For the second year running, 10 of the 16 films in Torino’s feature competition are directed by women Known for championing first and second features, the Torino Film Festival has increasingly become a showcase for rising female talent. I only care about good films, and there are plenty of them.” Of course, a familiar face never hurts, and Torino’s competition boasts 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,” led by Alicia Vikander and Wagner Moura, all see established arthouse names lending their profiles to emerging female filmmakers.
Meanwhile, recent festival breakouts 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. He sees that generational mix as essential. When the six young men and women and I sit down to discuss the selections, I realize we all watch differently, and I always benefit from the exchange.” All the same, Torino has decisively leaned in, marking its 44th edition with three women-led juries.
Director Francesca Archibugi (“Vivere”) will chair the feature competition, while film legend Stefania Casini (“1900,” “Suspiria”) oversees the documentary competition and pop culture icon Chiara Francini (“Miracle at St. Anna,” “Drag Race Italia”) handles shorts. The festival will also enlist an all-female roster of journalists and academics to introduce films in this year’s Marilyn Monroe retrospective.
True to its mission as a showcase for emerging talent, and its origins as the Festival Internazionale Cinema Giovani (literally, the Festival of Young Cinema), stories of youth abound. Asked which films resonate with him personally (“It’s not good for a director to pick favorites, but I’m human and I have my preferences”), Base singles out recent TIFF winner “Thirteen in Gaza,” by Palestinian filmmaker Hosam Abu Da, and “Good People,” a documentary by Venice Golden Lion winner Milcho Manchevski. I think it’s important to hear voices like this, even if the director can’t attend for the reasons we all know.
People shouldn’t miss this one.” Base is even more emphatic about Manchevski’s documentary, calling it “probably the film that affected me most during this selection process.” “It’s about a disco in Macedonia that caught fire about 20 months ago, much like the one in Crans-Montana on New Year’s Eve,” says Base. It’s a great documentary, and enormously moving.” Looking ahead, Base, who holds a doctorate in theology, stays true to himself when asked about his goals. That’s what we’re trying to build 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.”
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