Paola Malanga is the artistic director of the Rome Film Festival which kicks off tomorrow (October 16) with the world premiere of Andre Serge’s political drama The Great Ambition.
It is Malanga’s third edition at the helm of the festival, having joined in 2022 from Rai Cinema where she was deputy director of its product division spanning production and acquisition. She has also been a journalist, film critic and author throughout her career.
Among the world premieres in Rome’s main Progressive Cinema competition are dark comedy The Trainer by American History X director Tony Kaye and Eran Ricklis’ Reading Lolita in Tehran. The festival’s non-competitive sections include Freestyle, Grand Public, Special Screenings, Best of 2024 and History of Cinema.
Rome Film Festival runs from October 16-27.
What is distinctive about the Rome Film Festival and how does it stand out in the crowded festival calendar?
Rome is an urban festival, so it’s not like Venice. It’s urban, contemporary and audience oriented. We are trying to talk to all the potential audiences that you can find in a big, metropolitan city like Rome. It’s different from a festival in a beautiful, touristic location. It’s about film in our everyday life.
How is it selecting a line-up just a few weeks after Venice, another major Italian film festival?
There is an ecosystem of festivals worldwide, and Venice has its specific goals to achieve and Rome has different ones. So actually, there is no competition. It’s not a real problem. We can screen some of the same films. Venice, of course, has the first choice, because it’s another level of competition. We are in the same route of the festival calendar as Telluride, Toronto, London, San Sebastian and previous ones like Karlovy Vary.
The key word for Rome Film Festival is ‘circulation’ of films. We don’t ask for world premieres, even if we have some relevant ones this year. There is a lot of production happening everywhere so there are a lot of things to choose from. Venice, Cannes or Berlin cannot absorb everything.
Can you give us an overview of this year’s selection?
It’s a big selection and we did this on purpose. Every viewer can choose their own path to follow, inside a big offer. Marcello Mastroianni is our spiritual guidance for this edition. It would have been his 100th birthday this year. Marcello is probably the most well-known and beloved Italian actor in the history of Italian cinema. Young people still look at him through his characters as one of their generation. This progressive spirit - aware of the past, but very rooted in the present and looking at the future - is the spirit of this festival.
Why did you select The Great Ambition as the opening film?
I chose to open every year with an Italian film. Last year it was There’s Still Tomorrow. The Great Ambition is dedicated to Enrico Berlinguer, a very important figure in the history of Italy who was the Secretary of the Communist Party during very difficult years [from 1972-84]. The deep meaning of his work and of this film was and is democracy - to bring socialist principles into democracy. I think that democracy is the key word of our contemporary times. Democracy is in danger everywhere, every day.
This opening film leads us to probably the most relevant world premiere we have this year, Reading Lolita in Tehran, based on the best seller by the Iranian writer. Its Israeli director, Eran Riklis, and the cast of amazing Iranian actresses [including Golshifteh Farahani and Zar Amir] will all be in Rome on the red carpet together.
Democracy is the key word for this movie, but also for other documentaries Sugarcane and Estado de Silencio, which will be presented by producer Diego Luna and Gail Garcia Bernal.
Was an opening film about a left wing leader a difficult choice for you to make at a time when a right wing government is in power in Italy?
Actually no. I can say that, so far, the Rome Film Fest is what a festival should be - a place where different ideas or different point of views and different cultures can meet. And actually, Berlinguer was respected also by the right.
Given the situation in the Middle East, are there any security concerns around the premiere of Reading Lolita in Tehran?
Of course, there will be high level of security, not only for Lolita In Tehran, but also for other screenings which are about or with Jewish people. The most famous for us is Liliana Segre, a Holocaust survivor who is 94 now and is a member of the [Italian] Senate. She will be giving a press conference, and she will be attending the screening of Liliana, the documentary on her life. We also have Sabbath Queen, a very interesting documentary from New York, and Under A Blue Sun by Daniel Mann.
We can’t be afraid. The opening day of the festival, October 16, is the anniversary of the day in 1943 when the ghetto in Rome was invaded by the SS and Jewish people were arrested and taken to camps. And this year is the beginning of Sukkot, the Jewish holiday of remembrance. We all have to face our contemporary time with the cultural instruments we have. We have to stay human and to go on trying to preserve dialogue and respect for everybody.
You seem to have a nice mix of interesting new films, but also some great films from the festival circuit.
Maybe this comes from my experience as a buyer. When you are a buyer, you go to festivals with markets, but you don’t have time to screen the films of the festival. So I want to have some relevant films from other festivals. Emilia Perez, for example, was sold out in 10 minutes.
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