Cinema in Udine

07.01.2025

To discuss the history of cine-club culture in Udine, one must start with Guido Galanti, who in 1930 founded Cine Club Udine—the third cine-club in Italy in chronological order¹. Alongside him, Renato Spinotti (Dante Spinotti’s uncle) must also be mentioned. In 1934, Cine Club produced the 16mm medium-length film Giornate di sole (Sunny Days), a comedy directed and performed by Galanti, with cinematography by Spinotti. The opening title card featured a hand-drawn depiction of the angel on Udine’s hill and the inscription “La Galanti Film presenta” (Galanti Film Presents). However, in 1935, a decree from the regime mandated that all Italian cine-clubs be subordinated to their respective GUFs (Fascist University Groups). Consequently, the Udine Cine Club became CineGuf.

Despite this, Galanti and his group managed to create two more comedies (19 and 18 minutes long respectively): A Villa Rosa è proibito l’amore (At Villa Rosa Love Is Forbidden, 1937) and Contro Vento (Against the Wind, 1938), the latter awarded at the Venice Film Festival in the 16mm category. Light and breezy works that stood in stark contrast to the regime’s militaristic propaganda.

In 1943, Galanti was summoned to Rome as a production inspector for the film Inviati speciali (Special Correspondents) by Romolo Marcellini. He was invited by Asvero Gravelli, an intriguing figure in the Fascist hierarchy who was active in cinema, had been in Fiume with Luigi Freddi, and was also the screenwriter of Rossellini's L’uomo della croce (The Man with a Cross). This could have marked the start of a career for Galanti, but the events of 8 September 1943 brought everything to a halt, and he returned to Udine.

Regarding Giornate di sole, an amiable comedy set in Lignano after an initial sequence shot in Udine, critics such as Mario Quargnolo and Carlo Gaberscek highlighted Camerini’s influence. This was evident not only in the plot (a poor man among a group of wealthy individuals pretending to be rich) but also in some “mechanical” shots filmed from a moving car, albeit with modest means. A Villa Rosa è proibito l’amore was more dynamic, although perhaps less clear at the outset. Galanti tended to “squeeze” shots into very short durations, a trait visible even in his documentary work. Contro Vento was an entertaining metacinematic exercise featuring a female character, Luisa, who is “kidnapped” twice—once in the film (to make her act in it) and once in the film-within-the-film as a classic damsel in distress.

We must not forget that Galanti also produced fairy tale-inspired films for children, including Il sogno di Biancastella (1942), which was only three minutes long, but was notable for the unique charm that was added by its use of Agfacolor. Despite a somewhat (yet endearingly) disjointed montage in the opening scene, it is a dreamy little film that transcends its plot and strikes a melancholic chord, at least to modern eyes. It isn’t Jacques Demy, but it leaves a pleasant impression.

Galanti’s documentary work includes La liberazione di Udine (The Liberation of Udine, 15 minutes, 1945), whose opening sequence depicts the retreat of German troops from the city. These scenes were filmed from Galanti’s apartment on Viale Venezia, with window shutters visible in the shots, attesting to the danger involved. Then, there is Quattro passi per Udine (A Stroll through Udine, 8 minutes, 1953), where the city’s shots are enlivened by acquaintances waving at the camera. One even gives the Fascist salute—absentmindedly? as a joke? Here, Galanti’s tendency to “cut” after a second proves apt. Lastly, Il mio amico agricoltore (My Farmer Friend, 19 minutes, 1958), commissioned by the Federazione Casse di Risparmio delle Venezie, was an educational film highlighting the value of work, science, and savings in agriculture, employing sound alternately as voiceover and dialogue.

In 1949, Circolo del Cinema was founded, spearheaded by Rodolfo Castiglione, and Cineclub Udinese was revived with figures like Adriano Degano, Antonio Seguini de Santi, and Walter Faglioni. Faglioni, a great cinephile and diction teacher, often served as the narrator in the many amateur productions of the era. Among these works, Elio Ciol was a recurring presence (earning recognition with La Galleria Melonella, 1957), and in this very environment, cinematographer Alessandro D’Eva honed his skills.

In 1973, Giancarlo Zannier founded the Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche (CEC) with a focus on production. Revenues from film events and later from regular screenings (at the Ferroviario cinema managed by the DLF, which was renamed Ferroviario d’Essai) were used to finance independent cinema production. Among its documentary productions were Le brigate del fieno (1979), about a haymaking initiative with political undertones, conceived by Giorgio Ferigo and organized by the Communist Youth Federation, and Il cinema gira, which chronicled the CEC’s travelling screenings with a specially equipped van.

The CEC also explored experimental cinema, with much of this activity centred around Valter Criscuoli. On the narrative front, the ambitious Ogni riferimento alla realtà è puramente casuale by Giancarlo Zannier (1976) stood out. Its final scene was shot on 6 May, the day of the Friuli earthquake. The clearly ironic title, “any similarity to reality is purely coincidental”, reflected the film’s inspiration from a news story about the discovery of a corpse, weaving a political narrative about alienation and drug use. A photograph of the protagonist, played by Carlo Barbiera, was even published in the pages of the Messaggero Veneto newspaper reporting the discovery.

Despite its minimal resources, the film aimed for maximalist storytelling, combining a political-psychological drama with a psychedelic sequence. Its naïveté lent it a sense of abstraction, and the amateur acting took on an almost epic quality, giving the film an unintentional resemblance to Alexander Kluge’s style. As a “time capsule”, it is particularly fascinating, showcasing lost images of old Udine, especially the working-class neighbourhood of Via Villalta before its redevelopment. Zannier’s documentarian eye was evident: in the plot, the protagonist works at the Safau steel mill, and during a scene filmed there, the narrative pauses to linger on the factory’s operations. This interplay of glowing metal colours creates a visually striking sequence, the film’s most remarkable moment.

