Corto 2024

Corto: A Cinematic Triumph Unfolds in Dublin

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On Wednesday, January 31, 2024, the Pavilion Hall at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Dublin came alive with the magic of Italian-Irish cinema during the sold-out event, “Corto. Italy and Ireland in a Snapshot.” Organized by Radio Dublino in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture, this annual rendezvous with the finalists of the Italian Fusion Festival – Short Video Competition proved to be a cinematic extravaganza.

The evening commenced at 7:00 PM local time, with Maurizio Pittau, Founder and Director of Radio Dublino and the Italian Fusion Festival, opening the event. Pittau welcomed the audience and highlighted the significance of the Short Video Competition in promoting Italian-Irish film productions, showcasing their creativity on diverse platforms.

Debora Lupi, the accomplished Panel Moderator, guided the audience through the night’s program, fostering an engaging atmosphere. Lupi introduced the impressive lineup of short films and facilitated a Q&A session with the attending directors, providing insight into their creative processes.

The heart of the event was the screening of six remarkable short films that beautifully encapsulated the artistic fusion of Italian and Irish cultures:

  1. The Return by Chiara Viale: A contemporary interpretation of John Francis O’Donnell’s poem, “The Return” (1837-1874).
  2. A Drinking Pub With A Music Problem by Claire Issartel: A short documentary exploring the social and cultural significance of The Cobblestone pub in Dublin.
  3. Renvyle by The Sea by Jan Sisley and Silvana Benedetto: An experimental and poetic documentary giving voice to the local community in one of the most remote areas of Western Ireland.
  4. The Circle of Infinity by Stefano Rolando: Filmed in Dublin, this short offers a personal interpretation of Nietzsche’s eternal return idea, presented in a thrilling narrative.
  5. Style by Beta O’Dwyer: A captivating discussion on style at Dublin University, potentially leading to a new friendship.
  6. Served by Renee Walker: A suspenseful tale of a calculating woman serving her estranged husband a meal to remember, accompanied by unexpected divorce papers.

The accompanying photo gallery, skillfully curated by Chiara Provenzale, captures the essence of the event – the joy of filmmakers presenting their works and the audience immersed in the cinematic journey.

“Corto. Italy and Ireland in a Snapshot” proved to be a resounding success, showcasing the extraordinary talent and cultural convergence between Italy and Ireland. Our gratitude extends to the Istituto Italiano di Cultura for hosting this captivating evening and to Radio Dublino for their unwavering commitment to promoting cultural diversity through the art of cinema. As we eagerly anticipate next year’s edition, we look forward to diving once again into the compelling stories and magic of Italian-Irish cinema.

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Corto. Italy and Ireland in a snapshot

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  • Title: Corto. Italy and Ireland in a snapshot
  • Event date: Wednesday 31 January 2024, 19:00 (Local time)
  • Place: Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Pavilion Hall, Dublin
  • Opening: Maurizio Pittau
  • Panel Moderator: Debora Lupi

The annual appointment with the finalists of the Italian Fusion Festival – Short Video Competition proposes a program of 6 short videos organised in Dublin by Radio Dublino, in partnership with the Italian Institute of Culture.

The Short Video Competition has been an integral part of the Italian Fusion Festival since its start in 2013 and aims to offer a spotlight to Italian-Irish film productions in Ireland wishing to showcase their works on several platforms. The artists involved, mainly Italian and Irish, express a true artistic fusion of elements of both cultures. The directors of the short videos will be at the event, and they will present their videos.

Short Videos

The Return by Chiara Viale

This short is a contemporary interpretation of the poem The Return by John Francis O’Donnell (1837-1874).

A Drinking Pub With A Music Problem by Claire Issartel

It is a short documentary about the pub The Cobblestone and its role in Dublin.

Renvyle by The Sea by Jan Sisley and Silvana Benedetto

The short film is an experimental poetic short documentary where directors give voice to
local people of one of the most remote areas in the West of Ireland.

The Circle of Infinity by Stefano Rolando

Circle of Infinity is a short film filmed in Dublin, and it is a personal interpretation of Nietzsche’s eternal return idea.

Style by Beta O’Dwyer

A discussion at Dublin University about Style… and maybe about a new friendship.

Served by Renee Walker
A calculating woman cooks her estranged husband a meal to die for and serves him with divorce papers. He arrogantly obliges, believing that he has the upper hand. But she has other plans.

Participation at the event is free of charge, but registration is compulsory.

Registration: https://iicdublino.esteri.it/en/gli_eventi/calendario/corto-italy-and-ireland-in-a-snapshot-serata-finale-del-concorso-per-cortometraggi-dellitalian-fusion-festival-2023/

Italian Fusion Festival 2023 Crew

Grazie and Arrivederci

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I wish to thank the audience for coming to the sixth edition of the Italian Fusion Festival!

This edition was very successful, and we are happy about our decision to move to a bigger venue after the sold-out of the previous editions and be able to include an art exhibition, a dance workshop, and a band coming from Italy this year. Those who participated and would like to send their feedback can complete our survey. We want to hear your feedback to keep improving our logistics and content. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts.

If you are a musician/filmmaker/artist based in Ireland and you would like to participate in the next edition of the Italian Fusion Festival don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

If you are a business and are interested in one of our sponsorship packages get in touch , and we will be happy to assist you.

If you want to help us organize the festival, contact us to become an Italian Fusion Festival volunteer next year.

The Combo tickets in this edition were sold out early. If you wish to stay in touch and know when the early bird tickets are available and buy the ticket in advance, you can subscribe to the Radio Dublino newsletter where we’ll announce the next year’s festival edition, or follow our social media channels.

