The year that is now drawing to a close has undoubtedly been one of the most difficult for the film industry. However, in the face of closed cinemas, cancelled festivals, postponed new film releases and sets on pause, it is with great pleasure that Roberto Braga and I returned to collaborate with Filmmaker, the documentary film festival born in Milan forty years ago.
We supported the team during this 2020 edition (27 November – 6 December) that was special for two reasons. First, it celebrated an important anniversary for what is considered a point of reference for a certain idea of cinema that looks at experimentation and innovation within the field of documentary. And it was held completely online, moving from the usual film theatres to the platform MYmovies.it.
Between October and December, Roberto and I took care of the communication on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), recounting part of the rich history of the festival and the wide offer of this edition, which saw directors Simone Bitton and Kamal Aljafari awarded the Filmmaker 2020 prize (for Ziyara) and the Jury Prize (for An Unusual Summer) respectively.
It was certainly a different experience for both the audience and the working team, who embraced the challenge posed by the digital by making the most of an unprecedented version of the festival. We all learned a great deal, with a view (hopefully) to a return to physical theatres for the 2021 edition. Until then, happy birthday Filmmaker!