The Prix Italia Master Classes

The Prix Italia Master Classes

Learning from the best

In collaboration with Rai Academy

 

The Prix Italia Master Classes are back! Following last year's big success, we are proud to present another round of in-depth encounters with some of the authors awarded in the 2021 Prix Italia competition. In three new online Master Classes, chief creators will provide a unique insight into their work, including video clips and excerpts from the production. Participants will get a crucial understanding on how the winning programs have been conceived and produced, from motivational backgrounds and values to editorial decision making and details about the production methods.
Save the dates: March 3, 17 and 31 - exclusive meetings dedicated to the professionals who are interested in the excellence in world media production and in the great themes of Public Service Media.

 

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Global Issues and Human Rights
Impact Production

PUSH

WG film (Sweden) with SVT, Film i Skåne, ZDF/ARTE, YLE, NRK, TVO
Prix Italia 2021 SIGNIS Special Award

March 3, 2022

 

 

The local working and middle classes have become unable to afford housing in major cities across the world. London, New York, Hong Kong, Toronto, Tokyo, Valparaiso, Sydney, Caracas, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm… the list seems endless. People are being pushed out of their very own homes – because living in them has become unaffordable. We follow in the foot-steps of Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, who means that if we really want to make change to ensure ALL people can live in the city – then we have to be able to hold someone responsible for what is going on. Who are the players and what are the factors that make housing one of today's most pressing world issues? It is time to recognize that housing is a human right, not a commodity.
Prix Italia Signis Special Award winner PUSH has been in the official selections of mayor film festivals all over the world, and has won numerous awards, including Politiken Audience Award at CPH:DOX, Young Jury Reteena Award at DOCS BARCELONA, a Special Mention LIFE AFTER OIL FILM FESTIVAL, the Premio del Jurado Global Docs Jury Award - DOCSMX, the Justin Louis Award Best Documentary at FREEDOM FILM FEST, the Best Feature Award at SAN FRANCISCO GREEN FILM FESTIVAL and the Open Eyes Youth Jury Award at NUREMBERG HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL.

More on the film: https://www.pushthefilm.com.

Why you should join:
Director Fredrik Gertten will comment key extracts from the film give you an inside on how he conceived and developed this global inquiry, on how he selected his main protagonist and narrated "cases". A special attention will be given on the big effort given to create the widest possible outreach for the film's core messages, through a well thought impact production strategy.

From Prix Italia Jury's motivation:
We applaud this documentary for raising the issue of a "David & Goliath" situation in which wealthy Hedge Funds and other investors trade housing as assets, in much the same way as they would trade a commodity such as gold, without regard to the displacement of tenants, many of whom are poorer people, immigrants, the elderly and refugees. Swedish Television has excelled in showing us that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provision that adequate housing is the right of every child, woman and man, everywhere, flagrantly ignored by unbridled capitalism, a position that numerous countries legally endorse in spite of its intrinsically amoral nature. The filmmakers are to be commended for raising in such a powerful manner an issue of universal concern.

Guest Speaker:

Fredrik Gertten is an award-winning director and journalist based in Malmö, Sweden, and owner and manager of the production company WG Film which he founded in 1994. Previously he worked as a foreign correspondent and columnist for radio, TV and press in Africa, Latin America, Asia and around Europe. Today he combines filmmaking with a role as a creative producer at WG Film. Recent films include BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!*, world premiere Sundance 2012, BIKES VS CARS, world premiere SXSW 2015 and BECOMING ZLATAN, world premiere IDFA 2016. His films have met audiences in 100 countries, including leading festivals. In Sweden the sale of FairTrade bananas went from 5 to 50 per cent of the sales after the release of the BANANAS!* films. In October 2017 he was named Honorary Doctor at Malmö University's Faculty of Culture and Society, for his work as a documentary filmmaker.

