The Torino Film Festival organizes a program of Masterclasses, a series of encounters with directors and key figures of international contemporary cinema, facing major issues of crucial importance. The Masterclasses are organized in collaboration with the University of Turin and the Turin Polytechnic.
All Masterclasses will be broadcast live on the Festival’s YouTube channel at 6.00 pm.
Saturday November 21th
Women in Cinema: The Evolving Voices of Women in Cinema with Waad Al Kateab and Homayra Sellier.
This encounter, organized by Fedra Fateh, will address the role of women in cinema and the progress, challenges and strategies to achieve gender equality in every aspect of cinema. Women represent half of the world and also create the other half. Yet they are under-represented in cinema. Female directors, producers and film editors are under-represented. They are often silent or even absent from the screen. Progress has been made over time, but not enough. During the dialogue, the influences that the representation of women on the big screen has on the lives of girls and women all over the world will be discussed. The protagonists of the meeting will be the members of the official jury of Turin 38 Waad Al Kateab and Homayra Sellier.
For Sama, Waad Al Kateab (Uk, 2019, 100’)
SAT 21 NOV on MYmovies from 14 for 48h
Sunday November 22th
Turinese Expedition with Aleksandr Sokurov and his students from St. Petersburg State University.
The meeting, organized by Alena Shumakova, centers the dialogue with Alexandr Sokurov on the course in “Directing fiction and documentary cinema and editing” that the great master of contemporary Russian cinema has held since 2019 at the State University for Film and Television in St. Petersburg. “Working with already trained persons requires special attention. Least of all I would like to change them or change their point of view on the world. Our task is to help students find their own way in art, to direct them, to answer the questions they have at heart,” says Sokurov, whose extraordinary work is recognized worldwide. During his trip to Turin, Sokurov will stop on November 15 at the Technology Biennial organized by the Turin Polytechnic.
Il tempo degli inizi, 12 shorts by Aleksandr Sokurov’ students.
SUN 22 NOV on MYmovies from 14 for 48h
Wednesday November 25th
Film and Social Justice: Cinema Leading Us to a More Just and Sustainable World with Taghi Amirani and Walter Much.
The conversation, organized by Fedra Fateh, focuses on cinema as a tool in the struggle for social justice and human rights, exploring the way motion pictures educate and move the audience on controversial issues that politics is not always able to address. Documentaries and fictional works raise complex issues that can unite and divide people. From independent productions to Hollywood blockbusters, films can help us progress towards a more inclusive, fairer and sustainable world. In the dialogue with Iranian physicist and documentary-maker Taghi Amirani and Walter Murch (editor of The Godfather III, The Conversation, English Patient), we will look back at the making of their difficult film, discussing how movies can elicit legal action and inspire audiences towards greater social responsibility.
Coup 53, Taghi Amirani (Ireland, 2019, 120’)
WEN 25 NOV on MYmovies from 14 for 48h
Thursday November 26th
Training New Generations of Filmmakers and Activists with Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
The encounter, organized by Fedra Fateh and Vahid Rastgou, starts from the cinema of Mohsen Makhmalbaf, one of the greatest Iranian directors, who has always used the power of cinema to promote change in the world. Starting from Makhmalbaf’s films, and also delving into his role as an educator, we will arrive at the concept – essential to the director – according to which if cinema is unable to change society, then it is useless. Among his many films capable of inspiring ideas and actions, we have chosen The Afghan Alphabet (2002) to show the practical and powerful potential of cinema: shot with a small digital camera, the film led the Iranian government to allow Afghan children to attend school, thus influencing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Also on the program, Hello Cinema, is another form of reflection on the power of cinema.
The Afghan Alphabet, Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Iran, 2002, 45’)
Hello Cinema, Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Iran, 1995, 75’)
THU 26 NOV on MYmovies from 14 for 48h