Zannier’s path eventually diverged from that of the CEC, a painful separation, after which he focused on the Laboratorio Audiovisivi Friulano. Founded in 1997 in Premariacco, this association aimed to promote image-based expressions, emphasizing education (offering courses in audiovisual practices), producing films, and celebrating Friulian traditions and language. Notable works include Striis (Giancarlo Zannier and Galdino Zuliani, 2006), C’era una volta l’orto (Marco Fabbro, 2015), and the refined Tracce visive (2009), which is available on YouTube. This poetic reconstruction of old photographs from San Leonardo is one of Zannier’s standout contributions. Finally, we cannot part from Zannier without mentioning his splendid docudrama Benandants (1995).

The CEC, meanwhile, shifted its focus to film exhibition, continuing to manage the Ferroviario cinema, which was later replaced by the Visionario—a venue that grew into a proper cinema hall. Among its various activities, regardless of chronology, special mention must be made of the event dubbed Lo Sguardo dei Maestri. Organized jointly by the CEC and Cinemazero of Pordenone, this initiative featured comprehensive retrospectives of great directors, each culminating in an international conference, with proceedings published by the Milan-based publishing house Il Castoro.

Another notable project was the Mostre dal Cine Furlan, curated by Fabiano Rosso, which showcased numerous significant names in local and broader cinematography. These included Lauro Pittini, Marcello De Stefano, Remigio Romano, Lorenzo Bianchini (from I dincj de lune to Lidrîs cuadrade di tre), Renatro Calligaro, Massimo Garlatti-Costa, Benedetto Parisi, Christiane Rorato, Giancarlo Zannier, Dorino Minigutti, Marcello Terranova, Carlo Della Vedova, and Luca Peresson (Farcadice), among many others. From this fertile environment, if only as an inspiration, emerged talents such as Alberto Fasulo (Rumore bianco), Matteo Oleotto (Zoran – Il mio nipote scemo), Claudia Brugnetta’s TV projects (Autogrill, Bed & Breakfast), Marco Londero and Giulio Venier (Visins di cjase), and Alessandro di Pauli and Tommaso Pecile (Felici ma furlans).

We have saved the most significant achievement of the CEC for last. During the Visionario cinema era, annual themed film events were organized, ranging from the cinema of Marguerite Duras to that of Samuel Fuller, from German Expressionism to documentaries, often accompanied by publications under the name UdineIncontri Cinema. This event gradually shifted its focus to Italian and European popular cinema, featuring an impressive array of guests. Themes included “Cinema e Italietta anni Cinquanta”, “Contestazione generale” about the 1960s, and “Eurowestern”. Here, special tribute must be paid to the intelligence and dedication of Lorenzo Codelli, director of the event, and to the invaluable support of Cineteca del Friuli in Gemona.

After the success of “Eurowestern”, the challenge was to choose a theme for the following year. (The recent passing of Lina Wertmüller reminds us of one suggestion that was given, the “musicarello” genre, which could have allowed for the rediscovery of her masterpiece Il giornalino di Gian Burrasca, subject to RAI’s approval.) Since Hong Kong cinema was still relatively unknown, it became the chosen theme.

The retrospective, initially approached with some trepidation as with previous Visionario initiatives, turned out to be a resounding success. It featured an unprecedented number of Hong Kong stars, including Lau Ching-wan, Francis Ng, and Johnnie To, who would go on to become a long-standing friend of what would become the Far East Film Festival (FEFF), as that success definitively solidified the CEC’s commitment to Far Eastern cinema. The newly-born FEFF then moved from the small Ferroviario cinema to the 1,200-seat Nuovo Giovanni da Udine theatre.

Variety, often referred to as the American entertainment bible, famously wrote that there are fifty unmissable festivals worldwide, two of which are in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region: the Giornate del Cinema Muto silent-film festival in Pordenone and the Far East Film Festival in Udine. Directed by Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, the FEFF has established itself as the most important bridge between Asian cinema and Europe, attracting 65,000 attendees at its latest edition. It focuses on popular cinema while also venturing into arthouse territories.

The FEFF operates on two levels: synchronic and diachronic. It explores the state of the art in Asian cinema while delving into its history through essential retrospectives. The Gelso d’Oro alla Carriera lifetime-achievement award—most recently presented to Zhang Yimou, a guest in Udine—has over the years compiled a hall of fame for Asian cinema. Additionally, the city of Udine is transformed into a hub of Asian culture during each edition, with numerous side events dedicated to the Far East.

From the synergy between Udine and Pordenone emerged Tucker Film, a distribution company focusing on the Far East (from Departures to Drive My Car) but also on “our” East, such as Sole alto (Zvizdan) by Dalibor Matanić. In a sense, Tucker Film “closed the circle” by venturing into production with Lorenzo Bianchini’s L’angelo dei muri, (The Angel in the Wall) all while maintaining a commitment to openness and inclusivity.

Acknowledgment: Special thanks to Giulia Cane for her invaluable collaboration, without which this piece would not have been possible.

Author: Giorgio Placereani

 

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¹ For historical information, see Livio Jacob and Carlo Gaberscek, Il Friuli e il cinema, La Cineteca del Friuli, Gemona, 1966. The Cineteca del Friuli has also published a selection of works by Guido Galanti, Antonio Seguini de Santi, and Giorgio Trentin on three DVDs.