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An identifying format, which clearly emerged in the five days in which Taormina was in the international spotlight, consolidating more and more every year the powerful link between a content of universal value, such as cinematographic art, and a “place”, a topos that goes beyond geographical limits and acquires personality.
The results of the 72nd edition of the Taormina Film Festival speak through images, videos, professional multimedia contents, but also in infinite social conversations, which tell of characters, dialogues, comparison, of a “humanity” that needs presence to be activated. And the results are also in the numbers, which will be communicated with precision in the next few days and which in the meantime the artistic director Tiziana Rocca announces: «In a month over seven million interactions on Instagram alone, and 2000 press articles, which even sent our review system into a tailspin». «I am really proud of this edition – she states – we started working on it many months ago, and thanks also to the credibility built over time we have obtained confirmation from people who receive countless invitations, and therefore have to select where to be there. And they chose to be here. With a participation that was not distant, they were present in the masterclasses, on the red carpet with the public. Russel Crowe, for example, spent 50 minutes talking. Helen Mirren did not hide her emotion when a woman was moved by approaching her. There was a lot of talk, and this was important, even for young people: experiencing presence, rather than being in front of a mobile phone. Even the evenings at the ancient theatre, with an average of 3,500 people and the sold out of 6,000 with Crowe, testify to the appreciation of the public who strongly wanted to participate and invested time and resources”.
«We don’t always perceive the enormous effort behind these results – Rocca remarks – Having premieres like that of House of the Dragon, or Bear Country, with the casts, was a feat. Also of particular value was the participation of the president of the Golden Globes, Helen Hoehne, who awarded Tornatore’s film on Brunello Cucinelli, also present at the festival. A success that was the result of an important launch, also with the presentation at the Cannes Film Festival.”
«Our commitment – he reiterates – was also to enhance Sicily in every way. In the next few days we will have the numbers on the economic impact generated, but already, for example, the guests have produced social content that has promoted this land, while many characters are linked to it, from the godmother Anna Valle to artists such as Miriam Leone or Delia Buglisi. We wanted beloved faces like Roberto Lipari or Sergio Friscia. Paolo Guzzanti also remembered that his family is originally from Mineo: a privilege to have guests like him, who don’t travel easily, but wanted to be with us in Taormina. The closeness of the institutions was fundamental. I particularly thank the regional councilor Elvira Amata, the Taormina Arte Foundation, with the commissioner Bernardo Campo and the superintendent Felice Panebianco, and the Municipality with the mayor Cateno De Luca”.
«A great satisfaction – he continues – was having received compliments from the president of the jury Jane Campion and the other members. A jury that worked seriously, meeting, examining the works in competition carefully and then choosing “Hear The Yellow”, by Banu Sivaci. Our commitment was precisely to reconcile the two souls, the more popular one – with different characters and genres, and for this reason we wanted varied professionalism on stage, with music or comedy – and the more technical one, which raises the quality and makes the competition serious”. The investment in young people is significant, with the Campus and the jury in collaboration with Anec and Agis, the interventions during the masterclasses and the agreements with schools and the University of Catania: «In fact for next year I asked for the availability of an extra room, to strengthen the shorts section».
And as soon as the curtain falls, the next edition is already on the horizon, number 73 for the oldest and most identifying event in Italy, after the Venice Film Festival.