From the 13th to the 20th of May the participants of the Erasmus+ seminar “Cinema without Borders” coordinated by SCI Italia came to Rome where by the end of the seminar we could see their beloved projects in the film festival that took place at  “La Città dell’Utopia” from the 16th to the 19th.

The La Città dell’Utopia building is situated in the neighbourhood of San Paolo outside of the walls of ancient Rome. Long time ago it was surrounded by nature, but as the city grew, it grew around it and now it is in the middle of modern architecture, which makes it an interesting place to come and visit and a very special place to hold activities and social gatherings. 

Here it was that we had the great pleasure of giving space to present  this innovative event where our main goal is to put the majority of the importance in showing different types of films and not in making it a competition, because in the bases of this festival what we really want is to become a place where filmmakers can have an opportunity of showing their work without the pressure of being judged, and more with the view of setting their creativity free.

We are pleased to have presented the very first edition, and with luck and your help not the last one, of the “Cinema without Borders” seminar and “La Città dell’Utopia International Film Festival” which has been such a success. We have been entertained by these marvellous and enthusiastic participants, some of whom were kind enough to pay us a visit and show their well-tailored artistic creations. That way we could have great conversations, interviews and round tables where these young directors exchanged their ideas, points of view, goals and even anecdotes with us.

Overall and within this space what we hold dearest is not only the end product, but also the creative journey that each individual embarks on in the pursuit of creativity. It is the passion, the dedication and the unyielding determination that we cherish above all else. Thus, it is in these moments of vulnerability and raw emotion that true art is born, and it is this creative process that we hold in the highest regard. We also have had these round tables and interviews with the participants to foster genuine dialogue between spectator and creator. In today’s world more often than not we tend to get lost in an endless cycle of mass consumption of media, and to keep the frame of creativity alive we need to give a voice and space to the young creators.   

All that is what we had in mind when we created the seminar “Cinema without Borders” and all of the activities within that we accompanied with this film festival, every discussion, visit and every moment crafted to reflect our core values of inclusivity, connection, interaction and diversity. We worked hard into building a space where artists and audience members could come together in a shared love for the art of storytelling. This film festival was not just an afterthought, it was a labour of love, a heartfelt tribute to the power of film to unite us all.