In conversation with Selvaggio Vela – Festival director – River to River Florence Indian Film Festival

“India always fascinated me with its colors, food, culture, and then of course, the cinema. I never thought India would be so important in my life.”

Selvaggia Velo is the founder of the “River To River, Florence Indian Film Festival” in Florence Italy. The first River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival was held in 2001.

Q. Can you tell us about the ‘River To River Indian Film Festival in Florence’?

A. The name of the festival is River To River because in France we have a river called Arno, so the idea is the flowing of cultures, ideas and cinema. From the Arno to the Ganges and back. The festival has the aim of showcasing Indian Cinema and Indian visual arts at 360 degrees. Films from and about India, features, shorts, documentaries, and this year we are looking at the 18^th edition which will take place in December.

Q.  Can you tell us how it all started, and a bit about your journey?

A. I had studied humanities, as well as theater and music. I also always enjoyed going to the cinema and watching films. I have always been a cinema buff. So, it was by chance. I started by organizing an exhibition of Indian movie banners in 1998. The big 6 foot 3 meter movie banners. Then in 1999 I invited those artists to Florence to have a live show. Then in 2000-2001 I questioned, “Why not organize and Indian film festival in Italy since I live in Italy, and if Florence since I live in Florence?”… So, it was by chance. Then year after year I have studied, learned, met the people and have done much more. But in the beginning, it was just an idea, as you say “Let’s try and do this!” I felt Indian and Cinema are two things that can be put together!

Q. Who is your favorite Indian filmmaker?

A. Of course Satyajit Ray is the first Indian filmmaker whose films I’ve seen, and he is a master. He used to compose music, write, and draw. He was a 360-degree artist. But then I must also say that I love the work of Guru Dutt. There is a lot that we have screened in the past, in retrospective of Guru Dutt. We have also done Bimal Roy, Raj Kapoor, Ritwik Ghatak, and of course Satyajit Ray.

Q. What fascinated you about India? How was your first trip to India?

A. So my first trip to India was 25 years ago, with my parents and my sister. It was beautiful. We went from Delhi to Rajasthan. In those years, I never thought India would be so important in my life now. So, obviously without knowing, that first trip put the first seed for my love towards India. So then when I gave my first thought towards India cinema, that trip had already been there, and since then India always fascinated me with its colors, food, culture, and then of course, the cinema. So you do things in life and then things come up later in life. That is what happened with me.

Q. What are all the sections in your film festival?

A. The festival has different sections. Feature, shorts and documentaries, in competition. The audience decides the winners and then the winning films will be screened in our “Best Of” categories, and “Milan Chapter” category. Then of course every year we have a special homage, or retrospective, or a specific anniversary concerning India or its cinema. We look at what is happening in India and in these past years web-series has been very present in India. So in recent years we would choose one web-series and screen it for our audience, and I must say that the audience reacts well. They like it and they come. In the past edition, we have also had a section devoted to VR, just to be up to date with everything that is going on.

Q. Do you feel Indian cinema is evolving with world cinema?

A. Well, this festival takes place in a country like Italy, which has always had a tie up with India. Indian filmmakers have always looked at Italian neorealism, and Italian filmmakers have often travelled to India. The two countries have a lot of things in common. The value of family, food, and many things. When filmmakers come to India they feel like there are many things in common. But for some strange reason Italy is a country where hardly any Indian film gets released. Therefore, the film festival is the only place where you would see certain films. It is also a challenge year after year, because things that may seem obvious in other countries may not be so obvious in Italy. So, how is Indian cinema perceived compared to world cinema? Well, Indian cinema has evolved over the years and it has been screened at many important film festivals. In Italy, however, it has not received the recognition it deserves. They don’t release in that many theaters with other films. There are only limited releases, and film festivals are obviously a way to help the release of an Indian film in Italy. There are many interesting filmmakers that have shown their films in Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, in Venice. Some of the recent filmmakers are Anurag Kashyap, Q, and many others. “Mukti Bhawan” was in Venice. So Indian cinema still has to find its way I feel. Obviously there are places where there are NRI’s and non NRI’s so how the film is perceived also makes a big difference.

Q. What qualities do you look for while selecting for your festival?

A. I travel to India once a year, beginning the search for new films, and the film selection process. I collect movies, I meet people such as the directors and producers. I also go to the film shoots. I then collect all this material and I take it all back with me to Florence. I then show it to my selection panel, and throughout the year this process goes on. So, the main thing we look for is quality. We screen features, short films and documentaries that have to be Indian related, of the current year or of the previous year. All deadline for entries is mid-September. We only screen Italian premieres and no film that has been on the net. So having said that, we get a lot of applications. Now since net is more widely available, even a boy in a village can send his short film shot on his mobile. So this makes the variety of films even more. But what we priorities the most is the quality. Then, the themes. We see what the ‘theme of the year’ is. There is often a common theme throughout all the sections, ever year. Quite often there are similar themes, so it’s interesting to see the different ways in which the themes are expressed and talked about. Then there is also word of mouth or friends of friends. They know I’m in town and that we are selecting. In the month of May I go to cannes where I meet more Indian filmmakers, and I also end up having a look at unfinished projects. So, it is months of work to do this. Then of course I have a selection panel, and they decide.

Q. How do filmmakers benefit from having their films screened at your film festival?

A. This festival is the only festival in Italy, devoted to Indian films, since hardly any Indian films get released in Italy. So, this is the only place where people can see them. This is also, therefore, an opportunity for the owners and filmmakers who have their films showcased. Then the winning films get screened at other places as well. We have a “Best Of” in a cinema in Milan. We are also working on a Rome edition and have screenings in the open air. So basically, films that have been showcased at “River To River” have also been screened during other occasions. Sometimes we also get asked for collaborations with other film festivals, where we would have a “river to river” section. Then of course the aim one day would be to distribute Indian films in Italy.

Q. Do you feel a good film has the potential to win hearts everywhere?

A.  Well different cities also have different tastes. Our main festival is in Florence and then we have the “Best Of” in Milan. Milan is a city in the north of Italy. The audience in these two cities are slightly different, so you can imagine from country to country. So, you can’t really say which film will work. I feel that universal stories are stories that could appeal to everyone. Universal themes could perhaps work universally. Then of course films coming from India or about India, are often tied up with the culture and tradition of where they come from.  So there isn’t really a rule. A film can be understood by one person in a way, and another person in a different way. It’s very personal. However, yes, the quality has to be there. It has to be well written, well shot, and with good actors. In Europe, we have an issue with the length, compared to the length of Indian films. But if an Indian film is good, there is no rule for a length. It all depends from film to film.

For more information on the festival, please visit : 

Twitter & Instagram: @river2riverfiff
Facebook /rivertoriverfiff
www.rivertoriver.it
18th edition: 6-11 December 2018
Florence, Italy

Deadline For Entries: 15 September 2018

Email: info@rivertoriver.it