant of the heart of a 17-year-old into the chest of another boy in Mashhed City: Life on the Other Hand. The afternoon screenings in Cinema San Marco in Via San Bernardino included many interesting productions: Covenant: Women, God And All Between by the Israeli Nurit Jacobs Yinon, the shorts A Letter For André and Tainted on women and friendship in spite of religious differences, the documentary from Georgia Virgin Mary on Orthodox Christianity, finally the feature film Tree Of Life by Indian director Leo Thaddeus. The evening began with greetings from Sheik Abdul Aziz Bukhari, flowed by the screening of When All Were Asleep by the Iranian Fereydoon Hasanpuor; the short For Whom The Bell Tolls by the Bosnian filmmaker Dzemal Sabic. At Santa Chiara a series of documentaries amongst which the French film Justice à Agadez and the Persian Life On Other Hand by Jamshid Mojaddadi. In conclusion the feature film which was presented at the press conference, Day Break by Hamid Rahmanian. Tomorrow’s press conference will have numerous guests: Shaiya Bernstein from Israel, David Nagliari from Canada, the Bulgarian director Rossen Elezov and his wife Helia Chevdarova, Italian filmmakers Carlo De Biase, Angelo Bassi, Marzia Pellegrino and Sandro Gastinelli, from Switzerland Andrea Canetta and Davide De Nigris, the Indian producer Dominic Emmanuel and Haris Prolic fro Bosnia Herzegovina. Religion Today Press Office
SECOND DAY OF RELIGION TODAY 2006
Trento, October 12th 2006 Today’s screenings kicked off with oriental films for schools: as according to the programme, primary school children at the Marco cinema watched The Festival of Prayers, an Indian production which originated from an idea of Jean Mage, and Escape Across the Himalayas, a documentary by Maria Blumencron on the extreme conditions which young Tibetans must endure in order to be able to receive a Buddhist education in Nepal. This film was also shown to a teenage public in the Video Room in the Centro Santa Chiara, together with the short film Silent Tower by the Iranian Moustafa Mansoryar and Silk Road: Ascent into Blue by the Japanese filmmaker Shohei Shibata on the monk who was largely responsible for the diffusion of Buddhism in China through the translation of over 300 sacred texts. A lively and interesting press conference took place at midday with the members of the jury: Massimo Manservigi, president of Religion Today, introduced Jerome Kuehl - television producer, writer and BBC history consultant - the head of the Sufi community in Jerusalem, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari, and the Israeli filmmaker Ohad Ufaz. Each jury member made a brief personal introduction, Jerome Kuehl assured journalists that they would make up for the lack of a female presence on the jury; the Sheik expressed his aim of helping people to open their eyes to the truth and religion; Ohad Ufaz appreciated the chance to judge works of different cultures alongside such prestigious fellow jury members. All three spoke of the difficulty in tracing a common thread in the work in competition which are distinguished by their individuality. The jurists’ selection criteria will be both the good “packaging” and the worthy content of the films or television programmes in competition, certainly not proselytism – «which is in any case far removed from the aims of this festival» Kuehl reminded journalists, which has also been the bedrock of the festival these ten years or so. It would be interesting, they suggest, to create a jury composed of children who, thanks to their character, would certainly be capable of educating adults, as opposed to children playing film roles created for them by grown ups. Sheik Abdul Aziz was not afraid of sending himself up in an ironic way when he mentioned an anecdote regarding that morning’s meeting with school children who, surprised by his elaborate eastern costume, exclaimed: «a magician!». He also underlined the importance of involving schools in the project, and recalled a young Scotsman who made a simple revelation: «I didn’t know that Jews, Christians and Muslims worshipped the same God!”», a disarming and fundamental message. The afternoon included a round table at which representatives of many cinema festivals were present; a deep and meaningful comparison, motivated by the shared spirit of forging alliances with those involved in films of a religious nature. Among those participating: Religion Today - Italy, Prisma Festival - Budapest, Festival del documentario - San Giminiano, Festival del cinema Spirituale, San Paolo - Brazil, Sacro Film Festival – Poland. There is the likelihood of the Jewish Film Festival held in Jerusalem and the Farid Film Festival of Teheran becoming part of the group. Not only does this new collaboration foresee including a page promoting the initiatives of other festivals in the catalogues of each respective film festival, but above all, it seeks to be a concrete sign of dialogue, sharing and genuine cooperation. Finally, today’s important screnings were: at the San Marco Cinema Opus Day, the cinematic response to The Da Vinci Code by the young Canadian David Nagliari, the feature film He by Iranian Rahbar Ghanbari, the short film on Judiasm Kaparot by Keren Hakak, the Israeli documentary Hanuzska by Nurit Kedar and the Italian feature film Antonio, guerriero di Dio by Antonello Belluco. A significant film was screened in the Video Room at Santa Chiara, the documentary The Giant Buddhas on the enormous statues destroyed in 2001 in Afghanistan. Tomorrow at 11.00 the third press conference will take place at the meeting point in the Centro Santa Chiara, featuring the Iranian filmmakers: the participation of four directors and two producers is certain, amongst which the most important Iranian female producer, Fereshteh Taerpour, who contributed to the making of When All Were Asleep. Religion Today Press Office
