Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti on Friday gave up the job of artistic director at the Turin Film Festival, just two days after he was called to lead the event.
December 29, 2006 (Press Release) --
In a statement carried by Italian news agency ANSA, the actor and director noted that "an atmosphere of tension" had arisen after he was named director on Wednesday, as some of the festival's organizers strongly objected to the posting.
"There has been talk of organizing two competing festivals in the same city, someone suggested a lack of ethics and some have even said that I would be an instrument for politicians to strangle the festival's independence," Moretti said in the statement. "With great pain I give up the job and leave you to your method problems, procedural disputes, personal grudges."
Festival organizers couldn't immediately be reached for comment Friday evening.
The Turin event, focusing on young directors and independent movies from around the world, held its 24th edition in November. Moretti's arrival was widely seen as a move to breathe new life into the festival, which could face increasing competition from the Venice Film Festival as well as a new event launched this year in Rome.
Moretti won top honors at the Cannes film festival in 2001 with his film "The Son's Room" the story of a psychoanalyst whose happy family life is shattered when his teenage son dies in a freak diving accident.
He is also known for his lighthearted films dealing with his own experiences, such as 1994's "Caro Diario," as well as his more politically charged works as a vocal supporter of leftist parties in Italy. This year's "Il Caimano" released less than a month before April elections served up a fierce critique of then conservative Premier Silvio Berlusconi and of modern-day Italy.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
"There has been talk of organizing two competing festivals in the same city, someone suggested a lack of ethics and some have even said that I would be an instrument for politicians to strangle the festival's independence," Moretti said in the statement. "With great pain I give up the job and leave you to your method problems, procedural disputes, personal grudges."
Festival organizers couldn't immediately be reached for comment Friday evening.
The Turin event, focusing on young directors and independent movies from around the world, held its 24th edition in November. Moretti's arrival was widely seen as a move to breathe new life into the festival, which could face increasing competition from the Venice Film Festival as well as a new event launched this year in Rome.
Moretti won top honors at the Cannes film festival in 2001 with his film "The Son's Room" the story of a psychoanalyst whose happy family life is shattered when his teenage son dies in a freak diving accident.
He is also known for his lighthearted films dealing with his own experiences, such as 1994's "Caro Diario," as well as his more politically charged works as a vocal supporter of leftist parties in Italy. This year's "Il Caimano" released less than a month before April elections served up a fierce critique of then conservative Premier Silvio Berlusconi and of modern-day Italy.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
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