32nd Torino Film Festival

The 32nd Torino Film Festival confirmed the quality, eclecticism and variety of a festival rooted in Italian cultural reality. It has become an indispensable point of reference for those who want to upgrade to a 360° perspective on world produced independent cinema (fiction and documentary); experimenta more extreme and daring. The Director, Emanuela Martini, has set up a program that was, as always, rich and diverse. Despite forced budget cuts resulting in the removal of some of the ‘salt’ and the loss of the paper version of the catalogue, the festival mobilized a large audience, especially the youth.

The “Torino 32” selection did not seem memorable. The most interesting films have become the French entries. The jury, presided by Ozpetek, awarded “Mange TesMorts” and the Fipresci Jury awarded “Mercuriales”. Of the two competing Italian documentaries, “N-Capace” Eleonora Danco revealed an original view, outside of the standard perspective on humanist themes. But the winning feature of the Festival has always offered anexpansive view of film; a look at the whole field of international emerging auteurs. Discovered and launched in specific ways, a reshuffling of other sections meansthat the best you can find is often outsideof the competition. “A Moveable Feast”, for example, which previewed the latest Woody Allenfilm, “Magic in the Moonlight”, “Wild” by Jean-Marc Vallée (“Dallas Buyers Club”), and “Gemma Bovery” by Anne Fontaine. Orworks as diverse as the noir “The Drop”, “Mirafiori Luna Park” produced by MimmoCalopresti, the documentary “Togliatti (grad)”, and restored classics such as “the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” and “Deep Red”, as well as “Artists Portraits” dedicated to Nick Cave, Tiziano Sclavi, Luca Ronconi, Lucio Dalla, Carlo Colnaghiand Alberto Signetto. In the “Rights & Light” section, curated by Paolo Virzì, there were new documentaries by Antonietta De Lillo, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Wilma Labate, Constance Quatriglio, Erika Rossi and Giuseppe Tedeschi. And there was plenty of choice fromthe Italian and international documentaries on current affairs, political and social issues, “Tffdoc”, short films, and the tributes of “After Hours” to the likes of Jim Mickle,horror and gore, and GiulioQuesti, present in Turin but whodied a few days after the end of the Festival.There was alsoatribute to Josephine Decker’s “Waves”, the products of the “Space Torino” and “TorinoFilmLab”, numerous masterpieces of American cinema from the 70s and early 80s inthe second and final part of the beautiful retrospective dedicated to the “New Hollywood”.  (Alberto Castellano)

Torino Film Festival: www.torinofilmfest.org