02/10/2011
Cinema, art, and architecture melded as never before in Perugia, on the occasion of the prelude to the Perugia International Film Festival: a soft launch that gave a preview on 1st and 2nd October of how the event will celebrate art and the professions of the cinema in its first ever staging, on the calendar from 22nd to 25th March 2012.
"Organization of this new event, including the main aspects of production, logistics, and staging, has been entrusted to MAC Group," explained Sandro Binelli, President of MAC Group. "The festival's holding company and promoter is Stratus Media Group Inc., an organizer and promoter of live entertainment events and shows of the highest quality, which has already collaborated with us in the Mille Miglia North American Tribute as the only official sub-licensee of the Mille Miglia brand for events in the United States."
The great American photographer Bruce Weber and legendary documentarians D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus (pioneers of Direct Cinema-Cinéma Vérité) opened the two-day preview, offering the public and industry insiders a 'taste' of what the true Perugia International Film Festival will be. Free screenings open to the public were punctuated by an exclusive gala projection attended by the most important representatives from the Italian and international film industry. The festival's art director is Karen Arikian, already director of the Hamptons International Film Festival, consultant to the European Film Promotion, and a delegate and member of the official selection committee of Berlin International Film Festival. She has been entrusted with the event's programming, in close collaboration with Emanuele Rossi, President of the Festival and Vice President of Stratus Media Group. During the first 2012 staging, Piero Tosi will be celebrated, whose unforgettable costumes in Bellissima, The Leopard (II Gattopardo), Senso, and Ludwig contributed to the greatness of Italian cinema. The first Perugia International Film Festival will also present an area devoted to films restored in collaboration with Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation, and will work closely with Umbria Jazz on a series of films dedicated to music and its protagonists. It also boasts an important partner: William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, the famous Los Angeles talent agency which will ensure that the Festival will be a meeting point for representatives of the Italian and international film industry.
