Nuovo Fantarca focuses on environmental issues

With 14 films, Il Nuovo Fantarca (Bari, Italy) shined a spotlight on various environmental issues, mirroring the Sustainable Development Goals set for 2030.

 

 

With a festival programme stretched out over several months (November 2020 – April 2021), a different range of solutions needed to be found to secure contact with the audiences, for an event as deeply rooted in its home territory as the Int’l Festival of Cinema for Schools (RICS), organised by Il Nuovo Fantarca.

 

18,500 children and teens from 29 local municipalities took part in RICS. Restrictions spurred the organisers to launch the www.rics.cloud platform, for watching films and video introductions by directors and educators. Two workshops were held: one on the creative use of mobile phones for the production of a collective film; the other on the mafia’s visual representation in cinema.

 

An outstanding programme was selected, with films such as LA TIERRA EN MIS MANOS (Nicolas Conte), THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM (John Chester), THE BREADWINNER (Nora Towmey), JOVANNAFORFUTURE (Mirjam Marks), PLASTIC (Sebastien Baillou), MY LETTER TO THE OILMEN (Xander De Boer). Many other titles addressed not only environmental but also human rights issues.

 

LA TIERRA EN MIS MANOS

What was the festival’s biggest accomplishment under these circumstances, we asked Rosa Ferro: “Despite the school closure, we maintained contact with children, teens and teachers. They watched quality films, participated in online media literacy activities and we brought them closer to the directors in conversations about content, technique and cinematographic choices. RICS online also inspired us to create a new, more interactive type of study guide, offering youngsters a chance to add their own material, thus establishing a dialogue with our audiences.

 

More info: www.nuovofantarca.it; www.rics.cloud.