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Rita (2009 Italian film)

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Wikipedia article




'Rita' is an Italian short drama film released in 2009 and directed by Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza. It is a film realised from the point of view of a blind person. It has been presented in more than 100 international film festivals receiving several awards.

Plot



Rita is ten years old and blind since birth, lives in a seaside neighbourhood of Palermo in Sicily. She is stubborn, curious and feels thwarted by an overprotective dictatorial mother. The claustrophobic world of her home is suddenly breached by a mysterious presence. It's a boy on the run, wounded, terrified. The meeting between the two of them is highly enigmatic. Thanks to her mysterious new friend, or perhaps only thanks to her imagination and courage, Rita escapes from home and goes to the beach. She learns to swim and experiences a brief moment of freedom which ends when the miraculous encounter vanishes and she finds herself alone in the sea.

Film structure



During this short film the camera is focused on Rita, without reverse angle shots. Rita is under everyone's gaze, the gaze of others which acts also as a controlling element, a form of surveillance. We can't see what Rita has before her because she can't either. For example, we see her mother's hands flit in and out of the frame, when her mother is fussing around her, but we never see her mother. We feel the desire to see what stands before her but, for the most part of the short film, we are not granted any gratification of this desire. For Rita hearing is fundamental, and that is why the story, from her "point of view" is told through the sounds, the noises. The sounds represent what we can't see, they evoke it, and to some extent create it. Only through an unexpected and enigmatic encounter does the staging change, because this meeting suddenly enables her to "see" and we, for the first time, are gifted with her perspective and share her vision. The film explores this brief moment of grace. Then everything goes back to normal for Rita and for us.

Cast



*Marta Palermo as Rita

*Marco Correnti as the young boy

Awards



Best Short Film

11th International Film Festival Bratislava | 2009

27 Nov 4 Dec | Slovakia

Arte Prize for European Short Film

22nd Premiers Plans Festival dAngers | 2010

Angers First Film Festival

22 31 Jan | France

Diploma of Merit

40th Tampereen kansainvliset elokuvajuhlat | 2010

Tampere Film Festival

10 14 Mar | Finland

Best Short Film

11th Festival Internacional de Cine Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | 2010

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival

12 20 Mar | Spain

Award for Directing

19th Aspen Shortsfest | 2010

6 11 Apr | United States

Best Use of Sound Design

37th Athens International Film and Video Festival | 2010

23 29 Apr | United States

Special Jury Prize - National

18th Arcipelago Festival Internazionale di Cortometraggi e Nuove Immagini | 2010

Arcipelago International Festival of Short Films and New Images

18 24 Jun | Italy

Best International Short Film

64th Edinburgh International Film Festival | 2010

16 27 Jun | United Kingdom

Best Italian Short Film

8th MoliseCinema Film Festival | 2010

3 8 Aug | Italy

Special Mention - Artistic Direction

9th Concorto Film Festival | 2010

22 29 Aug | Italy

Special Jury Mention

8th Imaginaria Film Festival | 2010

24 29 Aug | Italy

Jury Mention

16th Aye Aye Film Festival Nancy-Lorraine | 2010

3 11 Sep | France

Best Sound

3rd Festival Internacional Curtametraxes Bueu | 2010

Bueu International Shortfilm Festival

6 11 Sep | Spain

Best Short Fiction Film

17th Altin Koza Film Festival | 2010

Golden Boll Film Festival

20 26 Sep | Turkey

Special Jury Mention

7th Filmfest Eberswalde | 2010

2 9 Oct | Germany

Best Short Film

8th Zagreb Film Festival | 2010

17 23 Oct | Croatia

Special Jury Mention - Narrative Short Film

Abu Dhabi Film Festival | 2010

14 23 Oct | United Arab Emirates

Artistic Direction Award

10th Cortopotere ShortFilmFestival | 2010

25 31 Oct | Italy

Special Jury Mention - European Short Films

40th Alcine: Festival de Cine de Alcal de Henares | 2010

5 13 Nov | Spain

Special Jury Mention

25th Festival Europeen du Film Court de Brest | 2010

Brest European Short Film Festival

8 14 Nov | France

Best Short Feature Film

5th Breaking Down Barriers Disability Film Festival | 2010

18 21 Nov | Russia

Best European Film

4th Unlimited: Europisches Kurzfilmfestival | 2010

Unlimited: European Short Film Festival

23 28 Nov | Germany

Best Short Film on Social Themes

7th Corto Dorico: Festival del Cortometraggio Italiano | 2010

12 19 Dec | Italy

Special Mention

Nastri D'Argento | 2011

25 28 Mar | Italy

Runner-up - 16 to 30 minutes

Imago Film Festival | 2011

28 Mar 1 Apr | United States

Special Jury Prize

27th Festival du Cinema Europen de Lille | 2011

European Film Festival of Lille

1 8 Apr | France

Future Shorts Prize

27th Festival du Cinema Europen de Lille | 2011

European Film Festival of Lille

1 8 Apr | France

Best Short Film

6th Sicilian Film Festival | 2011

6 13 Apr | United States

Best Film - Youth Jury

23rd Filmfest Dresden: Internationales Kurzfilmfestival | 2011

Filmfest Dresden: International Short Film Festival

12 17 Apr | Germany

Special Jury Mention

23rd Filmfest Dresden: Internationales Kurzfilmfestival | 2011

Filmfest Dresden: International Short Film Festival

12 17 Apr | Germany

Highly Commended - International

Magma Short Film Festival | 2011

28 Apr 2 May | New Zealand

Outstanding Achievement in Short Filmmaking

12th Newport Beach Film Festival | 2011

28 Apr 5 May | United States

Best Narrative Short Film

14th Brooklyn Film Festival | 2011

3 12 Jun | United States

Best International Short Film

Lume International Film Festival | 2011

14 23 Jul | Brazil

Best Drama Short Film

10th Route 66 Film Festival | 2011

16 18 Sep | United States

Director's Choice

30th Black Maria Film and Video Festival | 2011

6 Feb 31 Mar | United States

Special Mention

8th Sedicicorto: Festival del Cortometraggio Forl | 2011

Sedicicorto: International Film Festival Forl

3 9 Oct | Italy

Best Short Film

4th Festival de Cine Italiano de Madrid | 2011

24 Nov 1 Dec | Spain

Award of Excellence - Disability Issues

The Accolade Competition | 2011

1 Jan 31 Dec | United States

References




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