Editor

BORDERLANDS – TERRE DI CONFINE
International Film Competition
Bolzano 28-29 May 2004

The purpose of the Festival is to promote peace and mutual understanding amongst different peoples through works of film that address history, situation, life and problems of peoples or individuals who live in “borderlands”. In this context the concept “borderlands” identifies places in which different languages, civilisations or ethnic groups either meet or clash, in any possible way.


Fourteen films participate to the second edition of “Borderlands – Terre di confine”, including short films, feature films and international documentaries

The second edition of the “Borderlands – Terre di confine” film competition takes place this year in Bolzano on May 28th and 29th, at the EURAC (European Academy) Auditorium, in Via Druso. The goals have not changed, and this time the selection was even stricter: 14 films, including short films, feature films, fiction and documentaries, on film and in digital format; fom Italy, Mexico, Ecuador, Germany, Palestina… More than 10 hours of showing, from Friday to Saturday, starting at 18:00 and ending at midnight, when the official prize-giving ceremony will take place, with the attendance of authors and jury. All films submitted are perfectly focused on the topic of the competition and give extraordinary and moving insights on the complex and conflictual dynamics of borderlands.

Amongst the films competing for the three prizes there are some extremely interesting works. One example is the feature film Italian sud-est, by Fluid Video Crew, team that won the 1.500 Euros prize for the best short film (Gli ultracorpi della porta accanto) in the last edition of “Borderlands”, and that this year aims at the 2.500 Euros prize for the best feature film. Italian sud-est, Fluid’s debut in cinematography, plays on the trains of south-east Salento and will be hosted in April at the Los Angeles Italian Film Award, prestigious competition dedicated to Italian cinematography in Hollywood. “Borderlands” is a one time chance to see this film, that was shown in theatres in 2003, after being selected for the Venice Film Festival, but that had low visibility due to the unshakeable and unjust mechanisms of Italian distribution.
“Borderlands” is also that: a chance to see quality films that are surprising, often harsh, and that the public of the ubiquitous mainstream theatres will never see.

Amongst the most interesting films and videos of this year’s edition there also is Jenin Jenin, by Muhammed Bakri (2002, 54’), shown at the Torino Film Festival, that was shot covertly during the violent invasion of a Palestinian refugee camp by the Israeli army, sent there by the premier Sharon. Also to be mentioned is Quaranta giorni, a wonderful documentary by Emma Rossi-Landi, Flavia Pasquini and Giulia Tronci (2003, 57’), that shows with heartrending poetry and profound irony the journey to Italy of three little girls from Byelorussia, Anastasia, Julia and Vika: they come from the orphanage of Oshmiany and arrive at Ciampino, where they spend forty days with two different Italian families.

These borderlands are therefore not only geographical, but also cultural, social, political and racial. In “Borderlands” many different stories will be told: dramatic stories of military borders (God of the Hills, by Paolo Poti, 15’), surreal but true tales of boundaries set by language and age (Vicine, by Rolf Mandolesi, 24’), stories of immigration (the extraordinary Maria Jesus, by Massimiliano and Gianluca De Serio, 10’), of violence and discrimination (Kappaò, short film by Michele Rovini, 19’)… and much more.

The jury is composed by experts and directors of international level. These are the prizes: Best Feature Film: € 2.500; Best Short Film: € 1.000; ZeLIG Prize (ZeLIG school for documentary, television and new media) - Best documentary: € 1.000.
Additionally, some documentaries made by Emergency will be shown out of competition.
The competition, organized by the Cineforum Bolzano Cultural Association, has the patronage of the Province of Bolzano and of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio, and is organized in partnership with the most prestigious Italian documentary school, Zelig.
Federico Greco (Artistic Manager)
April 7th, 2004




(list of selected films follows)













These films were selected by the jury amongst the 75 submitted ones:
WILDWEST - SüDTIROL by Mauro Podini (2001/Bressanone -BZ) 27’
SETTE APRILE by Massimo Alì (2003/Impruneta - FI) 3' 40"
VICINE by Rolf Mandolesi (2000/Merano - BZ) 24'
KAPPAO' by Michele Rovini (2002/Genova) 19'
MARIA JESUS by Massimiliano and Gianluca De Serio (2003/ Torino ) 12'48"
LA NOSTRA TERRA by Stefano Lorenzi and Federico Micali (2004/ Firenze) 10'
EL OLVIDO by Haydeé Montaño Ceceña (2003/ Messico ) 4'
L'ESTATE VOLA by Andrea Caccia (2000/Milano) 15'
THE GOD OF THE HILLS by Paolo Potì (2003/Italia-Danimarca )15'
ITALIAN SUD-EST by Fluid Video Crew (2003/Roma) 120'
JENIN JENIN by Iyad Samudi and Mohamed Bakri (2001/ Palestina) 54'
MOJA MEJA by Nadia Veluscek and Anja Medved (2002/ Italia-Slovenia) 50'14" (fuori concorso)
QUARANTA GIORNI by Emma Rossi Landi (2004/ Roma) 58'
QUESTA E' LA MIA TERRA by Francesco Amato (2003/Roma) 59'