by MK
We interviewed the heart and mind behind Trieste Film Festival, Nicoletta Romeo, who told us a little about herself an a lot about the cultural institution known as TSFF.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in the United States to a European family. We traveled a lot and discovered all kinds of places in the world. I am Triestine, Italian, European. Cinema has always struck me as a powerful universal language. At times it would comfort me and then it would also upset me. It was part of my growing up until it turned into a full blown obsession.
How did Trieste Film Festival come to live?
A group of friends in the early 60’s who felt a bit stuck and didn’t like the provinciality of their city, rented a desecrated chapel and turned it into a contemporary film and arts center, known as Cappella Underground, with artists and exhibitions galore. Eventually, the focus turned to the East, a different type of “underground”, to the lesser known filmmakers. It was clear that behind the “curtain” there were creatives, censured by the East and the communist regimes. Thus Trieste, a border city, became the observatory of those countries, the center of Eastern Europe: Alpe Adria Cinema.
Fantastic.
Annamaria Percvassi, who passed away in 2016, was the founder and artistic director of this creative circle. Determined and combative, she was able to create a unique festival, different from the rest of Italy due to its geographical focus. A festival which couldn’t be born anywhere else but here, in an iconic for Europe 1989: right after the fall of the Berlin Wall. And Trieste Film Festival helped tear down many metaphorical walls, and it was the cinema from Central Europe that helped understand the rapidly changing complex reality of the New Europe.
What’s the global meaning of TSFF?
Trieste Film Festival promotes the cinema of Central and Eastern Europe in Italy with feature films, documentaries and shorts as national or international premiere, as well as sidebar events which comprise of masterclasses, exhibitions, concerts, and encounters with the authors. TSFF offers a possibility of dialogue and discussion of ideas, without leaving the youth behind with initiatives like Trieste Film Festival for the Little Ones (for the kids, -ed), which is a “festival within the festival” for kids and families. Then there’s also the TSFF Academy which is an educational program for university students and foreigners.
So many things!
12 years ago together with Fondo Regionale per l’Audiovisivo, we created When East Meets West, in my opinion one of the best forums of international coproduction in Europe which brings hundreds of audiovisual professionals to Trieste annually. With years, TSFF evolved to the point of having competitive sections. We fought to get funding and European grants, with many new collaborations essential for our initiative. Trieste Film Festival is a very well-known cultural event, which promotes the cinematography of Central and Easter Europe all along continuing the dialogue with the many souls of the city it was founded in.
Why is it important to have these kinds of events in Trieste?
TSFF is an international festival open to all, and it is especially popular among the international community of Trieste since all movies are shown in the original language. Thanks to the festival, many jobs have been created, it hosted young interns, with great attention to gender equality with the majority of female staff.
What shouldn’t be missed in this 2022 edition?
It’s a tricky question as everything deserves attention in this edition. The female directors from Georgia are definitely worth discovering. And then of course Trieste Film Festival of the Little Ones: a weekend full of fun for families, a unique event in the FVG region, which aims at educating the young to love cinema and become attentive and critical spectators.
