Story for an empty theatre
STORY FOR AN EMPTY THEATRE, a film by Aleksandr Balagura and Cesare Bedognè
Country: Italy, Greece
Runtime: 57 mins
Genre: Documentary / Experimental / Feature
This film narrates an intense story of love, disease and death, inspired by the autobiographical novel “Beyond the Blue”, by the Italian photographer and writer Cesare Bedognè.
Through this cinematic journey we are led to the inner depths of the photographic image, the very stuff cinema is made of. Gelatin silver pictures merge with cinematic shots, abandoning their seemingly static form: they dissolve or slowly take shape, as if still under the action of a developer in the darkroom, gradually revealing different layers of reality.
Filmmakers
Aleksandr Balagura was born in Russia. He graduated from Kiev State University, Department of History and Social Sciences and became a director’s assistant at the Ukrainian Documentary Film Studio, Kiev. Since 1989, he has directed 20 documentaries which have been screened at many international film festivals, and settled in Genoa, Italy, in 1998.
For the last few years, Italian-born Cesare Bedogné has lived in Greece where he began writing. He has published four collections of poems and short stories to date. His first, autobiographical novel “Oltre l’Azzurro” (“Beyond the Blue”) was published in 2012 by ABao AQu. This novel and the author’s photographs were the basis of a theatrical performance, produced by Bismantova Theatre and by the Institute of Music and Liturgy of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Afterwards, Cesare Bedogné together with the Russian film director Alexandr Balagura, worked on a film version of the show, entitled “Story for an Empty Theatre”, which has been selected for screening by several prestigious international film festivals.
Certificate of Merit (Best Experimental Film ex-aequo) , Great Indian Film and Literature Festival (GIFLIF 2016)
Best Experimental Film, Calcutta International Cult Film Festival (November 2016 edition)
Best Experimental Film, Eastern NC Film Festival (USA)
Best Experimental Film, Coral Coast Film Festival (Alghero, Italy)
Best Feature Documentary, Maracay International Film Festival 2017 (Venezuela)
Best Experimental Film, SIFF (Switzerland International Film Festival 2017)
Best Italian Documentary, ROMA CINEMA DOC (September 2017 edition)
Certificate of Excellence - Best Editing Award, 6th Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival, 2017
Best Experimental Film, New Renaissance Film Festival Amsterdam 2018, the Netherlands
Kodiak Award, Alaska International Film Festival 2018
The film has also been selected for: Blow Up Arthouse Film Festival (Chicago, USA), Chhatrapati Shivaji International Film Festival (Pune, India), Canada's World International Film Festival 2017 (Nomination Best Italian Film), MedFF (Siracusa, Italy), Lanús Festival Internacional de Cine 2017 (Argentina), IIPMF (Ancona, Italy), Festival Internazionale del Cinema Documentario Marcellino de Baggis (semifinalist), 1st FICCSUR, Southern Cone International Film Festival (Valparaiso, Chile), Gulf of Naples Independent Film Festival 2017 (Italy), London Greek Film Festival 2017 (UK), Stockholm Independent Film Festival (Sweden), "Echi delle Alpi" Film Festival (Italy), MAYKOP International Film festival (RU), Hope Film Awards (USA, Finalist, September 2017), Wirral International Film Festival (UK), "Disappear Here" Film Festival (Ireland, September 2017), Madrid Art Film Festival 2017 (Semifinalist), Imaginarium Independent Film Festival (USA, October 2017), Sondrio Film Festival 2017 (out of competition), AFC Global Fest (Calcutta, 10-12 November 2017, India), Miami Independent Film Festival (monthly edition, December 2017), German United Film Festival (Semifinalist), iii FICMARC - Caribbean Sea International Film Festival 2018, Russian Film Festival (Moscow 2018, Semifinalist), Roma Cinema DOC (Monthly Winner and Finalist for the upcoming annual competition), South Film and Arts Academy Festival (Rancagua, Chile), International New York Film Festival 2018 (Semifinalist), Voce Spettacolo Film Festival (Matera, Italy, May 2018), Mostra del cinema di Taranto (Italy, May 2018), UFF (Underground Film Fest, it will take place in various locations worldwide for about one year starting from May 2018), Rieti&Sabina Film Festival, Italy (upcoming, September 2018), Germany Film Festival (upcoming September 2018), West Side Mountains DOC Film Festival (Greece, August 2018), INNUENDO FILM FESTIVAL (Milano, Italy 11-16 September 2018).. . .