INAUGURATION OF RELIGION TODAY 2006
Trento, October 11th 2006 Today witnessed the start of the ninth edition of the film festival dedicated to religion and cinema: Religion Today 2006. Over one hundred feature films and documentaries were entered from all over the world and 45 works were chosen for the competition from 18 countries which represented different faiths – Christianity in its Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant forms, Judaism, Islam, Sufism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Samaritan religion Pre-Colombian worship and shamanism. The morning screenings for schools confirmed the interest previously shown in past years by both primary and secondary schools: the students received an information pack specifically designed to stimulate personal reflection and class discussion on the themes of spirituality and communication through audio-visual means. The afternoon screenings at the San Marco cinema San Marco in via San Bernardino included the films: Wasserman by the Israeli filmmaker Idit Shechori, the documentary on Catholicism A Siracusa dove pianse Maria by Paola and Carlo De Biase, the shorts One Too Many by Shaiya Bernstein and With him by Naghi Nemati, a half-hour episode of a three part series The Moon Faced by Rouhollad Hejazi and the Slovene documentary on the 25th anniversary of the Marian apparitions in Medjugorie 25 anni di Medjugorie. The official opening ceremony took place at the Diocesan Centro Clesio in via Barbacovi, where the films in competition were presented and the international jury: the head of the Sufi community in Jerusalem, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari, the Israeli filmmaker Ohad Ufaz and television producer, writer and BBC history consultant Jerome Kuehl. Tomorrow at midday the second press conference will take place at the meeting point in the Centro Santa Chiara, which offers the chance to meet the jury members in person. Screenings continued in the afternoon in two places, the San Marco cinema and the Video Room in the Centro Santa Chiara: films in the former are either subtitled in Italian or simultaneously translated by Jane Price, in the latter films are shown in their original languages with English subtitles. Among the most important films screened at San Marco today were the feature films: Red Robin by Parviz Sheikhtadi and A Green Chariot by Gilad Goldschmidt, who was present at the midday press conference along with Nurit Jacobs Yinon, director of Covenant. Together they spoke of their experiences as religious persons living in a country in constant turmoil. Nurit Jacobs Yinon, who defines herself as «a woman, wife and mother», spoke of the period of innovation which Israeli cinema is undergoing; her work narrates the experiences of Jewish mothers regarding the tradition of circumcision of their sons on the eighth day after birth. Rabbi Goldschmidt gave his own personal interpretation of how a person’s concept of identity is in a constant state of flux throughout their lifetime due to daily experiences, be they religious, cultural or social. Religion Today Press Office
PREVIEW RELIGION TODAY 2006 IN ROME
Rome, September 29th 2006 The exclusive preview of Religion Today has been concluded in Rome to public and critical acclaim. The ninth edition opened with screenings at the Auditorium Augustinianum in Saint Peter’s square, Friday 29 September: numerous guests were present both national and international. «Number which went beyond our expectations», accordino to the Festival’s artistic director Lia Giovannazzi Beltrami who, together with president Massimo Manservigi, presented the various new initiatives taking place as part of the event, this year based on the theme “The Mircale”. The morning continued with the participation of Rabbi Mordechai Vardi of the Ma’ale Film School in Jerusalem. «The provocation of presenting schools of religious cinema» continues Lia Beltrami «seems to have had a positive effect, given the response of the Catholic world; in the next editions we are thinking of continuing along this path dedicating, during the Roman preview, particular attention to schools of cinema and also of acting – a subject close to the Roman people’s heart». Mordechai Vardi, presenting the experience of the Jerusalem school, underlined how difficult it is in Israel to talk of film productions on a religious theme, given that an artistic and cinematic tradition which supports this kind of film is