City of Rome Award for the best Asian feature 2007

Jury

Gianni Amelio (President)

After his film studies at the Centro Sperimentale and a degree in philosophy, he worked in the ’60 as a cinematographer and then as assistant director. He made his directorial debut in 1970 with the film "La fine del gioco", made within the experimental programs of RAI/TV. 1973 he directed "La città del sole", followed by "Bertolucci secondo il cinema" (1976), a documentary about the making of "Novecento", the untypical criminal story "La morte al lavoro" (1978), which earns the FIPRESCI Award in Locarno, and in the same year "Effetti speciali". 1979 he directed "Il piccolo Archimede". The following film, "Colpire al cuore" (1983), screened at the Venice Film Festival, earns large success among the film critics, as well as "I ragazzi di via Panisperna" (1989) and "Porte aperte" (1990, inspired by the homonym novel by Leonardo Sciascia), which assured him an Oscar nomination thanks the extraordinary interpretations of Gian Maria Volontè and Ennio Fantastichini. "Il ladro di bambini" (1992, won the Special Jury Award in Cannes), "Lamerica" (1994), "Così ridevano" (1998, Gold Lion in Venice) finally consacrated him as an author of absolute merit and international range. 2004 he wrote and directed "Le chiavi di casa", freely inspired by Giuseppe Pontiggia’s novel "Nati due volte". 2006 he made “La stella che non c’è”, which took part at the 63rd International Film Festival in Venice .

Georgette Ranucci

Georgette Ranucci opened 1976 in Rome the bookshop “Il Leuto”, the only Italian bookshop specialized in literature about cinema and theatre. 1989 she renovated an old cinema hall in the centre of the Roman quarter of Trastevere which will become the Alcazar, the first cinema which screens high quality films without advertising intervals and in original version. Since 1995 she is the organizer of the cinematographic review "Cannes a Roma" (Cannes in Rome), which screens in original version in several cinemas in Trastevere previews from the sections "Quinzaine", Official Competition und Critics Week of the Cannes Festival. Since long time she works together with Lucky Red, distribution company which has always been focused on quality films and on European and Asian film cinematography.

Antonio Falduto

Antonio Falduto, former assistant director of mr. Ettore Scola and Mr. Steno, realizes his first feature film in 1991, “Antelope Cobbler” (Prix de la jury festival d’Annecy, festival de Bruxelles, Madrid Film festival, Europa Cinema film festival, Colonia film festival) In the past 10 years he’s been directing many commercials. As screenwriter, he realized “Where the sun rises”, (Cristaldi film\RAI Cinema, Australia film Production), and “Kamukola Desire” (Huber Bahls price fund for best subject). In 2005 he wrote “Han the forger”, (Istituto Luce development fund) for the direction of the Oscar winner director Giuseppe Tornatore. Currently, he’s involved in the script of “Choke Li Piri” a script based on Indian novel, coproduction between A\B productions and Rai Cinema, and “Special Mission”, a coproduction between Italy and China Film Group Corporation.

City of Rome Award for the Best Documentary 2007

Jury

Duilio Giammaria (President)

Graduated in political science, he works for the Italian national Rai/TV since 1985. He made reports and reportages for the main inquiring programs of RAI, also in cooperation with other European state broadcasting stations. He was correspondent for RAI/TV in the Iraq war and in Afghanistan. He published the books “Screening Europa” and “Seta e Veleni” (for the publishing house Feltrinelli). He conducts the journalistic researches for UnoMattina. Many of his reportages have been awarded at the main film festivals, among them “Un mare di Morte” (1999), “L’ Oro del Mar Caspio” (2000), “Congo: cuore di tenebra” (2001), “Il Gioco del Terrore” (2002), “Sulle tracce di Bin Laden” (2003), “Diari di Guerra” (2003), “Le Vie della Droga” (2004), “L’altra faccia della Mezzaluna” (2005), “Coca Spa” (2007) .

Mario Balsamo

Born 1959 in Rome, the writer and journalist wrote and directed eighteen films, documentaries, short films, video clips and development spots (the last one for the United Nations). He teaches documentary film direction at the Act – Academy for Cinema and Television, and in Cinecittà he leads workshops on documentary filmmaking. For long time he cooperated with RAI as a director and writer for television programs. Among his titles Alvaro Siza, architetto (1998), In restauro – L’Opificio delle Pietre Dure di Firenze (1999), Le isole dipinte – Viaggio nelle Marchesi di Paul Gauguin (2000), Un mondo migliore è possibile (collective documentary, 2001), Il villaggio dei disobbedienti (2002), Sotto il cielo di Baghdad (2003), Io, Socrate e Linda (2005), Storie arberesche (2006), Mae Baratinha, una storia di Candomblé (2006).

Luigi Trucillo

Born 1955 in Naples, he is poet, film critic, haiku scholar. He researched the transposition of literary works in Truffaut’s cinematography. He worked for the newspapers “Il Mattino” and “Il Corriere della Sera” and published various collections of poems like: Navicelle (1995), Polveri (1998), and Lezione di tenebra (2007) for the publishing house Cronopio, Carta Mediterranea (1997, Quodlibet) Le Amorose (2004, Donzelli).

Premio NETPAC Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema

Jury

Ashley Ratnavibhushana (President)

Author, film critic and film social activist. General manager and jury coordinator of NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema). President of the Sri Lanka Film Critics' Forum affiliated to FIPRESCI and secretary for the Asia Region of the International Federation of Film Societies (FICC). Author of Profiling Sri Lankan Cinema (2002). He has participated in several FIPRESCI and NETPAC juries at various international film festivals.

Carla Ronga

Born 1963 in Rome, she graduated in political science and mastered at the United Nations in international topics. She works as a journalist and was correspondent for the daily paper “Liberazione”. 1999 she started a long cooperation with the Rai/TV in the field of documentary film production. In particular she is the author of several programs screened by third channel of RAI/TV like “C’era una volta” and “Dagli Appennini alle Ande”, programs upon geopolitical topics realized under the aegis of the United Nations, and numerous nongovernmental Italian organizations. She is the author of the documentaries “La grande scacchiera” and “Indietro tutta”, shot in Russia, they range from the Yukos oil wells in Siberia to the power summits in Mosca; “Dietro il velo dell’apparenza”, shot in Iran. She cooperated for the production and editing of more than 40 documentaries made in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Since 2002 she is contributor of the monthly review “Aprile” and since 2004 also for the daily edition of “Aprile on line”, of which she became the director in June 2006.

Olivia Stewart’s career in film started in 1985 at the British Film Institute where she worked on Terence Davies’ award winning DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES, (1988 International Critics Award, Cannes, the Golden Leopard, Locarno, the Critics’ Prize, Toronto), and Andrew Grieve’s adaptation of Bruce Chatwin’s ON THE BLACK HILL. She then went on to work as Associate Producer on Charles Sturridge’s WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD, Mike Figgis’ THE BROWNING VERSION and a number of Film Four releases including LADDER OF SWORDS, 1871 and PAPER MASK. In 1992 she set up THREE RIVERS with Terence Davies and produced his next three films, THE LONG DAY CLOSES, THE NEON BIBLE starring Gena Rowlands and THE HOUSE OF MIRTH starring Gillian Anderson. She also co-produced Mark Herman’s BRASSED OFF starring Pete Postlethwaite and Ewan McGregor and Todd Haynes’ VELVET GOLDMINE starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christian Bale and Ewan McGregor.Her next two films will be LE MENZOGNE DELLA NOTTE to be directed by Luciano Cannito and MAD ABOUT THE BOY to be directed by Terence Davies.