We also wish to thank everyone who collaborated with us:

  • The event partner Italian Institute of Culture – Dublin.
  • Mario Sughi (nerosunero), who donated his beautiful artworks.
  • BalfFolk Dublin.
  • The music bands Julyo, Barrio Cubano, Lulu’s World Band, Truma, and Mark Geary.
  • The filmmakers Renee Walke, Chiara Viale, Claire Issartel, Jan Sisley, Silvana Benedetto, Stefano Rolando, and Beta O’Dwyer for their participation in the short video competition.
  • Comites Irlanda for the support with the volunteers.
  • Journalists and websites that promoted our initiative.
  • Claudio Mercante for the backline.
  • Marcus Lester, the sound engineer, and all The Well staff.

Last but not least, I huge thank you to the volunteers for making this edition possible. This event was entirely organised with the efforts of committed volunteers linked to Radio Dublino community project. Thanks to Silvana, Ilenia, Chiara, Cindy, Marzia, Lorena, Beatrice and Daniela!

Stay in touch with us (Website, Radio Dublino, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube); soon, we will announce our 7th edition of the festival.

We look forward to seeing you next year.

Ciao
Maurizio Pittau
Festival Director

Maurizio Pittau firma

Photo Gallery Italian Fusion Festival

Italian Fusion Festival 2023 Photos

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Photo Gallery 1 | Credits: Daniela Nicolosi

Photo Gallery 2 | Credits: Silvana Benedetto

Photo Gallery 2 | Credits: Maurizio Pittau

Winners Short Video Competition 2023

Winners Short Video Competition 2023

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The Winner of the Sixth Edition of the Italian Fusion Festival – Short Video Competition is Served by Renee Walker.

Motivation: Served is a darkly delicious masterpiece that echoes Italian stereotypes and cunningly challenges gender roles and expectations. With vivid colours, clever use of camera shots and angles, a twisted plot, and a play on words, “Served” serves up a thrilling narrative that makes this a gem of storytelling.

The short video also won the Audience Award after a hard-fought week against the short video “A Drinking Pub With A Music Problem” by Claire Issartel. The main actress of “Served”, Maria Monteleone, accepted the awards.

“Renvyle by the Sea” by Jan Sysley and Silvana Benedetto won the Jury Award.

Motivation: “Renvyle by the Sea” is an enchanting portrayal of life in the remote West of Ireland which comes alive in the form of a poetic documentary, with its breathtaking ocean landscapes, authentic tales of perilous fishing, traditional melodies, and the pure and authentic voice of the locals. A harmonious blend of art and reality, it’s a profound ode to an extraordinary way of life.

Silvana Benedetto accepted the award.

 

TRUMA Riccardo Vianello

Festival Lineup 2023 in 11 Videos

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6PM BalFolk Ensemble

7Pm Julyo

8PM Barrio Cubano

9PM Lulu’s World Band

10PM TRUMA with Mark Geary

The Italian Fusion Festival 2023 in 5 minutes

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Combo Tickets Sold Out

All Combo Tickets are now Sold Out

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All Combo Tickets are now sold out. A limited number of  Standard Tickets will still be available on Eventbrite until tomorrow at 12 pm and on Sunday at the venue from 5:30 pm.

Still available some of the Full Italian Experience tickets associate to the Mario Sughi (nerosunero) Art Exhibition.

Mark Geary

Mark Geary

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We are happy to introduce the special guest of the Italian band Truma for a great fusion of italian and Irish music. This year, the Italian Fusion Festival presents the Irish singer-songwriter born in Dublin Mark Geary.

Mark Geary with Truma

Mark Geary with Truma

Dublin native and Celbridge resident Mark Geary has been writing, singing and playing music for the last 30 years; he has 5 studio albums and has toured across the world. In 1992, Mark bought a one-way ticket to New York City and spent several years honing his craft playing the local circuit in the East Village, including numerous appearances at the renowned Sin-é cafe with other upcoming artists, including friend Jeff Buckley.

During that time, Mark’s songwriting skills and engaging live performances garnered him a dedicated audience, the respect and esteem of his peers, and a reputation as one of the finest song-smiths of his generation. Mark is described as a “quintessential singer-songwriter,” and his records of finely crafted songs have been hailed as encapsulating both boisterous joy and gentle, delicate moments that endear themselves to the listener and evoke comparisons to artists such as Van Morrison, John Lennon, Elliot Smith, and Richard Thompson.

His body of work includes 5 studio albums, 2 live recordings, and collaborations with a number of artists, including the release in 2013 of a charity version of his song ‘Christmas Biscuits’ with friend Glen Hansard in aid of St Vincent De Paul. Mark has also lent his talents to the visual arts, scoring several films, including Loggerheads (2005), Steel City (2006), and TriBeCa Film Festival favourite Sons of Perdition (2010).

Over the last 20 years, Mark has toured all over Europe, the US, and Australia and has shared the stage with performers such as The Swell Season, Glen Hansard, The Frames, Josh Ritter, Bell X1, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders, and Joe Strummer. In recent years, he has played shows and festivals in the US and Europe, notably in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany.

The new album In the Time of Locust is coming soon.

Combo Tickets 2, including Standard Admission + Pizza + Glass of Prosecco, are now Sold Out.

Combo Tickets 2 are Sold Out

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Combo Tickets 2, including Standard Admission + Pizza + Glass of Prosecco, are now Sold Out.

The Standard Tickets, and a very limited number of Combo Tickets 3, including Standard Admission + Pizza + Glass of Prosecco + Dance Workshop, are still available.