By Angela Valente Romeo
Film is an important art form. There are many film festivals that celebrate film as art. There are not many film festivals that celebrate art for art’s sake. That will change.
The Fine Arts Film Festival (FAFF), which debuted in Santa Barbara 2010, opens this year at the Beyond Baroque Theater in Venice, California, on Saturday, September 12, 2015. The festival will screen nineteen films from around the world. This festival brings films — narratives, documentaries, and experimental — that tell the stories about how art is made, how artists survive, how dealers and collectors think, and even how a great masterpiece is forged.
Festival Director Juri Koll, who is also director of the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art, stated “I have been a documentary film maker, curator, artist and mentor to the arts. Art means many things to many people. Art has the power to change lives. It changed mine. These films provide a glimpse behind the canvas. We do not often have that opportunity. Artists tend to work in the solitude of the studio. Galleries work in even greater shroud of mystery. The business of art is almost verboten – among, artist, collectors, and critics. Museums add another layer of opacity. This festival welcomes films that break those barriers.”
This year’s festival will screen movies from The Netherlands, Chile, Belgium, The United States, South Korea and the United Kingdom. “We put out a call for entries and were inundated with entries. Our jury selected these nineteen films. We believe these films are true to the festival’s mandate – films that show the world the depth of the art world. We are dedicated to show the public that art, in all mediums, exists in and out of artists’ studios, galleries, museums; and that public art and alternative art spaces can bring enrichment. We are culture that is in flux. Film, TV, the web – these media have replaced books and research. We hope this festival will visually stimulate the audience and move them to do their own research and exploration into the arts.”
Vanitas from director Oscar Spierenburg (The Netherlands) is the winner of FAFF’s Best Narrative Feature Film. “This film follows a young art restorer who stumbles on a secret group that switched masterpieces with forgeries. This film centers on the fear of every museum and collector – the art of the forgery. Could this happen? Does it happen? Isn’t that the joy of film – to challenge the imagination? We are very pleased to have Vanitas screening at FAFF.”
“Venice was founded in 1905 and it has always been a haven for artists. It has embraced all styles of art. Venice was home to the Beat generation. It nurtured artists such as John Baldessari, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Ed Ruscha. Venice is synonymous with art. Art is especially important to history of Los Angeles. FAFF continues that tradition of nurturing Art,” said Koll.
“FAFF was born because one of the most powerful at forms, film, failed to showcase art. This festival corrects that problem. FAFF continues to grow. This year’s festival will captivate the audience. That audience will take to social media, everyday conversation and discuss what they experienced. In turn, FAFF will continue to bring the power of Art, warts and all, in the gallery and behind the canvas, to the public. Film is art. Art is power.”
For more information on the Fine Art Film Festival, visit www.thefineartfilmfestival.com. For more information on Venice Institute of Contemporary Art, visit www.veniceica.com.
