Paolo Bertolin Prepares for the Venice Film Festival
Paolo Bertolin is a member of the five -strong committee responsible for the program at the next Venice Film Festival. So how does he choose which movies make the cut?
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Mr. Bertolin, how did you get to this enviable position?
I received an invitation to join the committee from the Festival's Artistic Director Marco Muller in December 2007. He was interested in the articles and essays on cinema I had published in Italian newspapers and magazines. After following a course in Cultural Studies in the US, my speciality became East Asian cinema. Muller's invitation meant the realisation of a lifetime dream! I started working for the Festival in 2008.
What is it like to sit on the committee?
The film screenings are held in June and July at the Palace of Cinema at the Lido. We watch films for 12 hours a day. Clearly, we all have a different attitude towards them. All members of the committee express a personal opinion that mirrors their taste and critical position. Sometimes there are huge contrasts of opinion but they all have to be taken into consideration, therefore Marco Muller has to mediate and take a final decision about each film.
How do you manage the inevitable disagreements between members?
We're all very different from one another because of cultural background, age and other factors and this is a precious asset when it comes to analyzing trends from the whole world of cinema. But certain films provoke polarised opinions. In those cases, we have a calm and diplomatic discussion, but the final decision is always Muller's. I hope the vision of cinema that stands out from our work is non-dogmatic and diverse.
Is there any film you have personally stood up for, which then made it to the big screen of the Festival?
Last year one film was about to be discarded from the Competition line-up: Paper Soldier by Russian director Alexei German Jr. Since I first saw it, I thought it was great so I insisted that we have it in Competition. Thankfully the official jury agreed with me and the film was awarded the Silver Lion for Best Direction. I am also proud of supporting Milk by Semih Kaplanoglu, the first Turkish film in Venice in 17 years; the epic Teza by Ethiopian Haile Gerima that won the jury’s Special Prize and Inland by Tunisian Tariq Teguia which won the International Critics' Prize.
Last year the international press chastised your selection. Why was that, and will it affect you this year?
Last year's critiques were balanced by equally strong support by a different part of the press. What the last edition of the Festival lacked was Hollywood stars and glamour, but this was due to a practical problem that affected the Toronto Film Festival too, namely the Screenwriters' Guild strike. Many films just weren't ready in time for the festival. This year we hope to bring a few more palatable films to the Lido, so that the critics will be in a better mood when they see an auteur film from an unusual country.
The 66th International Venice Film Festival is at the Venice Lido from September 2nd - 12th. For more information visit www.labiennale.org/