Contributor:

Ilaria Maria Sotis, Vice Director News Radio1, Rai Ilaria Maria Sotis was born in Rome on January 7th 1966. She studied at Lycèe Chateaubriand and after that took the Degree on Political Science at the University of Rome La Sapienza. Sotis started working as journalist in various newspapers, including:"Il Giornale di Napoli", "Paese Sera", "Il Mattino". She had also collaborations with "Rinascita" and "L'Espresso". In 1989, she was hired by Rai (Gr3, Tg3, Rai2) and in 1999 she worked for Rainews 24. In 2001 Sotis took position inside the "Giornale Radio Rai". Starting from 2003, she has designed, developed and hosted a number of programs, including "Diverso da chi", "La radio ne parla", "Fuorigioco" and "Vivavoce"). She has been the Editor-in-Chief and host of Radio1 program "Vivavoce". Since July 2020 she is Vice Director of the News of Rai Radio 1.

 

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Documenting War and Violation of Human Rights
Current Affairs

THE CAVE

Danish Documentary Prod. (Denmark) with ARD-SWR, TV2 Danmark, NatGeo
Prix Italia 2021 TV Documentary Award

March 17, 2022

 

 

The war in Syria has spread death and destruction across the country. In besieged Eastern Al Ghouta incessant bombardment makes going outside a life threatening proposition. Residential neighborhoods are targeted as indiscriminately as markets, schools, hospitals, medical centers and ambulances. Safety and hope lie underground, where a brave group of doctors and nurses have established a subterranean hospital called the Cave. Under the leadership of a young female pediatrician, Dr. Amani Ballour, the Cave offers hope and healing to the sick and injured civilians. In a conservative patriarchal society Dr. Amani and her female colleagues have reclaimed their right to work as equals alongside their male counterparts. Their battle is not only to survive but to maintain their dreams and hopes for their country and for women.
THE CAVE premiered at the 2019 TIFF, and won People's Choice Award, Best Writing from the International Documentary Association, and Producing Award from Cinema Eyes Honer, alongside 16 other awards around the world. THE CAVE was also nominated for 5 Critics Choice Awards, Directors Guild of America, Producer Guild of America, and nominated for the 2020 Academy Best Documentary Award. THE CAVE is distributed worldwide by National Geographic.

More on the film: https://films.nationalgeographic.com/the-cave.

Why you should join:
Through commenting selected excerpts from his masterpiece, Director Feras Fayyad will talk about the personal and political background of this pr oject, the values that inspired him and the team, and the objectives they had in making in. A particular focus will be given to the team's strategy to handle the extremely difficult and dangerous production framework in a location at war. Fayyad will also introduce his new upcoming Syria film about the International Investigations and Legal Trials against former Daesh fighters.

From Prix Italia Jury's motivation:
"The Cave" is an excellent work. It literally makes the war explode in front of your eyes with the force of a bomb, even if you live in the opposite corner of the world. The topic has been treated in a delicate and intense way. A masterly technique makes this mess age impossible to ignore. Many impressive documentaries have been submitted in this edition of the Prix Italia, but "The Cave" is an urgent and needed feat.

Guest Speakers:

Feras Fayyad was born in Syria in 1984. He is an award winning filmmaker who has received particular recognition for his work on contemporary Syrian issues and the political transformation of the Arab world. "The Cave" follows up on his earlier film, "Last Men in Aleppo", which already earned him a 2018 Academy Award nomination and an Emmy for Best Documentary Feature. The film followed a small group of volunteer rescue workers with the White Helmets civil defense organization. "Last Men in Aleppo" premiered at the 20 17 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary competition. The film went on to screen at festivals around the globe and received another 18 international awards.

Contributor:

Lucia Goracci, Rai Correspondent Lucia Goracci, joined Rai with public examination since 1995. Currently in charge of the Correspondence office in Istanbul. She told for Rai several contemporary conflicts, particularly in the Middle East. For more than two years she has traveled on different war fronts to the Islamic state. She was in Kobane in the last days of the siege and in Palmyra just after the recapture of ISIS. She interviewed Turkish President Erdogan shortly after the failed coup in July 2016 and was among the first international media to enter Mosul's first districts freed by ISIS. She has received the following journalistic awards: Russian Prize, Ilaria Alpi, Luchetta, Barzini, Cutuli and Premiolino.