lacking. In Italy, on the other hand, art and divine inspiration have always played an important role, especially in painting, but also in cinema. This is why a festival like Religion Today is so important, as it offers the world a debating chamber on religious cinema and gives us a glimpse of the possibility of finding a circuit on which writers and filmmakers can become known. At the end of the morning the Religion Yesterday prize was awarded, a Prize sponsored by CINIT – Italian Cineforum. Padre Virgilio Fantuzzi awarded a lifetime achievement award in memory of Roberto Rossellini, the great Italian director who would have celebrated his hundreth birthday this year. Alessandro Rossellini collected the award on behalf of the director his father, who died in 1977. A screening then followed of “La Roma di Rossellini” (2001, 35’) by Virgilio Fantuzzi and Alessandro Rossellini, a documentary made up of cineasta footage, interviews and other contributions. In the afternoon Giuseppe De Carli, director of RAI Vaticano, introduced the presentation of “A ritroso verso la luce” (Backwards Towards the Light) by Lia Beltrami, published by Ancora; a text which appeals due to its “visual” language”, where the images described recall people and places which played a significant part in the writer’s life and the experiences of the first years of Religion Today. Great attention was given to the contents of the book and its profound meaning by Monsignor Felix Machado, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. «I am very moved by Monsignor Machado’s comments and the fact that he has honoured us with his presence; it seemed to me that his words captured the sense of the journey we are making as proof that what we are doing is somehow been pre-ordained. We believed we were dreamers, but to see and hear the direction undertaken by the Vatican makes us feel part of a common project and shared experience» said Lia Beltrami with satisfaction. Other speakers at the conference included Dr. Maria Antonietta Mattei, Rabbi Vardi and Padre Gilberto Zini, director of the publishers Ancora. Religion Today’s ‘Roman holiday’ ended with the screening of several films in competition in the festival: “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Dzemal Sabic, a Bosnian short-length film; “Kaparot” by Keren Hakak, short on Judaism, “The moon faced” by Rouhollah Hejzi, Iranian feature film. Religion Today Press Office
THE BOOK BY LIA BELTRAMI: BACWARD TO THE LIGHT
Trento, September 4th 2006 The book gathers together the experiences of a journey. Nine years ago, accompanied by the Bible, a few pages of Saint Augustine and a notebook, Lia Beltrami embarked on a journey “backwards”, retracing the steps of the Wise Men from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to Persia (Iran), meeting filmmakers and actors of different religions along the way and bringing a message to them: that of building bridges of dialogue between different faiths through cinema and art. Thus was born “Religion Today – International Festival of Cinema and Religion”, which has been held in Trento for over eight years, to increasing public and critical acclaim. Each chapter of the book is introduced by a gospel account of the Wise Men’s journey which the author takes as a starting point for embarking on a pilgrimage, both geographical and soul-searching, towards a real encounter with other peoples. Lia Beltrami (born in Trento, 1967) is a maker of historical and religious documentaries, some of which have won awards in various cinematographic festivals. For several years she has been a member of the board of the International Association of Cinema and History “IAMHIST”. Founder and artistic director of the film festival “Religion Today” held in Trento. Together with her musician husband, she runs her own film studio called “Celeste Films”. She also collaborates on a permanent basis with “TelePace” and is involved in voluntary work in Africa. Religion Today Press Office
WORKS ADMITTED TO THE NINTH EDITION OF RELIGION TODAY
Trento, August 30th 2006 Last year’s edition of Religion Today, Festival of Cinema and Religion, with an international jury presided over by film director Krszystof Zanussi, was well received by both public and critics: after Trento it continued its itinerary to Nomadelfia (Grosseto) and the Jewish Film Days in Jerusalem, with further stopovers in Teheran and Milan. The artistic committee are working flat out to censure that the ninth edition, dedicated this year to the theme “Heaven on Earth: the miracle” (Rome, 29 September; Trento, 11-14 October). WORKS ADMITTED TO THE NINTH EDITION OF RELIGION TODAY Among the 118 films submitted, from some 18 nations (Bangladesh, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Japan, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, USA), and representative of the world’s main religions (Christianity in its Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant forms; Judaism, Samaritanism, Islam; Sufism; Hinduism; Buddhism; Pre-Colombian worship; Shamanism), the selection committee chose 45 works which will be screened in Trento from 11 to 14 October. 