Known for supporting first and second feature films, the Turin Film Festival is increasingly becoming a showcase for female talent.
For the second year in a row, 10 of the 16 films in Turin’s feature film competition are directed by women; this ratio matches this year’s selection of short films. While few festivals in Italy or elsewhere can match Turin’s level of attendance, artistic director Giulio Base is adamant that such results “have nothing to do with quotas”.
“This is part of a worldwide trend in the film industry,” says Base. “Women are already doing great work, so it’s not about percentages. I just care about good movies, and there are plenty of them.”
Of course, a familiar face never hurts, and Torino’s rivals have more star power than most. Itonje Søimer Guttormsen’s “Butterfly” starring Renate Reinsve, Chabname Zariab’s “When She Hears the Bells” starring Golshifteh Farahani, and Rachel Rose’s “The Last Day” starring Alicia Vikander and Wagner Moura all see established artistic names lending their profiles to new female filmmakers.
Meanwhile, recent festival releases like Muriel D’Ansembourg’s “Truly Naked,” Sarah Arnold’s “Too Many Beasts” and Amira Duynhouwer’s “Sugar” reflect the curatorial freedom of a festival less preoccupied with bragging rights.
“I’m not obsessed with securing world premieres,” Base explains. “I don’t think the people of Turin are going around festivals around the world saying, ‘I’ve already seen that.’ I’d rather choose the strongest films.”
Base established a gender-balanced selection committee to screen more than 5,000 applications and hired each member before they turned 30. He thinks intergenerational mixing is necessary.
“Ultimately, women’s issues depend on who watches the movies,” Base explains. “I’m the old man, so I want new perspectives on business from all over the world. When I sit down with six young men and women to discuss elections, I realize we all watch differently, and I always benefit from that exchange.”
Still, Torino remained steadfast in its support, celebrating 44 years with three women-led juries. Director Francesca Archibugi (“Vivere”) will chair the feature competition, while film legend Stefania Casini (“1900,” “Suspiria”) will helm the documentary competition and pop culture icon Chiara Francini (“Miracle on St. Anna,” “Drag Race Italia”) will handle the shorts. The festival will also feature an all-female cast of journalists and academics to promote films in this year’s Marilyn Monroe retrospective.
“Marilyn was often viewed as a lust object,” says Base. “For me, it’s important that 24 women share their perspectives to show that they are so much more than that.”
This year’s selection covers 120 titles in six sections. Staying true to its mission as a showcase for emerging talent and its origins as the Festival Internazionale Cinema Giovani (literally, Festival of Young Cinema), teenage stories abound. When asked which films resonate with him personally (“It’s not good for a director to pick his favorites, but I’m human and I have my preferences”), Base singles out Palestinian filmmaker Hosam Abu Da’s recent TIFF winner “Thirteen in Gaza” and Venice Gold Lion winner Milcho Manchevski’s documentary “Good People.”
“The title already says a lot,” Base says of “Thirteen in Gaza.”
“[‘Thirteen in Gaza’] It was the first film shot and completed in Gaza after 12 years. I think it’s important to hear such voices, even if the director cannot attend for reasons we all know. People shouldn’t miss this.”
Base is even more emphatic about Manchevski’s documentary, calling it “probably the movie that impressed me the most during this selection process.”
“This is about a disco that caught fire in Macedonia about 20 months ago, just like the one in Crans-Montana on New Year’s Eve,” says Base. “I don’t know how many young people died in that fire, but the people he interviewed gave very touching, unsensational accounts of what it was like to be there. It’s a great documentary and extremely moving.”
Base, who has a doctorate in theology, remains true to himself when asked about his goals as he looks to the future.
“I am a dreamer,” he says. “I would like to take the festival to the top of the charts. We’re trying to build on that and that’s our ambition. It’s not easy because we have maybe a tenth of what the big festivals have, but sometimes David beats Goliath.”