Magma 2008 – Seventh edition

For the 2008 edition, the Cultural Association Scarti has chosen to maintain and strengthen the basic structure of the festival. With 558 works submitted for the 2007 edition of Magma, a stronger diffusion of the notice of competition will aim at a further increase in the number of works and countries taking part.

The 2008 programme will offer an experimental synthesis of the cultural and social tensions that are enlivening the Old Continent: the cinematic lens testifies the pressing need for integration and the short film presents itself as an effective tool to communicate this.

The European festivals which have already established a partnership with Magma, and the ones willing to agree to an exchange for the first time, will enrich the programme with works of their national productions.

A brand new section will host a retrospective of short films by major directors who, throughout the years, have distinguished themselves for contributing to the development of a language peculiar to the short film, thanks to their engagement in the short-format production.

Besides the usual screening calendar, for the first time there will be meetings with national and international guests and with cinema professionals and enthusiasts, in order to discuss the works in competition, the current state of short film and its development perspectives in terms of both aesthetics and market.

The second edition of Giro Giro Corto, Magma satellite event devoted to teenagers, will be accompanied by a brief workshop aimed at providing the young participants with the first principles of audiovisual production.

Two concerts of emerging bands belonging to the national music scene will enrich the cultural offering of the festival.

Bridges

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Offering the spectator the chance to lay their eyes on a cinematic horizon as wide and diverse as possible has always been one of the main goals set by Magma - mostra di cinema breve.

The interesting and successful experience of the partnerships established with the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU), the Spanish Short Film Agency (ACE), the Istanbul Short Film Festival, El Ojo Cojo Madrid Festival and the Budapest Short Film Festival has enabled the audience of Magma to deal with works representative of the best of Czech, Spanish, Turkish and Hungarian short films.

The importance of these experiences in itself has brought to the staff’s attention the need to extend the collaboration to other international festivals.

In the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, the program of Magma 2008, approved by the Anna Lindh Foundation, will include a wider and richer section focused on the short films coming from the other partner festivals.

By encouraging a relation with remote worlds and with countries less represented within the mayor distribution chains, by building a bridge for the direct exchange and sharing of experiences and works, Magma aims at effectively contributing to the distribution and visibility of new cultural spaces and new cultural products beyond its national boundaries.

The hospitality offered to the directors of the short films in competition, to the international partners and to the festival insiders represents a fundamental means to increase the intercultural exchange: meetings and round tables will encourage the comparison of different opinions concerning cinema and the development of new cultural and artistic projects.

A jury characterised by a strengthened international dimension will include both remarkable national personalities and worldwide cinema representatives belonging to the industrial and the independent field: directors, writers, editors, scriptwriters, academics and critics.

Magma and teenagers

The success of the first edition of Giro Giro Corto – mostra di cinema piccolo leads to the planning of a new edition, even more interesting and comprehensive.

This festival within the festival, aimed at children and teenagers, has not only offered international short film productions devoted to a young audience, but also the variety of works coming from labs, schools or academies of film studies for teenagers scattered through the national area.

This year’s innovations will be the increase in the number of works in competition through the collaboration with authorities and organisations operating in the field of film studies and cinema for teenagers and the opening of a workshop led by professionals and focused on both young film makers and the guests of Giro Giro Corto.

La mostra di cinema piccolo will also present the opportunity for all the participants to exchange ideas, opinions and expertise among themselves. The chance of having a debate within the festival context will be encouraged at specific occasions during the screenings: each work group will be asked to speak about its own cinematographic experience and share it with the other competitors and the audience.

The audience will also play an active role in judging the short films in competition.

Magma in Acireale

Once again Sicily, an eternal bet, will be the landing place of the stories that the world is ready to tell.

The town of Acireale, birthplace of Magma and of the Cultural Association Scarti, represents the ideal context for an international event: its distinct geographical position, its natural beauties, the historical and artistic value of its baroque architecture all constitute attractive elements for an interested and involved audience. In addition to that are good accommodation facilities confirmed by the increase in available bed & breakfast accommodations, a convenient cost of living for the tourists, the landscape and cultural richness of the surrounding areas.