13 feature films A GREEN CHARIOT by Gilad Goldschmidt – Israel; A PIECE OF BREAD by Kamal Tabrizi – Iran; ANTONIO, GUERRIERO DI DIO by Antonello Belluco – Italy; DAY BREAK by Hamid Rahmanian – Iran; THE MOON FACED by Rouhollah Hejzi – Iran; THE ROBIN by Parviz Sheiktadi – Iran; HE by Rahbar Ghanbari – Iran; THE TREE OF LIFE by Leo Taddeus – India; WHILE ALL WERE ASLEEP by Fereydoon Hasanpour – Iran; WHY DOES IT HAPPEN? by Ajay Kanchan – India; WHEN DO WE EAT? by Salvador Litvak – USA; JOURNEY TO HIDALOU by Mojtaba Raee – Iran; WASSERMAN by Idit Shechori – Israel. 11 short films WITH HIM (BA OU) by Naghi Nemati – Iran; WIND WILL WIND AGAIN OVER WHEAT FIELDS by Esmael Y. Ramandi – Iran; KAPAROT by Keren Hakak – Israel; MONOTHEISM by Mohammad Tamini – Iran; ONE TOO MANY by Shaiya Bernstein – Israel; FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS by Dzemal Sabic – Bosnia Herzegovina; SILENT TOWER by Moustafa Mansoryar – Iran; SUGARLESS by Chaim Elbaum – Israel; TAINTED by Elkie Hershberg – Israel; THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO KLOVIC by Bernardin Modric – Croatia: A LETTER FOR ANDRE’ by Z. Zamani and A. Hjipoor – Iran 22 documentaries 25 YEARS OF MEDJIUGORE by Bostjan Debevec – Slovenia; A SIRACUSA DOVE PIANSE MARIA by Carlo e Paola De Biase – Italy; AS PARLATTË – LE PARLATE DI ENTRACQUE by M. Pellegrino and S. Gastinelli – Italy; WITH EXTREME CRUELTY by Rossen Elezov – Bulgaria; COVENANT: WOMAN, GOD AND ALL BETWEEN by Nurit Jacobs Yinon – Israel; FAITH IN EUROPE by Vagn Olsen – Denmark; HANUZSKA by Nurit Kedor – Israel; I MET GOD IN THE DARK by Nick Goryachkin – Russia; THE GREAT SILENCE by Philip Gröning – Germany; JUSTICE A AGADEZ by Lelong Christian – France; LA PENSIONE DEL PRETE by Andrea Canetta – Switzerland; THE VIRGIN MARY by Merab Gagua – Georgia; THE SILK ROUTE: ASCENT INTO BLUE by Shohei Shibata – Japan; LIFE ON THE OTHER HAND by Jamshid Mojaddadi – Iran; NAVAKAL by Prithwiraj Misra – India; OPUS DEI: DECOCING GOD’S WORK by D. Nagliari and M. Boudignon – Canada; POSSIBLE DIALOGUES by Maria Trayanova – Bulgaria; THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME by Haris Prolic – Bosnia Herzegovina; THE FASCINATION OF FAITH by Marita Neher – Germany; THE GIANT BUDDHAS by Christian Frei – Switzerland; TRUTH AND BEYOND by Ahmed Muztaba Zamal – Bangladesh 2 works not in competition DIARIO TRENTINO DELLA GMG 2005 by A. Cagol – Italy; OCCHI DI BAMBINO, by T. Pallottino and F. Lopes – Italy/Guinea Bissau The international and inter-confessional jury, which includes the Vatican journalist Alessandra Borghese, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari, head of the Sufi community in Jerusalem and the Israeli director Ohad Ufaz, will choose from among these works in order to award the Grand Prize “In the Spirit of the Faith” and the awards for the best film in each category. As always, several special thematic prizes will be awarded sponsored by Organisations who collaborate with the Festival and a special prize will be awarded to the film which best captures the specific theme of this year – an in-depth study on “Heaven on Earth: the Miracle”. Religion Today Press Office
2005: US ON THE MEDIA
Press: 1. Avvenire (16.10.2005, 23.10.2005, 25.10.2005) 2. Ciak (october 2005) 3. Confronti (december 2005) 4. Corriere del Trentino (10.10.2005, 12.10.2005, 16.10.2005, 18.10.2005, 19.10.2005, 20.10.2005, 21.10.2005, 23.10.2005, 24.10.2005) 5. Corriere di Maremma (25.11.2005, 02.12.2005, 05.12.2005) 6. Duellanti (october 2005) 7. Il Ponte (30.10.2005) 8. Il Segno della Diocesi di Milano (november 2005) 9. Il Tirreno (25.11.2005) 10. L'Adige (31.08.2005, 10.10.2005, 16.10.2005, 18.10.2005, 19.10.2005, 20.10.2005, 21.10.2005, 22.10.2005, 23.10.2005, 25.10.2005, 27.12.2005, 31.12.2005, 21.01.2006, 27.01.2006) 11. La Nazione (25.11.2005) 12. La Padania (25.10.2005) 13. La Voce di Ferrara-Comacchio (15.10.2005, 30.10.2005, 04.02.2006) 14. L’indipendente (13.10.2005) 15. Maremma Magazine (december 2005) 16. Milizia Mariana (january 2006) 17. Rivista del Cinematografo (october 2005) 18. Rivista di Religione (november 2005) 19. Toscana Oggi (04.12.2005) 20. Trentino (10/10/2005, 12/10/2005, 18.10.2005, 19.10.2005, 20.10.2005, 21.10.2005, 22.10.2005, 23.10.2005, 21.01.2006) 21. Trentino mese – supplemento a Bazar (29.09.2005, 23.10.2005) 22. Vita Trentina (16.10.2005, 23.10.2005, 30.10.2005) Radio: - Circuito Marconi (06.07.2005 hour 17.50; 15.09.2005 hour 12.30; 24.10.2005 hour 13.20; 24.03.2006 hour 13.20) - Radio Dolomiti (19.10.2005 hour 15 and 20; 22.10.05 hour 12 and 19) - Radio Vaticana (26.10.2005) - Rai Radio 1 (16.10.2005 ore 11) - Tele Radio Padre Pio (01.09.2005) Televisions: - Rai3 (News) (20.10.2005) - Raiuno (13.10.2005) - Sat2000 tg 2000 (14.10.2005 hour 19.40) - Telepace, (17.09.2005 hour 18.30; 18.09.2005 hour 13 and 21; 27.10.2005; 27.12.2005) - Israeli Tv (28.12.2005) - Iranian Republic Tv (26.01.2006; 27.01.2006) - Tg 1 RAI (30.10.2005) Web Sites: 1. Acting News (11.10.2005) 2. Canadian Embassy in Italy– calendario culturale canadese (03.10.2005) 3. Russian Embassy in Italy 4. Swiss Embassy in Italy 5. Anica 6. Ansa.it (24.10.2005) 7. Anthropos, comunità per l’antropologia (www.antrocom.it) (21.09.2005, 7.10.2005, 13.10.2005, 24.10.2005, 20.02.2006, 21.02.2006, 25.03.2006) 8. Beblogging.com (26.09.2005, 18.10.2005, 19.10.2005, 20.10.2005, 21.10.2005, 24.10.2005) 9. CANmail 10. Capital.it 11. Casata Monfort 12. Catholic Radio and Television Center (luglio 2005) 13. Central do Cinema (06.10.2005) 14. Cinecittà.News (10.10.2005, 12/10/2005, 20.10.2005, 26.01.2006) 15. Cinema4stelle (3.10.2005, 7.10.2005) 16. Cinematografo.it (04.10.2005) 17. Cinit 18. Comune Di Forlì (11.10.2005) 19. Comunicati.net – Press World Agency (09.09.2005) 20. Discoveryalps 21. Effettonotteonline (18.10.2005) 22. Excite news (24.10.2005, 26.01.2006) 23. Festival e Mercati 24. Fice 25. Film.it (24.10.2005, 26.01.2006) 26. Free time (unitn) 27. Giovani.org 28. ICN.news – International Christian Network (24.10.2005) 29. Il cannocchiale (05.10.2005) 30. Il cinemante 31. Incrocinews (settimanale online della Diocesi di Milano) 32. Israele.net (21.10.2005, 23.10.2005) 33. Libero news (24.10.2005, 26.01.2006) 34. Lo spettacolo.it (05.10.2005) 35. Ma’ale School – Jerusalem (04.09.2005, ) 36. Marketpress. Quotidiano di New & Net Economy, finanza, Politica, Tecnologia, Economia. 37. Mehrnews.com (25.01.2006) 38. MultiC@nada, newsletter of the Canadian Embassy in Italy(ottobre 2005) 39. Musanews, newsletter dell’Ufficio Culturale - Israeli Embassy - Rome (october 2005) 40. Non solo cinema (14.09.2005) 41. Papermoon News (11.10.2005) 42. Pietre Vive 43. Portale cattolico (31.08.2005) 44. ReVision (30.08.2005, 08.10.2005, 19.10.2005, 22.10.2005) 45. Romagna Oggi.It 46. Saint John’s College of Commerce (Bangkok) 47. Sentieri Selvaggi 48. siticattolici.it 49. Trentino Cooperazione 50. Trentino.To (12/10/2005) 51. Trento 52. Voce Evangelica (Conferenza Chiese Evangeliche Lingua Italiana in Svizzera) 53. Yahoo! cinema Religion Today Press Office
DECEMBER 2005: RELIGION TODAY RETURNS TO JERUSALEM
Trento, December 15th 2005 It’s the sixth time that Religion Today goes to Jerusalem for the Jewish Film Festival, from December 26. The Andrea Canetta’s movie, “Jesus the Eastern Traveller”, a Swiss production, the U.S. buddhist doc “Sky Burial” by Ellen Bruno, and some musslim films will open the festival nights dedicated to not hebrew religions. The Director Lia Beltrami will manage the Religion Today delegacy and will deliver the prizes to “The First Night” by Galon Chel (best short film at Religion Today 2005), to “Ushpizin” by Gidi Dar (best fiction film), and to “The Wandering Samaritan” by Ohad Ufaz (special mention). At the end the italian delegacy will visit also the hebrew school of religious film “Maa’le Film School”. The 25th of January Religion Today will be in Tehran at the Fajer Film Festival. Religion Today Press Office
RELIGION TODAY 2005: CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORKS
Trento, October 22th 2005 The eighth edition of Religion Today, the Festival of Cinema and Religion, opened this year with a preview in Rome, at which the themes of the festival were presented and a representative selection of films in competition were screened. The main festival took place in Trento from 19-22 October, around fifty directors, producers, critics and journalists from all over the world took part. Some diplomatic representatives (such as those of Canada, Indonesia, Iran and the USA), accompanied their film directors to the competition. Thus there were opportunities for public meetings also on topical themes such as the devastating effects of the tsunami which struck the coasts of Asia last year. The public showed their attention and interest in the festival, as always, filling the screening venues (which witnessed a flow of over 3000 spectators over the four-day festival), the public meetings and the press conferences. The latter were of high level, thanks also the calibre of the guests present this year. On several occasions Krszystof Zanussi was able to discuss religion and spirituality in cinema and discrimination towards religious films. The director also gave his personal reflection on the theme of death, these days “normalised” by the media, or reduced to a sort of videogame which turns the moment of passing into something ascetic. Zanussi also spoke of the origin of his films (always linked to personal experience) and the beginning of his career. Giuseppe De Carli, head of Vatican Broadcasting, also commented on religious communication today and put forward some ideas for the future. De Carli furthermore told of his work as a journalist during the pontificate of John Paul II, recognising how his life changed profoundly since his meeting with this extraordinary person. Despite not wishing to make comparisons between the two popes (“A pope is always a successor of Peter and never that of his immediate predecessor”), he defined Pope Woityla as a pope of deeds and Bendict XVI as a pope of words. Finally, De Carli exclusively announced his idea of a fictitious drama for Raduno about the life of John Paul I. The programme, provisionally entitled “Il Sorriso di Dio” (The Smile of God), will be filmed around Rome, Venice and Trentino, written and directed by Francesco Scardamaglia. The numerous guests also had an intense