An open letter in support of the Annecy Italian Film Festival, whose 2023 edition has been cancelled, was made public yesterday, signed by the event’s artistic director Francesco Giai Via and its long-term director Jean Gili. 

The aim of the written appeal, issued on the very day the 41st edition of the festival was intended to open, is to raise awareness amongst the press, the relevant institutions and public opinion of the cancellation of this historic event, a festival of significant international prestige and strategic importance for the circulation of Italian works in France. The appeal has been signed by a huge number of professionals from within the Italian film industry - directors, actors, producers, screenwriters and editors - many of whom have taken part in the festival over the years.

“The forty-first edition of the festival will not take place”, the letter reads. “The reasons for its cancellation are essentially linked to a situation of stalemate between local institutions in the city of Annecy which has prevented the creation of a budget with which to organise this 2023 edition. The Italian authorities we contacted immediately made themselves available to resolve the organisational and financial issues at play, but their response was not met with any real, positive interest from the local institutions. As directors who have contributed towards the creation of the Annecy Italian Film Festival over its 40-year history, we felt it was important to share our thoughts on this symbolic date. Cancellation is always a painful last resort, but it can also provide an opportunity to reflect on the critical issues which led to this extreme decision. We strongly believe that the festival should continue to exist and that it should be strengthened at an organisational level to ensure that what has happened this year never happens again”.

“Over the years, the Annecy Italian Film Festival has proved the central role it plays in the relationship between France and Italy. It is a successful, participatory event which is deeply rooted in this region. It is an excellent showcase of the steady, historic relationship of cinematographic co-operation between our two countries and it enjoys the collaboration and full support of the Italian institutions and film industry”. The full text of the letter can be read here.

The signatories include directors Marco Bellocchio, Paolo Taviani, Roberto Andò, Nanni Moretti, Wilma Labate, Matteo Garrone, Emma Dante, Susanna  Nicchiarelli, Mario Martone and Gabriele Salvatores, director-actresses Valeria Golino and Jasmine Trinca, producers Domenico Procacci, Carlo Cresto-Dina, Nadia Trevisan, Nicola Giuliano, Marco Alessi and Giovanni Pompili, actors Toni Servillo, Alessandro Borghi, Luigi Lo Cascio and Vinicio Marchioni, and editors Jacopo Quadri, Esmeralda Calabria, Francesca Calvelli and Marco Spoletini (the full list can be found here).