The Venice Film Festival 2011 has a dominant color: "noir". Yet the Italian film industry sees pink and the Biennale, as a whole, is experiencing a happy phase despite the global economic crisis. A few days after the opening of the festival, Firstonline meets Paolo Baratta, president of the Biennale, engineer and economist (with a second degree from Cambridge), former minister and manager, a man of culture capable of photographing the current situation with a wide angle lens that holds together cinema and economy.
FIRSTonline – President, the world is experiencing the biggest economic and financial crisis of the last 80 years, is the Venice Film Festival realizing it?
BARATTA – We are all inevitably touched by what is happening and artists generally perceive the danger before others. Not surprisingly, this year's exhibition is tinged with noir
FIRSTonline – Are we perhaps on the eve of catastrophe, as in Abel Ferrara's film in competition?
BARATTA – I hope not, I'm not that pessimistic. Ferrara has chosen the road of noir for quite some time, but many other films in yellow and black will be seen. Probably because the artist has the task of taking things to extremes, but I can be positive and I believe that in moments like this it is necessary to react
FIRSTonline – Did you find a good formula in Venice?
BARATTA - I think so. In the moment of maximum crisis, like the current one, it is necessary to change the organizational model and this is what the Biennale has done. Art, architecture and cinema: in every area we have managed to increase the number of visitors to our events. The Art Biennale now covers 90% of the expenses with tickets and sponsors. We reduced costs and reformulated investments, choosing those that provided the best results for every euro spent. We have created an organizational model that can become a point of reference for the other cultural institutions in the country. In this way we have supported the progressive reduction of public contributions without ever closing a budget in the red. Today we can say that we have achieved a perfect balance between administration and freedom of artistic direction, a point of excellence which is the basis of our worldwide prestige. We are doing very well, even if we increase the price of tickets every year
FIRSTonline – In homage to the idea that culture is a luxury and luxury goods know no crisis?
BARTER – In homage to the idea that some services have to be paid for by those who can do it. The ticket to the Sala Grande will cost more this year, but the possibilities of access and accreditation will also increase, especially for young people. We have to bring the kids closer to culture. For this reason, for example, we brought 24 students from the Veneto to the Art Biennale, so that they could have a direct relationship with the works and artists, in the belief that art, culture and the Biennale must become part of their family lexicon. Precisely because we are in the eye of an economic cyclone, we must look to the future and start again from the young. Otherwise, out of selfishness, we will only bequeath them a monstrous public debt. We often wonder if we eat or not eat with culture or if we talk about Made in Italy, as a great resource of the country. But what is Made in Italy? We are the men. Creativity is not, as many Italians believe, a natural gift, it is a quality to be cultivated day after day, from a very young age. Successes are the result of a process
FIRSTonline – Maybe we also need to teach young people to avoid waste, and yet, once again, on the Lido, there won't be a new Palazzo del Cinema, but a construction site, which has already gobbled up a lot of money, closed and with an uncertain future. It's a bit worrying isn't it?
BARATTA – But we knew how to react well to the unexpected asbestos, which forced the work to a forced stop. We remodeled the Great Hall, increased the seating and improved the acoustics, restoring that space to its 1937 beauty. To move forward, we looked back. George Clooney will christen a room that has returned to the style of when Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire inaugurated it, I think he will like it, it will be a good time. Here in the difficult phases, in my opinion, we need to become more creative and more careful, so the quality can remain equally high. It is above all in a critical period like the present one that culture provides us with the best examples and is most useful.
FIRSTonline – The 30s came after the 29 crisis, Italy was in Libya and the Second World War was approaching. Creepy, isn't it?
BARATTA – We need to learn from history and try to understand the lessons it imparts to us, to move forward, to improve
FIRSTonline – Starting a New Deal, just to stay in the 30s?
BARATTA - Certainly
FIRSTonline – Where to start?
BARATTA – From research, which is the heart of development, in every field. Do we want to get out of stagnation? On the one hand we have to invest in technological and scientific research and on the other hand in creativity. They are essential qualities to compete
FIRSTonline – But what if the blanket of resources is short?
BARATTA – It should be pulled that way
FIRSTonline – Even in the cinema?
BARATTA – We give ample space to documentaries and particular cinematography, to films that have no distribution and which are one of the main riches of this festival. At the same time, however, the film industry must live. We need to find a balance between industry and experimentation. Even the Exhibition, at the opening, will host a film by Ezio Greggio, because the public is important; the Italian comedy was initially criticized, then it helped to make our cinema great.
FIRSTonline – Has cinema found this balance?
BARATTA – Yes. In the Anica conferences, which will be held during the festival, everyone will be able to verify that the Italian film industry has made great strides. There is a generation of young managers who have structured the sector in a professional way. This can greatly reduce the dependence on government grants. By now the awareness is rooted that commercial films offer an important basis for the industry, thanks to them masterpieces can be produced. At this stage, the Italian film industry does not seem to be in crisis at all, on the contrary it sees pink.
