The fifth edition of the festival dedicated to emerging under 35 directors is back with a hybrid formula: online events from May 20 to 27 and a grand finale live in Sestri Levante from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 May. The competition films will be visible on MYmovies.it, the most popular digital platform in Italy and online film magazine.
The first guests have also been unveiled: Andrea Crosta, the Italian environmental 007 and founder of Earth League International, will chair the jury of the documentary section. The band Mokadelic, authors among others of the soundtrack of “Gomorra – La Serie”, will present a Masterclass on the relationship between music and film.
SESTRI LEVANTE (GE) – Young, rebellious and independent cinema finds its home again. This is the Riviera International Film Festival, ready to come back from May 20 to 30, 2021 with a hybrid formula: an online beginning and a live grand finale, from Friday May 28 to Sunday May 30, in the traditional setting of Sestri Levante. An innovative formula to get around the obstacles of the pandemic, but guided by the unchanged spirit of this film festival, dedicated to under 35 directors and documentaries on the environment. Its fifth edition will start from May 20, 2021. All competition films will be visible on MYmovies.it, the most popular digital platform in Italy and online magazine about films and cinema.
“Those who are involved in promoting cinema in all its forms, as we do, have the duty to guard the flame of culture in every possible way and at any cost, especially in dark times like these – says Vito D’Onghia, RIFF executive director – Mankind is animated by dreams and emotions, also this year the Riviera International Film Festival will be a megaphone for the many talents around the world. Independent cinema needs to be supported and we will always be there”.
For the second consecutive year, the official RIFF poster is an artwork of Dutch photographer Ron Mejier, sculptor and all-round artist. The image represents the entrance into a surreal, oneiric world we all dream of. And a dreamlike image could only be accompanied by a dreamy phrase, which can inspire the young filmmakers the Festival was born for. The slogan “Revolution starts with a dream” once again identifies RIFF as the home of the independent cinema rebels and, at the same time, addresses its target with a strong motivation: to do something great with little means, to help changing the world with one’s art, to leave an important message to an aware audience.
“We live in a time of great conflicts and social divisions and the Riviera International Film Festival is an event that wants to make the audience reflect on human issues belonging to the new generations of filmmakers and on the conditions of our planet – says the Riviera International Film Festival president, Stefano Gallini Durante – As for the competition films, our Festival is against all trends, it is a place where young and independent voices will always find a platform to spread their thoughts. Regarding the Environment section, which is becoming more and more relevant, RIFF wants to remain positive and push an increasingly large and passionate audience to focus on constructive future visions rather than on the mistakes of the past and the uncertainties of our present. Only those who don’t lose sight of the ultimate goals and who try to find solutions are winners: our Festival has always enthusiastically welcomed intelligent and revolutionary ideas, often snubbed by the political establishment. Our international guests and the related live meetings testify our commitment”.
Along with the main competition, the documentary section is confirmed for this edition and is even bigger, with ten competition films. The documentary jury will be chaired by Andrea Crosta, founder of Earth League International, an innovative NGO specialized in undercover investigations to fight against environmental crimes, including those connected to wildlife. This battle is carried on by combining the worlds of conservation, intelligence, analysis, whistle blowing and media production. Andrea Crosta is 50 years old, comes from Milan and has a degree in natural sciences. He gained a lot of experience in the field of counter-terrorism, having worked, for example, in the battle against piracy on the coast of Somalia.
The Italian musical group Mokadelic will be also taking part at RIFF 2021. Mokadelic are well known in the movie industry, having composed soundtracks for “Gomorra – La serie”, “A.C.A.B. – All Cops Are Bastards” and, recently, for Marco D’Amore’s “The immortal”, Matteo Gentiloni’s “Mollami” and “Himmelsdalen / Sanctuary”, by Enrico Maria Artale and Óskar Thór Axelsson. For the occasion, Mokadelic will present a Masterclass focused on the relationship between music and film, between soundtracks and TV series. They will talk about their experiences in the movie industry, with particular attention to the working techniques used in films and TV series.
The Riviera International Film Festival is supported by the Liguria Region, the Municipality of Sestri Levante and Mediaterraneo Servizi srl. A special tahnks goes also to the Tourism Council of the Municipality of Sestri Levante.