experience of communal living in a monastery, which enabled them to pass from initial diffidence or even indifference to exchanging opinions, reflections, both professional and otherwise. In some cases new friendships were forged as a result of this experience. During the festival the city of Trento was in a festive mood too. On Friday 21 October in the atmospheric “Sas” archaeological site (a real Roman city underneath the modern one), the performance of music and recital entitled “Lights and words of the soul. Pages on sacred domains” took place. Marco Berlanda, a painter in-between expressionism and naïf styles, exhibited his works on the theme “Holiness and Antiquity”. For the entire period of the festival an interactive exhibition was staged by the Local Forum of Religious Groups, entitled Story of a Faith”, with objects, sounds, texts, images and other offerings from different world religions. A significant number of local schools participated in the morning screenings; a total of 30 classes from 10 different institutions with children and adolescents from elementary to high school. Under the guidance of Religion Today’s collaborators, they were able to gain a better insight into and understanding of the films screened as well as having the chance to meet the directors with their eye-witnesses accounts of distant countries and cultures. Alongside the screenings of films, there was also an in-depth seminar organised by ITC (Istituto Trentino di Cultura), under the guide of Davide Zordan, which saw the participation of important figures of Italian and international culture. The various contributions on the theme of “Death as a threshold: cinema and the mystery of the afterlife” and more specifically “The cinematographic language and promises of eternity”, time and destiny in the cinema of Kim-Ki-Duk, “Death, expectation and mystery in the cinema of Zanussi” (introduced by the Polish director himself), the theme of so-called “gentle death” in cinema (with particular reference to the works of Denis Arcand, Alejandro Amenabar and Clint Eastwood). This year Religion Today set aside an area dedicated to prayer, which was used by various groups as well as individual participants. Each day at 6.00 p.m. all activities stopped in order to allow people to pray together according to their own religion. There were several moments of shared prayer “under the same heaven” led by a representative of a major religion. At the end of the Festival the artistic direction communicated the themes of forthcoming editions for the next three years, in order to stimulate creative and productive resources towards the development of specific themes. The theme of next year’s festival will be: “Heaven on Earth: the miracle”. For 2007, “Conflict and Compassion along Paths of Faith”, whilst in 2008 the chosen theme will be: “The Scandal of Evil”. The festival will continue at Nomadelfia (Tuscany) from 1-3 December, for the traditional festival on fraternity, peace and childhood (including some works from the festival of African cinema), and the Jewish Film Days in Jerusalem, again in December. Religion Today Press Office
RELIGION TODAY 2005: THE WINNERS OF THE 8th EDITION
Trento, October 22th 2005 On Saturday 22 October the Awards Ceremony took place, opened by the screening of Dante’s Inferno, a silent film of 1911, by Arturo Busnego and Giuseppe Berardi, recently restored, accompanied by live music by the accordionist Gino Magiotto. The international jury, headed by Krystof Zanussi and composed of Giuseppe De Carli, Ovidio Salazar (a British Muslim director and prize-winner of the 2004 edition of the festival) and the Iranian director Dariush Yari, awarded the following prizes: · The Religion Today Grand Prize “In the spirit of the faith” to “Ushpizin” by Gidi Dar (Israel); · The Best Feature Film to “Here, a Shining Light” by Reza Mir Karimi (Iran); · The Best Documentary to “Jesus the Eastern Traveller” by Andrea Canetta (Switzerland); · The Best Short Film “First Night” by Galon Chel (Israel). The jury chose not to give a particular reason for their choice since all the winning films were, in their opinion, of evidently high quality. The following special prizes were also awarded: · A special mention to The Wandering Samaritan by Ohad Ufaz (Israel, 2004): A story of great interest told through the form of extraordinary photographic and cinematographic quality; · The “Life after death” Prize awarded by the Bianconero Association to the film which best represents the specific theme of this year’s festival went to: Nobody dies on Saturdays by Ghasem Ansari (Iran, 2005): an original re-writing of the tragedy Romeo and Juliet in the context of the religious tradition of a small Iranian village. · The “Women and Religion” Prize awarded by the Equal Opportunities Commission of the Province of Trento went to: A Shabbos Mother by Inban Namdam (Israel, 2005): a skilful representation of the problems between the protagonists which manages to express the inner-female world; · The “Don Silvio Franch Witnesses of Peace” Prize, awarded by the group “Friends of Don Silvio Franch”: In the Name of the People by Arne Brejc and Peter Perse (Slovenia 