by Federico Greco

Precisely when and to what degree is digital technology turning art and communications around? That is the question of n[ever]land in Rome. The three-day international event included debates, screenings and meetings and a highlight is the section dedicated to the relationship between digital technology and cinema, art, publishing and on-line communications.
The modern film industry is turning more and more to digital technology and the potential for experimentation that it offers filmmakers. And this research is not limited to flashy state-of-the-art labs in Silicone Valley and Hollywood: two examples of avant-garde films that were created “off the beaten track” have been screened in the festival’s Digital Screens section. The first is Hotel by Mike Figgis, a man who is pushing out the digital envelope and redefining what we mean by “new cinema”. He shot this film with a digital MiniDV at Venice Lido with an exceptional cast that includes John Malkovich, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Burt Reynolds, Valeria Golino, Salma Hayek and Ornella Muti. The second film is Alexander Sokurov’s Russian Ark: a seemingly endless 90-minute single sequence shot in the Hermitage museum of St Petersburg. The film has been illustrated and explained by Sergei Ivanov, the technician who transposed the images into the digital format.