Documentary-makers in Trentino can count on a system that supports them at every stage of the realization of their film, thanks to the work carried out in the region by the Trentino Film Commission, in concert with the Trento Film Festival, the historic mountain cinema festival which has now reached its 65th edition. “In our region the audiovisual tradition is documentaries, certainly the type of film that is produced the most here, by around 80% of local companies”, points out Luca Ferrario who runs the Film Commission alongside Laura Zumiani.
“With the establishment of the fund and a series of targeted initiatives, the Film Commission has made it possible for these films to make a qualitative leap and gain access to the international stage, invited by various international festivals. This is the case for movies like “Between Sisters” by Manu Gerosa, “Complimenti per la festa”, “Sharp Families”, or “Le Funne” which in April will be at the Phoenix Cinema Festival in the USA.”

Returning to the functioning of the ‘regional machine’, before the fund makes a contribution to production, professionals can access contributions for participation in markets, professional courses or pitching forums: each person can ask for this three times in a year, presenting an estimate of the costs involved, and will be reimbursed half of the same.
“In terms of the cost-benefit ratio it is definitely the best thing we have done”, comments Ferrario with satisfaction.
This is no coincidence as participation in pitching forums and markets is one of the reward criteria for anyone who subsequently puts in a request to the fund.

Closing the circle of support to documentaries once again is the Trento Film Festival, the event dedicated to mountain cinema, with its showcase Orizzonti Vicini, devoted precisely to documentary productions set in or directed by lmmakers from Trentino Alto Adige.
In fact, the Trento festival, which will be opening its 65th edition on 27 April, is intrinsically linked to documentaries:
“Mountain cinema is born from an idea of conquest and adventure: allowing the camera and the viewer to share experiences that are not for everyone. For this reason the idea of documenting these enterprises remains linked to this genre and has a dramaturgically strong departure point because every story assumes a kind of challenge,” explains Sergio Fant, head of theatrical programming for the Trento Film Festival directed by Luana Bisesti. In recent years the concept of adventure has gone beyond the idea of geographical exploration and conquest, entering the sphere of human and social challenge.

Sergio Fant vaunts a lengthy experience in programming, not just for cinema festivals, but also for exhibitions that are connected to other spheres but include the programming of documentaries, like the Internazionale magazine Festival and the Festival of Literature of Mantova.
These themed events led to the creation in 2009 of Cineagenzia, the distribution company established by Fant together with Stefano Campanoni which has, to date, scheduled 200 titles with around 250 screenings a year, and that basically consists of two tours originating from these festivals.
Mondovisioni “brings the 8 films we choose with Internazionale to over 30 Italian cities, to anywhere that requests them: movie theaters, lm libraries, NGOs or associations that find a way to combine forces with their local theater”.
Riding on the wave of Mondovisioni, relaunching the scheduling of the Literature Festival throughout the year, is Pagine Nascoste.
“The idea was to extend ourselves to book- stores, book clubs, universities and to create a catalogue they could dip into to get individual films for events or themes, this is what happened with the launch of the movie about Anna Arendt on the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day” continues Fant, “this has all brought us into contact with events that are different from the classic cinema festivals as well as different audiences. We realized that there was a thirst for these movies, and that certain strong themes, like politics, topical subjects and literature, have the ability to arouse a broader interest than that shown by more orthodox film lovers”.