Article by Alessandra Sottini

Translation by Silvia Affronte

«I wanna be loved by you»: Marilyn Monroe’s words are borrowed by Giulio Base who – now on his third mandate as artistic director of the Torino Film Festival – is not afraid to expose himself when it comes to his work and his mission, offering an event of international scope which aims to preserve the authorial quality of the movies, while staying faithful to its original roots. These are the intents voiced on November 5^th during the press conference, where the 44^th Torino Film Festival program was showcased.

Framework to the event was the elegant Acquario Romano monumental complex, where George Barris’s photograph, taken in Santa Monica in July 1962, stands out. The image depicts Monroe shortly before her tragic death in August. The carefree, playful, and fragile beauty of this picture of Monroe – to whom a retrospective of 24 works is dedicated, all of which are introduced by women critics – serves as the event’s thematic manifesto.

This focus on female gaze is deliberate and intentional, and finds its maximum expression in the predominance of women directors in both the feature film and the short film competitions. It is with this leitmotif in mind that many of the works have been chosen by a team of young selectors. Nevertheless, the film selection also left some room for current affairs and the absurd and unacceptable events unfolding before our eyes. The two works that stand out are the short film It Means Hope by Shadi Karamroudi, and Thirteen in Gaza by Hosam Abu Dan. Due to the conflict that undermines authorial freedom of expression and the fundamental right to life, the two directors will unfortunately be unable to attend the event.

The press conference was opened, as usual, by the President of the Museo Nazionale del Cinema. Enzo Ghigo delivered the official greetings and expressed his gratitude to all those involved in organizing the event. He was then joined by the Sottosegretario alla Cultura (“Undersecretary of Culture”), Lucia Borgonzoni. Carlo Chatrian, the Director of the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, concluded this opening section before leaving the floor to the artistic director Giulio Base. Chatrian highlighted the huge effort accomplished by the whole team, on a budget consistent with the previous editions. 

Now all that remains is to await the start of the 44^th Torino Film Festival, with an enticing program full of movies, guest stars, and multiple world and European premieres, all of which will unfold across the different sections (Competition, Out of Competition, and Zibaldone) between November 24^th and December 2^nd. The magic of the big screen is about to happen once again.