Ten years of Biennale College Cinema to be celebrated in New York

Biennale College Cinema’s tenth anniversary is being celebrated in New York starting tomorrow Thursday April 20^th through Sunday April 23^rd, with six films to be screened at the historic Paris Theater, dedicated since 1948 to independent cinema and the only single-screen theatre still showing in Manhattan. The event, titled Venice Film Festival Presents: Next Generation, is organized by La Biennale di Venezia, by the Gotham Film & Media Institute and by Netflix, which saved and renovated the Paris Theater, that was slated to close in 2019.

The opening night of Venice Film Festival Presents: Next Generation will feature a screening of mystery/thriller Our Father The Devil along with remarks by Director Alberto Barbera and the Head of Programme Savina Neirotti. Nikyatu Jusu, a rising star who recently won the “Someone to Watch” Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards for her film Nanny, will serve as moderator for the opening night discussion with director Ellie Foumbi.

The six films in the program are: Beautiful Things (2017) by Giorgio Ferrero and Federico Biasin (award winner at the CPH:DOX in Copenhagen), The Cathedral (2021) by Ricky D'Ambrose (winner of the John Cassavetes Award at the Spirit Awards), The Fits (2015) by Anna Rose Holmer (winner of the Someone to Watch Award at the Spirit Awards), Hotel Salvation (2016) by Shubhashish Bhutiani (winner of various awards at international festivals), Our Father, The Devil (2021) by Ellie Foumbi (nominated at the Spirit Awards), and This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection (2019) by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (nominated for an Oscar in 2021 for Lesotho).

Overall, in ten years the Biennale College Cinema – the advanced training workshop of La Biennale di Venezia organized since 2012 to support emerging filmmakers in making micro-budget feature-length films – has made 34 feature films by emerging directors, often winning awards in national and international contexts, following the receipt of 2,337 applications from all over the world.

Biennale College Cinema, organized by La Biennale di Venezia, is supported by the Ministry of Culture – General Directorate Cinema. The main sponsor of the initiative is Vivendi. The sponsor is Gruppo Multiversity, of which the Università Pegaso is a subsidiary. Biennale College Cinema relies on the academic collaboration of the Gotham Film & Media Institute and the TorinoFilmLab. The educational activities are made possible by the Creative Europe – Media programme. The Director is Alberto Barbera, Head of Programme is Savina Neirotti.

The Gotham has been an Academic Partner of Biennale College Cinema since its inception. Venice Film Festival Presents: Next Generation, presented by La Biennale di Venezia, The Gotham and Netflix, will celebrate the films and filmmakers that have come out of this impactful program.

Netflix is one the world's leading entertainment services with 231 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume to watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time. The legendary Paris Theater is New York City’s longest-running arthouse theater. Opened in 1948, it was slated to close in 2019 but was saved and renovated by Netflix.

April 20, 7:00 pm Our Father, The Devil (2021) by Ellie Foumbi
Post-screening discussion with Ellie Foumbi moderated by Nikyatu Jusu.
The evening will open with a tribute to Venice Film Festival Artistic Director Alberto Barbera, and Biennale College Cinema Head Savina Neirotti

April 21, 7:00 pm Hotel Salvation (2016) by Shubhashish Bhutiani
With director Shubhashish Bhutiani in person.

April 22, 3:00 pm Beautiful Things (2017) by Giorgio Ferrero
With director Giorgio Ferrero in person.

April 22, 7:00 pm The Fits (2015) by Anna Rose Holmer
With director Anna Rose Holmer in person.

April 23, 3:00 pm This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection (2019) by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
Video interview with director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese.

April 23, 7:00 pm The Cathedral (2021) by Ricky D’Ambrose
With director Ricky D’Ambrose in person.

All screenings will be accompanied by in-depth discussions pairing new filmmakers with established directors, producers, and writers.

To get tickets for Venice Film Festival Presents: Next Generation, please visit www.paristheaternyc.com.
To learn more about Biennale College Cinema, including how to apply, please visit collegecinema.labiennale.org