 

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Reinventing the Classics
Young Audiences and Culture in Quarantine

SWAN LAKE BATH BALLET

Corey Baker Dance Company for BBC
Prix Italia 2021 Web Fiction Award

March 31, 2022

 

 

Set to Tchaikovsky's famous swan theme, 27 elite ballet dancers from renowned dance companies perform a modern day, viral, Swan Lake from their own baths. Corey worked with dancers across the globe to choreograph and film Swan Lake Bath Ballet completely remotely during the Covid 19 pandemic. In the film, Baker's quirky choreography is performed in baths from New Zealand to South Africa, America to Hong Kong, Australia to the UK. Swan Lake Bath Ballet was filmed on smart phones, directed by Corey from his bathroom in the UK.

More on the film: https://coreybakerdance.com/dance/swan-lake-bath-ballet/.

Why you should join:
In this Master Class Corey Baker will give us the creative and personal professional background that brought him to develop the Swan Lake Bath Ba llet, and to get BBC Culture to produce the show as a part of her "Culture in Quarantine" online initiative. From here, the Master Class will more in general, and with further examples from recent productions, discuss ways how Corey and his Dance Company rejuvenate ballet classics with a completely new and prior unseen mise en scene, with great results especially with younger audiences.

From Prix Italia Jury's motivation:
A truly beautiful project in its simplicity and form. In the Jury's view, the juxtaposition of a familiar space and the artistic interpretations of one of the most famous pieces of classical music make for an otherworldly experience, so very telling of the zeitgeist that the pandemic has brought about. With the use of widely accessible technology, the creators of "Swan Lake Bath Ballet" were able to successfully re contextualize a familiar piece of art and use the limitations of a socially distanced world to their advantage. The jury believes that for generations to come, this stellar production will serve as a perfect example of just how creative humans can be in a time of a crisis.

Guest Speaker:

Corey Baker is an award winning choreographer and filmmaker, celebrated for his innovation and commitment to driving dance into the 21st century. With a passion that dance is for everyone, Corey takes dance out of traditional settings and puts it into parks, playgrounds, stadiums, shopping centres, rugby fields, on TV film and even Antarctica. Corey is also renowned for highly designed, inventive and relevant contemporary ballet. Originally from Christchurch New Zealand, Corey trained as a classical dancer in Christchurch and Sydney before moving to Switzerland to dance at Ballet Theatre Basel. Corey relocated to the UK in 2008 to join BalletBoyz and has continued to dance for many acclaimed companies and choreographers. Corey started Corey Baker Dance in 2010 to create and produce his own work. Alongside the company, Corey has also collaborated on many projects as rehearsal director, choreographer, teacher, movement director and mentor. Corey was Associate Artistic Director of Birmingham Weekender in 2015, and continues to develop his directing and curatorial roles through several new initiatives.

Contributor:

Iman Sabbah, Rai Correspondent Born in Nazareth, graduated in Communication Sciences, she has been a journalist on Italian public television Rai since 2003. First presenter of the programs of RaiMed, Rai's Arabic-language television, then special correspondent and presenter of the All-News channel "RaiNews24". She was sent to the United States to follow the presidential elections of 2008, 2012 and 2016. Host of the Raitre program "The White House". Since 2017, she has been Rai Correspondent from France, where she followed the most important current events, the crisis of the Yellow Vests, the dramatic fire of the Notre Dame Cathedral and the health crisis of Covid19. Iman was awarded with Hotbirds TV awards and the Alghero Donna Award.

 

 

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Moderator:

Markus Nikel, International Advisor, RAI For the EBU, Markus has worked as an Editorial Supervisor and Executive Producer of factual coproductions. He has been moderating Master Classes with Oscar winning Directors at GZDoc in Guangzhou, China's biggest Documentary Festival, and professional sessions at NHK's Japan Prize in Tokyo. He regularly conducts workshops with COPEAM in Rome, ASBU in Tunis and with TAL in Latin America. Email: markus.nikel@rai.it

Referent:
Irina Stoilova, Prix Italia, International Relations and European Affairs, Rai. Email: irina.stoilova@rai.it