2003-2004): a rigorously reconstructed documentary on painful historical events filtered by the memory and the capacity for forgiveness on the part of the protagonists; · The “Religion for Peace” Prize, instituted by the “Local Religious Groups Forum”: Frontiera Mongolia by Carlo and Paola De Biase (Italy, 2005), · The “Prize in Memory of Massimo Prevedello” for young artists: Mother’s Love over Menoreh Hills by Isti Purwi Tyas Utami (Indonesia, 2004): with freshness and style, the director highlights the worship of Mary in a shrine in the province of Yogkayaktra; · The “Fraternity Prize”, instituted by Nomadelfia: Alla Luce del Sole by Roberto Faenza (Italy, 2004): an extraordinary re-enactment of the life of Don Puglisi, a priest totally dedicated to his Christian and social mission; · The “Art and Religion” Prize awarded by the Casata Monfort Winery went to Kamenčeći Neba by Vladimir Perović (Serbia Montenegro, 2004): the cinematographic imagery captures and depicts an original synthesis of prayer and artistic creation; · The “Prize for Linguistic Research”, awarded by the Department of Media Studies and Drama at the Università Cattolica: Santisima Muerte by Cinzia d’Auria (Italy, 2005): for the formal elegance of the photography and music, for the linguistic care which recalls the imaginary magic realism, for the poetic and intense form in a balanced orchestration of description and depiction; · A Special Mention for Linguistic Research, awarded by the Department of Media Studies and Drama at the Università Cattolica: Nobody dies on Saturdays by Ghasem Ansari (Iran, 2005): in the space of a few minutes the director manages to bring together a variety of significant ideas; for the originality of offering the meaning of the story to the spectator, asking him to make sense of the ending. Religion Today Press Office
OCTOBER 2005: RELIGION TODAY IN ROME
Rome, October 14th 2005 Thursday 13th October, the festival of cinema and religion “Religion Today”, is landed for the first time in the Italian Capital. In the Auditorium of the institute Augustinianum, in front of St. Pietro’s columned, the festival has wanted to bring in preview to the press and to the guests, a little but significant selection of the 35 films that participate to the competition that will take place in Trento from 19th to 22nd of October. In the presence of the diplomatic delegations of Canada, Indonesia, Iran, United States, many guests of religion’s world (for example, the Big Mosque’s representative of Rome Omar Camilletti and two San Paolo’s Society managers) and of cinema’s, like the actress Angiola Baggi and Paolo Lombardo of 01 Distribution, has been presented the eight edition of the festival. Even without intervening, Rocco Buttiglione, the minister of cultural property, Mr. De Muro, the government’s commissary of Trento, the director Folco Quilici, the critic Claudio G. Fava and the Jewish community’s representatives have sent their compliments and greetings. Giuseppe De Carli (manager of Vatican Rai Television), representing the jury, has opened the day with an interesting reflection about the religion and about its representation throw the medias. “The religion isn’t only my connection with the sacred, he says, but is the revelation of my being man. A religion can’t escape from a question of sense; for this reason is a place for exploring and a way for meeting. The religions without the elements that try to pollute it, disclose their brightness, their singleness, irreducibility, their importance. And religion can’t even escape from the question of sacred. The difficulty is in representing it, in looking for channels, financing, a place in the palimpsest, the important circuits”. De Carli referred then to his personal experience, when he participated throw the television to the last life’s hours of John Paul II, and the so called “resurrection of pontificate”. “The impression is that something new is going to happen. In TV has come for the first time the mystery, and everybody have participated to the process that bring from life to death. The power of signs and symbols, a spiritual space of communication. In the light of this we can think that the time is in favour of radical an provocative suggestions”. Massimo Manservigi, the president of Religion Today, has illustrated the purposes of the festival and the not simple theme of this year, “life after death”. “Travelling throw the differences thanks to the cinema and art is a way to continue the progress of last year, jeopardizing our pseudo-securities about religion, to go into our believe and showing it without any fear, to know in a non superficial way our neighbours, to build a dialogue between men and women from different religions. The difference like a challenge for listening”. The artistic director and the mind of the festival, Lia G. Beltrami, told about the birth of the festival, in 1997, and about the its evolution and improvement even thanks to many persons that from different places have become festival’s friends with their agreement. Last December, the president of Jewish Film Days, that gave hospitality in Jerusalem to Religion Today for three years, said: “Your festival