09 Oct 2009

ARTECINEMA, 14. International Festival of Films on Contemporary Art, Naples

The 14th edition of Artecinema, an international festival of films on contemporary art curated by Laura Trisorio, will take place in Naples, Italy, 15-18 October, 2009 at the Augusteo Theatre (1400 seats) in the very centre of the city.

Artecinema has been held annually since 1996. The festival is well known on the international level for its high cultural and educational values. It is realised in collaboration with various public institutions as well as private sponsors.

The festival is divided into three sections – Art and Around it, Architecture and Photography - and presents documentary films on the most interesting artists, architects and photographers on the contemporary art scene. Twenty-two selected films will be shown and a series of meetings and discussions with film directors, artists and producers will be held during the intervals.   

This year’s event, to be held with the aim of approaching the principles of the Forum of Cultures 2013, will host several films which specifically deal with the Forum’s theme of sustainable development. The issues of cultural identity, nomadism, emigration and contamination – as envisaged by artists such as Cindy Sherman, Kimsooja, Doris Salcedo, William Kentridge and Alfredo Jaar - are crucial for the future in terms of “sustainable” cultural growth as are of fundamental importance the questions of the environment and eco-compatible architecture – so ably presented by Nader Khalili in Designing with Nature

Scheduled for this year’s edition are documentary films on the artists: Jörg Immendorff, Anish Kapoor, Cindy Sherman, Sam Francis, Tony Cragg, Alexander Calder, Richard Serra, Kimsooja, Kiki Smith, Marina Abramovic, Nancy Spero, Ghada Amer, Swoon, Spencer Tunick, Felice Varini, Jenny Holzer, Alfredo Jaar, Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, and on the architects: Peter Eisenman, Zaha Hadid and Steven Holl.  Additionally, in keeping with the Forum of the Cultures 2009 theme of “Sustainable Development”, films regarding the most interesting recent bio-architectural works have been scheduled.  

In the Photography Section, the movie Visual Acoustic: The Modernism of Julius Shulman, will be presented in tribute to the one of the most important architectural photographers as well as a documentary on Neapolitan photographer Mimmo Jodice.

Furthermore, in European pre-view will be presented Compassion: William Kentridge, Carrie Mae Weems, Doris Salcedo from Art: 21 series of television station PBS.

There is great anticipation for the film Chew the Fat directed by Rirkrit Tiravanija - a conversation between the artists: Andrea Zittel, Angela Bulloch, Carsten Hoeller, Douglas Gordon, Elizabeth Peyton, Jorge Pardo, Liam Gillick, Dominique Gonzalez Foerster, Philippe Parreno, Pierre Huyghe and Tobias Rehberger.

A full-length version of Chew the Fat will be shown in theatre foyer in an installation created by Rirkrit Tiravanija which was previously presented at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Simultaneous interpretation into Italian will be provided films presented in the original language.

A definitive programme is available at www.artecinema.com.