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| JoDee at the Roman gate in Torino |
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In the heart of every filmmaker beats the desire to have her film shown at Cannes. Or Berlin. Or London, Copenhagen, Rome…or Torino? Yes of course, why not? So when the announcement came that Mabel’s Saga was in competition at Festival Internazionale Cinema delle Donne in Torino—and by the way, would I like to attend, all expenses paid?—I couldn’t say no.
Italy In October! Chestnuts strewn across lawns and highways, International Harvester combines blazing wide swaths through golden corn fields, olives, grapes, pears, kiwis! Everything is being harvested. Around Torino wet, glistening rice fields stretch in all directions because Torino is situated on the flood plains of the Po, a meandering river that begins in the Alps and ends its journey at the Adriatic Sea near Venice. A flood plain is the perfect place to grow rice, and rice becomes risotto, the delicious sticky mainstay of the northern diet.
Torino is a city of a million industrious Italians on the western edge of the Alps. It was founded in Roman times and has one Roman red brick gate still standing. Mostly it is a practical city that has grown with the times, meaning that old stuff has had to make way for the new. There are still enough palazzos, cathedrales and museos to satisfy any curiosity seeker, plus a world record number of porticos (covered walkways)—eighteen kilometers of ‘em! Apparently the kings of Torino didn’t like to get their feet wet when it rained, and it rains a lot in this northern city. When Italy was unified in the 1800s Torino was the first capital of the country, and it was also the Italian film capital before filmmaking moved to Rome. There is an excellent film museum, Museo Nazionale del Cinema, situated in what was once the world’s tallest building, the Mole Antoneliana. So, should you get tired of huddling at the bottom of the ski jump at the Winter Olympics, you won’t lack for cultural options.
Now a few words about the film festival. Well, I didn’t get to the film museum because there wasn’t time. Too many films to watch, too many parties. We filmmakers all stayed at Hotel Bologna in the heart of the city. (“clean and comfortable” but so much more: we actually had a fresco on the ceiling!) We ate delicious meals together at Ristorante Conservatorio, then wished each other well and sauntered across the piazza to the film festival theatres. There, for one short week, women filmmakers of the world showed their work to an adoring public. Films from just about everywhere, Russia, the Netherlands, Brazil, England, the U.S., France, India, Canada, Sweden; about love, lust, violence, immigration, old age, adolescence; short films, features, documentaries. Seven wonderful days of cultural overload.
Then it was closing night. Directors were escorted to the front of the beautiful theatre to sit in reserved seats. We sat through speeches by politicians and dignitaries, special mentions, mission statements. Awards were given out. Third prize, second, then first. When it came to the short film category, a film from Norway got third prize. I thought, good choice, she deserves it. Second prize went to a film from Korea. Oh well, I said to myself, at least I got here. Then first prize was announced. In a daze I heard Ma-bell’s Saga and “Jo Dee’ Sam-uel’-son.” Can it be? Yes, they’re all smiling at me. Mari beside me is jumping up and down and hugging me. Someone is handing me a bouquet. I’m up on stage making a speech. A pretty nice moment, one to keep warm on the back burner for a long time.
Here is the jury citation: “At long last a film that dares broach with irony and optimism an issue which is still delicate and taboo both for females and males: menopause. We appreciated the graceful and in depth touch of presenting the difficulties linked to this particular moment in a woman’s life which doesn’t represent the end but the beginning of a new phase. Moreover, we wanted to award a prize for Mabel’s Saga’s simplicity and essentiality which are rarely brought on screen.”—http://cinemadonne.emotiv.it/en/1/31/page.html
What a gracious piece of writing. Gracious just like the Italians. I hated to leave that gentle beautiful country. Islanders, for a magical unforgettable time, get thee to Italy!
JoDee would like to acknowledge the assistance of The Canada Council for the Arts and Technology PEI in making this trip possible. As it turned out, all travel expenses were not paid: Arts funding in Torino was diverted into sports funding at the last moment.
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