With the support of Medusa Film for donating the rights to two of the films scheduled for screening – “Criature” and “Sono solo fantasmi”
The workshop
The workshop, organised for students aged 11-13, was designed to expose them to the various professional roles necessary to the production of an open-air film festival: from film selection to communications, and from venue arrangement to audience reception.
The aim, therefore, is to demonstrate that behind a simple film projection there lies a complex system comprising skills, roles, organisation, creativity and teamwork. The workshop was therefore divided into four thematic modules, each dedicated to a different aspect of organising a festival.
The project phases
The project developed through a series of closely interlinked phases.
The first meeting was dedicated to an introductory plenary session, during which the project, its objectives and the general structure of the programme were presented. The students were given an introduction to the main professions within the film industry. The session then moved on to the practical work of organising the festival, and the students understood how a public projection is the result of the collaboration between different roles, each with specific yet complementary skills. At the end of the session, the participants were divided into working groups, each assigned to a specific area of the festival’s operations (and they even signed an informal contract!).
The programme then moved into the actual workshop phase.
Through the ‘Seventh Art’ module, the students explored cinematic language, the interpretation of images, film genres and the mechanisms of film selection, contributing to the development of the festival programme.
Meanwhile, the ‘Communication’ module focused on promoting the initiative, documenting the activities and producing content to publicise the project.
The Public Relations module worked on building the relationships necessary for the festival’s organisation, handling the search for films, the acquisition of screening rights and the involvement of guests and key figures from the film industry. Among the activities carried out, the students produced a video to present the project to distributors: an initiative that led Medusa Film to provide two of the titles selected for the final screenings free of charge.
Whilst the ‘Set-up’ group handled the practical and logistical aspects required to transform the school spaces into a proper open-air cinema. They have been busy constructing the wooden sign reading ‘REGIA RODINO’ and producing posters and billboards to invite people to attend the festival.
Although organised into separate groups, the modules did not operate in isolation. The programme was structured so that the various activities were constantly intertwined: the decisions made by the Settima arte group influenced the work of the Communications group, the materials produced by the Communications group supported the Public Relations activities, whilst the organisational requirements identified by the other groups guided the Set-up activities. This approach enabled the students to gain a practical understanding of how, within a cultural production, the various sectors must engage in dialogue and collaborate to achieve a common goal.
The project culminated in the staging of the Regia Rodinò Festival from 23 to 26 June, a final event in which the students put the skills acquired during the course into practice, contributing directly to the organisation of public screenings and experiencing first-hand how a film event open to the community actually works.
A project promoted by the Giulio Rodinò Comprehensive School. Produced by Variabile K Impresa Sociale. With the support of the Ministry of Culture and SIAE as part of the ‘Per Chi Crea’ programme.