Circuito Off

Written by Alessandro Gambaro on Thursday, 03 September 2009 10:49

Short films to me have their own appeal and I am always curious to discover what the directors have to tell, confess or express. It is not always easy to tell a story in 15 minutes or less, not many directors have the capacity to convey a message in such a concise manner. Going to a short film festival for me is like going to Disneyworld for a little kid. The chance to enjoy, discuss, applaud or boo so many shorts in a row gives me goose bumps. Every year I can’t wait for September to come to Venice because Circuito Off, the short-films festival, is always on my agenda. San Servolo island hosts this eclectic event from September 2nd to the 5th. This year Circuito Off celebrates its 10th edition and just like a good bottle of Montepulciano, it gets better every year.
This edition will feature the Talent Lab, a cycle of conferences and seminars with 2009 Circuito Off guests such as: Martin De Thurah, creator of one the most profound and intense music videos of the last ten years, Royksopp’s What Else Is There and Jan Kounen, the innovative French director whose film Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky, participated in the latest Cannes Film Festival. Circuito Off

     Another competition for young directors is Re-Play: microvideos with the word RE as a theme, meaning repeat, revise, redo; this competition is sponsored by Replay. Special guests of the Festival will include: Anna Mouglalis, the French actress famous for her work in the Italian movie Romanzo Criminale directed by Michele Placido. Anna has directed a short that will be presented in the International competition. Director Giuseppe Piccioni will serve as the President of the jury. Piccioni directed the movie Giulia Non Esce La Sera. Another member of the jury will be Jacky Ido, a French actor on the rise who is in the film Inglorious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino. Nicola Tescari the Italian composer will participate as well and the final member of the jury will be the French producer Sophie Bramly.
     In addition to the International competition, there will be the Made in Italy section, Short in Web, Veneto in Short and, last but not least, for the fans of erotica and the voyeurs, the Erotic Night section, featuring shorts by women directors like Zoé Cassavetes, Tonie Marshall, Eva Migdley, Erika Lust and Blanca Li who has directed Victoria Abril in Pour Elle.
     I have no doubt that this year my cinematic appetite and instincts will be fulfilled and gratified. So if you have the good fortune of being in Venice for the Film Festival I highly recommend that you head to the island of San Servolo and enjoy the wide range of shorts that Circuito Off offers and also the amazing view of Venice.

Website: http://www.circuitooff.com/

-- By Alessandro Gambaro