Italian Film Festival Held April 24-28 2024

It is hoped that the Indonesian people's insight into Italian films and the enthusiasm of filmmakers from both countries to work together will increase.

KOMPAS/DWI BAYU RADIUS

Director of the Italian Film Festival, Maria Battaglia, delivered an explanation in Jakarta, Tuesday (16/4/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Italian Film Festival 2024: Venice in Jakarta will be held on 24-28 April 2024. Spectators can enjoy five films that will also be screened in Bandung, West Java. These works are the best shows screened at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival.

The Italian Ambassador to Indonesia, Benedetto Latteri in Jakarta, on Tuesday (16/4/2024) stated that they are truly pleased to see the enthusiasm of the Indonesian community towards the Italian Film Festival (Itaff), which has been held for the third time.

Films by famous directors, such as Luca Guadagnino, Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, and Paolo Sorrentino, will be shown with an average duration of around two hours. These works are Comandante, Adagio, Enea, L'Ordine Del Tempo, and Bellissima.

Many doors are open to finding international coproduction partners. Production of the film also began in Italy.

All films can be watched for free. Spectators in Jakarta can come to Istituto Italiano di Cultura or the Italian cultural center. In Bandung, the films will be screened at the Institut Francais Indonesie or the French Cultural Center on April 26-28 2024.

Audiences can come and obtain tickets one hour before the film starts. The catalog, including the film schedule, can be checked on the website and social media of the Italian Cultural Center. This year, Itaff has also started a partnership with the Venice International Film Festival.

KOMPAS/DWI BAYU RADIUS

Makbul Mubarak, who directed Autobiography, delivered an explanation at the 2024 Italian Film Festival press conference in Jakarta, Tuesday (16/4/2024).

"This time's itaff is a good sign regarding the demand for film lovers in Indonesia to show the best Italian creations," said Latteri. The festival will open with Comandante the action genre and conclude with the drama film, Bellissima.

According to the Director of Italian Film Festival, Maria Battaglia, it is an honor to present works from one of the oldest festivals. The Venice International Film Festival, which is one of the benchmarks for global filmmakers, has been held since 1932.

He hopes to broaden Indonesian people's insight into Italian films and encourage filmmakers from both countries to work together. Indonesian filmmakers, for example Garin Nugroho, were selected in the main competition at the Venice International Film Festival through Kucumbu Body Indahku (2018).

Also read: Just vacation at home, don't get bored thanks to OTT

Sidi Saleh's work, Maryam (2014), also succeeded in becoming the first work from Indonesia to win the best short film award in the Venice Short Horizon Awards category. This achievement was followed by Aditya Ahmad who directed Kado (2018).

Meanwhile, Makbul Mubarak, who presented Autobiography (2022), won the Fipresci Prize for the best film in the Orizzonti category. Makbul said that while it was still in the production planning stage, Autobiography was presented for the first time at the Torino Film Lab, Italy, in 2017.

KOMPAS/DWI BAYU RADIUS

Italian Ambassador to Indonesia Benedetto Latteri, Director of the Italian Film Festival Maria Battaglia, and Director Makbul Mubarak posed for photos after delivering statements in Jakarta, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

”Many doors are open to find international coproduction partners. "Production of the film also started in Italy," he said.

According to Makbul, who once received the main award from Open Doors Hub in Locarno, Switzerland in 2019, Italy also supports the success of Indonesian films.

Also read: Eid Surprise from Two Female Directors

"I'm trying not only to make Indonesia a market, but also to take Autobiography abroad," he said. Makbul then went to Torino to dissect the script with film industry players including those from Germany, Italy and France.

"Hopefully, their opinions and inputs will make the film more relevant. After production is complete, we need to look for a global distributor," he said. Makbul then returned to Turin to screen his film for 20 minutes, which was watched by curators of the Venice International Film Festival.

"I registered and was invited because the movie will have its premiere screening. The Venice International Film Festival is also important as it is attended by world practitioners," he said.

The collaboration between Indonesian and Italian filmmakers has actually made a long history.