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PRESS BOOK available upon request
Country: Italy, Greece
Runtime: 57 mins
Genre: Documentary / Experimental / Feature
This film narrates an intense story of love, disease and death, inspired by the autobiographical novel “Beyond the Blue”, by the Italian photographer and writer Cesare Bedognè.
Through this cinematic journey we are led to the inner depths of the photographic image, the very stuff cinema is made of. Gelatin silver pictures merge with cinematic shots, abandoning their seemingly static form: they dissolve or slowly take shape, as if still under the action of a developer in the darkroom, gradually revealing different layers of reality.
Filmmakers
Aleksandr Balagura was born in Russia. He graduated from Kiev State University, Department of History and Social Sciences and became a director’s assistant at the Ukrainian Documentary Film Studio, Kiev. Since 1989, he has directed 20 documentaries which have been screened at many international film festivals, and settled in Genoa, Italy, in 1998.
For the last few years, Italian-born Cesare Bedogné has lived in Greece where he began writing. He has published four collections of poems and short stories to date. His first, autobiographical novel “Oltre l’Azzurro” (“Beyond the Blue”) was published in 2012 by ABao AQu. This novel and the author’s photographs were the basis of a theatrical performance, produced by Bismantova Theatre and by the Institute of Music and Liturgy of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Afterwards, Cesare Bedogné together with the Russian film director Alexandr Balagura, worked on a film version of the show, entitled “Story for an Empty Theatre”, which has been selected for screening by several prestigious international film festivals.
Certificate of Merit (Best Experimental Film ex-aequo) , Great Indian Film and Literature Festival (GIFLIF 2016)
Best Experimental Film, Calcutta International Cult Film Festival (November 2016 edition)
Best Experimental Film, Eastern NC Film Festival (USA)
Best Experimental Film, Coral Coast Film Festival (Alghero, Italy)
Best Feature Documentary, Maracay International Film Festival 2017 (Venezuela)
Best Experimental Film, SIFF (Switzerland International Film Festival 2017)
Best Italian Documentary, ROMA CINEMA DOC (September 2017 edition)
Certificate of Excellence - Best Editing Award, 6th Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival, 2017
Best Experimental Film, New Renaissance Film Festival Amsterdam 2018, the Netherlands
Kodiak Award, Alaska International Film Festival 2018
The film has also been selected for: Blow Up Arthouse Film Festival (Chicago, USA), Chhatrapati Shivaji International Film Festival (Pune, India), Canada's World International Film Festival 2017 (Nomination Best Italian Film), MedFF (Siracusa, Italy), Lanús Festival Internacional de Cine 2017 (Argentina), IIPMF (Ancona, Italy), Festival Internazionale del Cinema Documentario Marcellino de Baggis (semifinalist), 1st FICCSUR, Southern Cone International Film Festival (Valparaiso, Chile), Gulf of Naples Independent Film Festival 2017 (Italy), London Greek Film Festival 2017 (UK), Stockholm Independent Film Festival (Sweden), "Echi delle Alpi" Film Festival (Italy), MAYKOP International Film festival (RU), Hope Film Awards (USA, Finalist, September 2017), Wirral International Film Festival (UK), "Disappear Here" Film Festival (Ireland, September 2017), Madrid Art Film Festival 2017 (Semifinalist), Imaginarium Independent Film Festival (USA, October 2017), Sondrio Film Festival 2017 (out of competition), AFC Global Fest (Calcutta, 10-12 November 2017, India), Miami Independent Film Festival (monthly edition, December 2017), German United Film Festival (Semifinalist), iii FICMARC - Caribbean Sea International Film Festival 2018, Russian Film Festival (Moscow 2018, Semifinalist), Roma Cinema DOC (Monthly Winner and Finalist for the upcoming annual competition), South Film and Arts Academy Festival (Rancagua, Chile), International New York Film Festival 2018 (Semifinalist), Voce Spettacolo Film Festival (Matera, Italy, May 2018), Mostra del cinema di Taranto (Italy, May 2018), UFF (Underground Film Fest, it will take place in various locations worldwide for about one year starting from May 2018), Rieti&Sabina Film Festival, Italy (upcoming, September 2018), Germany Film Festival (upcoming September 2018), West Side Mountains DOC Film Festival (Greece, August 2018), INNUENDO FILM FESTIVAL (Milano, Italy 11-16 September 2018).. . .
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PRESS BOOK available upon request
