Turin Film Festival Opens with Star Power and a Plea for Italian Cinema
The Turin Film Festival launched with a glittering ceremony welcoming a host of international film stars, the first recipients of this year’s twelve “Stars of the Mole” awards presented by director Giulio Base. A especially memorable moment arrived with the late presentation to actors antonio Banderas and director Spike Lee,who reciprocally honored each other with the award,exchanging bows in a charmingly awkward display.
Following this exchange, actress laura Chiatti, serving as the event’s godmother, officially opened the festival and announced the premiere film: David Freyne’s fantasy comedy Eternity, starring Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, and Callum Turner.
The evening began with a tribute to Paul Newman,the chosen figurehead of this year’s festival,accompanied by a children’s choir. Chiatti than delivered a monologue emphasizing the importance of acknowledging personal vulnerability. The awards ceremony continued with veteran French filmmaker Claude Lelouch, who fondly recalled the formative influence of Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves on his cinematic education. A screening of his Oscar-winning film A Man and a Woman is scheduled for tomorrow as part of the tribute.
German cinema was represented by Hanna Schygulla and Daniel Brühl,the latter acknowledging Italian cinema as the source of his initial inspiration to become an actor. Russian director Alexander sokurov, despite his typically serious demeanor, expressed hope for the arrival of spring, anticipating potential snowfall in Turin.
Action star Dolph Lundgren, known for his role as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, charmed the audience by reciting his iconic line, “I’ll spill you in two,” in Italian, a gesture facilitated by his friendship with director Base.Lundgren is featured in the documentary Dolph: Unbreakable, currently in competition, which chronicles his life and recent battle with cancer.
The sole Italian awardee of the evening was Sergio Castellitto,though Stefania Sandrelli was unable to attend due to health reasons. Castellitto, who will present his latest film Zorro tomorrow, highlighted his deep connection to Turin, where his career began and he met his wife, Margaret Mazzantini. He credited her writing as essential to his development as a director, stating he “wouldn’t have become a director without his books.” Before receiving his award from Federico Mollicone, President of the culture commission, Castellitto issued a passionate appeal to the government, stating, “Italian cinema is in crisis. Beyond the controversy, my invitation is to overcome discord. The problem is not giving money to this or that director, but saving an industry. The real effort must be made in this sense, then we will think about quality and merit.”
british actress Jacqueline Bisset was also honored, with three of her films - The Man with 7 Nooses, There’s No Escape Now (as part of the Paul Newman retrospective), and The Sunday Woman – scheduled for screening during the festival, the latter filmed in Turin in 1975.
The evening culminated with the recognition of Banderas and Lee, the most anticipated stars of this year’s festival, reaffirming the event’s reputation for a spectacular red carpet experiance.
