Luca Guadagnino, Paolo Sorrentino Stand Behind Italian Film Students After Right-Wing Government Attempts to Take Over Centro Sperimentale School
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent An underhanded move by members of Italy’s right-wing government to try and take over the management of Rome’s Centro Sperimentale Film School is prompting an uproar by its students and a strong show of support from the country’s top directors.
Earlier this week, students of the Centro Sperimentale — which is the oldest film school in the world, and among the finest — staged a demonstration in front of the country’s parliament just as a piece of legislation that would change the school’s management was swiftly being approved by a parliamentary committee.
A ratification vote, expected in the coming days, would make it effective. If passed by parliament, the legislation — which is being couched in small print within a larger bill — would basically oust the school’s current president — producer Marta Donzelli, whose Vivo Film is known for indie titles such as Susanna Nicchiarelli’s “Nico, 1988” and Abel Ferrara’s “Siberia” — and also kick out the rest of its top management two years before their mandate expires.
The students have also launched a petition in support of their protest, which has been signed by practically all of the country’s top directors.
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