build bridges”. Lia G.Beltrami was affected at this sentence and she thinks that this is the sense of the festival, which is an occasion of exchange and cooperation between people from different countries. After the presentation, Massimo Caminiti and Marco Vanelli illustrated the motivations of the prize Religion Yesterday given by CINIT in honour to Diego Fabbri, man of theatre and scriptwriter of many important films director’s like Antonioni, Zampa, Rene Clement, Ferreri, Rossellini, Zanussi. “The Fabbri’s career has been not just that of a brilliant scriptwriter, but even that of man of faith; he always gave importance to religion theme, to moral conflicts, and human importance inside his religious point of view”. The prize, an elegant sculpture made by a Sicilian artist, has given to Nanni Fabbri, Diego’s son, from Turi Vasile (movies director and writer), that gave us a touching testimony of his lost friend. Religion Today Press Office
RELIGION TODAY 2005: ROME HOSTS THE PREVIEW OF THE 8th EDITION
Trento, October 6th 2005 This year it will be possible to have a little but significant taste of the Religion Today, the international festival of cinema and religion. On thursday 13th October, at the institute Patristico Augustinianum, in via Paolo VI 25 in Rome, some of the movies included in the contest will be shown. The day of the preview will begin at 16 p.m. with a presentation of the festival, hosting Giuseppe De Carli (manager of Rai Vaticano) representing the jury, the president of Religion Today, don Massimo Manservigi , the artistic director Lia G. Beltrami and the head of the press office Roberto Farina. Motivations and aims of the festival, presentation of the movies and of the program will be the first arguments taken in consideration. Lately there will be, thanks to the CINIT, the delivery of the Religion Yesterday’s prize, in memory of Diego Fabbri, who collaborated as scriptwriter to the plot of the best italian’s and international’s film, working with some importants author like Antonioni, Zampa, René Clement, Marco Ferrari, including also the long cooperation with Rossellini(he made him also win the Oscar for the script of “Generale della Rovere” in 1961), Zanussi (for him, he wrote the last script for “Da un paese lontano”). The projection of “Chi è Dio”, a short film of Mario Soldati, script of Diego Fabbri and Cesare Zavattini will close the manifestation. After a cocktail party with delicious Trentine wines, films that will take part to the next week contest will be offered to those participating. The choice of the films, in order to not influence the juy, has been based on criteria of representativeness of faith, culture, and length also. CEHEL MANBRAN of M.Sadrzadeh (Iran,6’, short film, Islam) Celebration of the memory of Imam Hossein’s sister, him being Maometto’s nephew. A SHABBOS MOTHER of Inbar Namdar (Israel,27’, short film, Ebraism) Three sisters with very different stories, meet at their mother’s house for Saturday. SKY BURIAL of Ellen Bruno (USA,12’, documentay, Buddishm) The most common Tibet’s funeral usage is the sky burial, “doing charity to birds”: The corps are offered to the vultures like a last sign of charity. SANTISIMA MUERTE of Cinzia d’Auria (Italy, 40’,documentary,Precolombian Religions, Catholicism) In Mexico take place in november, the traditional “Party of deads”. It’s a real party, in which every body bring food to their dead relatives, build altars and mask themselves, waiting their loved ones’s visit . L’AMORE E’ UNA SCELTA /LOVE IS A CHOISE of D.Masterson(Canada,28’,documentary, catholicism) Wife, mother, doctor…..the meet with the love choise of holy Gianna Beretta Molla, that choose to sacrifice her own life to save the child in her lap. Many guests from the world of cinema, religions, culture and the diplomatic representations of the countries in the competition for the “In the spirit of the faith” prize and the other recognition will take part to the event. Religion Today Press Office
KRZYSZTOF ZANUSSI PRESIDENT OF THE JURY 2005
The Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi will preside the international and interconfessional jury of the 8th Festival of Cinema and Religion, that is scheduled in Trento (Italy) from October 20th to 22nd 2005. Born in 1939, Zanussi is the President of FERA (Fédération Européenne des Réalisateurs de l'Audiovisuel), member of Pontifical Commission For Culture in Vatican, member of the Programme Council of Polish Public TV and professor of Silesian University in Katowice. Since Seventies he has imposed himself on the international critics through remarkable stylistic value movies. His works talk about the basic questions of the human life, in a particular manner about the existential and social problems. With his The Supplement won the last “Religion Today” Filmfestival. The journalist head of Vatican dept. of the Italian TV Giuseppe De Carli, and Ovidio Salazar - the British Muslim director whose film Haji won the Best Documentary Prize at the “Religion Today” 2004 and took part in the Jerusalem Jewish Film Days – are supporting Zanussi as the Filmfestival judges.

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