Author: Arianna Di Iorio

Pistola in the city

Posted on | by Arianna Di Iorio

Pistola in the city by Isabel Sadurni (USA, 2015)

Biographical note of the author
Isabel Sadurni’s films have screened internationally in top-tier festivals and on PBS. As co-founder of non- profit The 100 People Foundation, Isabel responsibilities filled the spectrum as co-producer, co-director, editor and camera on over 20 short films for which collaborated with crew in over 28 countries.

Synopsis
Pistola in the city tells the story of a New York economist turned burlesque dancer and shares what it’s like to play a role by day and bare it all by night

Judgment
Trough a subjective and unexpected perspective, the short offers an innovative view about the gender identity in the workplace. It puts on the stage of the narrative a brave reaction to some gender stereotypes that affect the female figure in different social spaces, taking in a sensitive manner a (counter)trend, extremely, actual.

Sweep

Posted on | by Arianna Di Iorio

Sweep  by Harold Chapman (UK, 2010)

Biographical note of the author
Since graduating from the Northern Film and Television Schoolin Leeds and also the Netherlands Film & Television Academy, Harold has divided his time between developing his writing and directing projects as well as working professionally as a Production Designer.  In the last couple of years he has also begun to explore the medium of documentary as a way of telling stories.

Synopsis
There’s more to a person than their job, than what you see. On a typical day in London, nine street sweepers ruminate on the nature of what they do, where they’re from, family, their loves, hopes and dreams.

Judgment
The video gives voice to a daily work and finds narratives in the ordinary. The stories of people coming from different nationalities but linked by the same job done with dignity open new, unexpected glimpses of the world.

Shift

Posted on | by Arianna Di Iorio

Shift by Kristina Meiton (Sweden, 2014)

Biographical note of the author
Kristina Meiton was born in Sundsvall Sweden in 1972. She is a documentary film director and producer, additonally working as editor.


Synopsis
In a triptych, the work in a bakery, a factory, and for a truck driver are portrayed. The people who work shares a common concentration and a common time. There is also a monotonous part in their work they share, a rhythm and maybe also a feeling. With a poetic approach the film raises questions about the shared ideas and values linked to work. It also challenge thoughts about the time that goes by, that we spend working.

Judgment
A multiple and simultaneous view on different and unconnected spaces and shifts; what are the common elements among a truck driver, a bottle factory and a bakery industry? An open question that the video represents  in an experimental way.

Let’s our men dance

Posted on | by Arianna Di Iorio

Let’s our men dance by Hiwa Aminnjad (Iran , 2015)

Biographical note of the author
Hiwa Aminnejad was born in 1973 in Baneh, Kurdistan Province of Iran from a Kurdish middle class family. He obtained a degree in film direction and realized different shorts like The merry circle of agonies (dayere-e shad-e ranjha), 17 mins,  2013, and Broken smile (labkhand-e shekast-e), 7 mins, 2011.

Synopsis
The story of Kurdish women laboring to weave clothes for their men to dance in

Judgment
The short offers a not-occidental perspective about gender topics on work and underlines, with a mere use of images, the poetic, social and cultural dimension of work. It highlights the diversification and importance of relations into the ecological dimension.

Varvilla

Posted on | by Arianna Di Iorio

VARVILLA by Valerio Gnesini

Biographical note of the author
Valerio Gnesini took his first steps on a professional path as a photographer, and  since 2008  works in the film industry  with G. Rights, Manetti Bros, R. Deodato

Synopsis
At the door of the national park of the Tuscany-Emilia Apennines, in the Val D’Enza valley, the inhabitants have succeeded in rescuing the small hamlet from abandon thanks to the creation of a community cooperative, named “La Valle dei Cavalieri”. This cooperative operates a bar, an agritourism, a grocery shop, and it is also involved in tourism promotion, sheep raising, maintenance of the territory, and in the management of the visitor centre of the national park. It represents a unique example in the Italian context and even worldwide, so that the University of Osaka has decided to study it, affirming that such an example can also be found only in Australia.

Judgment
The representation of a great example of the binomial relationship composed by market systems and human relations, the basis of the fundamental connection between economy and society. In the cooperative world of “Varvilla” people dedicate their own private time and their experiences at the disposal of their small mountainous society.[:]

Lainer

Posted on | by Arianna Di Iorio

LAINER by Anna Intemann and Dana Loeffelholz

Biographical note of the author
Anna and Dana are two young Cinematographers, Writers and Directors.

Synopsis
Lainer is a long-term unemployed from Berlin that tries his professional luck as a migrant worker in distant Beijing. However, in this culture completely alien to him, his life does not develop as smoothly as he might have imagined.

Judgment
A German unemployed going to China looking for a job. He finds it as laundry worker in a packaging enterprise. He isn’t a “knowledge worker”. He isn’t a well paid worker. He suffers so much: languages, food, quality of life…everything is so different from Germany. Lainer tries to adapt; it is unclear how much he does it. Overall, a very strange situation, without evidences of its nature of fiction. Clever. Provocative. Hopefully not prescient

Amar

Posted on | by Arianna Di Iorio

AMAR by Andrew Hinton

Biographical note of the author
Andrew Hinton is a documentary filmmaker drawn to individuals and stories with positive change at their hearts.

Synopsis
Amar is 14-years old and top of his class. Someday he would like to be a professional cricketer, but for now he is the family’s main breadwinner, working two jobs, six and a half days a week, on top of attending school in the afternoons. This short observational documentary is a simple journey with Amar through his daily life.

Judgment
An Indian guy’s daily life, running among work-school-work, in his city. Amar gives us a peaceful and intense tale, consistently rich of visual information, without dialogues nor narrators. The short opens a window on family and social relationships and on composites spaces that contextualize the day of the protagonist, organized and challenging

Treasures of the Sea

Posted on | by Arianna Di Iorio

TREASURES OF THE SEA by Astra Zoldnere

Biographical note of the author
Astra Zoldnere is a young Latvian Director. Astra holds an MA degree in film directing from Baltic Film and Media School. She has directed short films, music videos and light installations. Her films have been screened in many international film festivals and have received several awards.

Synopsis
A poetic documentary that unveils the soul of the Baltic culture around the Sea. The film portrays in multiple layers the world of the fishing industry, and through a modern view it connects the society with its cultural heritage, the nature, the human factor, the sound, and the silence.

Judgment
The capability to modulate, with different sequences and fields, a story with a powerful vision, rich of anthropological evocations, in which sweat and hard work are included in wider and playful social ties.

Aka Shegena

Posted on | by Arianna Di Iorio

AKA SHEGENA by Richard Magumba

Biographical note of the author
Richard Magumba is a screenwriter, cinematographer, photographer, editor and freelance Tanzanian filmmaker. Immediately after completing High School studies he found a niche for himself in the film industry. Guided by the principles of learning by doing as well as flexibility, Magumba began his career by collaborating with veteran filmmakers both from within and outside Africa.

Synopsis
David Limbu was given the ironic name “Shegena” which literally means “someone who crawls” in Kisukuma. Due to the nature of his disability he was not granted an opportunity to go to school. Against all odds he self trained to become an electronics expert. His creative inventions have gained him wide ranging respect and popularity and directly benefit his local community.

Big

Posted on | by Arianna Di Iorio

BIG by Jerome de Gerlache

Biographical note of the author
Jerome de Gerlache was born in Brussels, he studied at INSAS image section. His professional life began as director of photography on short films and commercials. He moved to Paris in 2007 and began to direct his first short film, The Meeting. Jerome realized several short films but also first feature film.

Synopsis
The story of a young glass blower who after battling cancer decides to blow the biggest piece as possible.