As we do every year, we are pleased to present short films made by Ca’ Foscari students and the Venice International University film program of which our University is an associate.
STUDENTS AT CA’ FOSCARI
Elizaveta Zalieva
Contemporary artist based in Venice, Italy. In her artistic practice, Elizaveta researches the topic of the ordinary – gathering and recording memories – of the collective unconscious and the symbols of modern culture. She believes it is essential to plunge the viewer into the author’s artistic mythology using an experimental approach to the narrated theme and visual material. (https://zalieva.com/ )
Water offering, 2024, 1’56”
This artistic project analyses the sacral relationship between humans and water, underlying the essential connection between the two dimensions despite the distance between modern society and the environment. The work wishes to remind people of the sacred bond with water, drawing from Buddhist philosophy and from water as the keeper of memories. The exploration encompasses the Buddhist perspective on water through the Buddhist water offering ritual, which symbolizes merit accumulation and purification through meditative acts. Conducting performance of this ritual in various waterbodies highlights the interconnectedness between humans and water, with the aim of evoking a sense of unity and emphasizing the enduring link between the two. The project serves as a personal celebration of this deep connection and encourages the contemplation of the meaning that water has in our lives.
https://youtu.be/Ulb0n2oksgU
“Uет”, 2023, 3’
The video documentation project addresses the everyday performance-meditation of saying “no”. Written in Russian, “no” has become a meaningful part of everyday thoughts about strength, opposition and non-compliance. The project started in spring 2022, as a metaphorical statement.
https://youtu.be/youQ5Cc0hmA
VIU – Films in Venice and Filming Venice
The fifth edition of the VIU Summer School on Films in Venice and Filming Venice, an initiative of Venice International University, in partnership with its member universities Ca’ Foscari, Iuav, Tel Aviv, Waseda, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, and Exeter was organized to coincide with the 80th International Venice Film Festival (online July 31 – August 1, 2023, and in person August 28 – September 6, 2023) and involved 20 students from all over the world.
The aim of the School is to combine film theory and practice, applying them to representations of Venice, through a multidisciplinary and multicultural approach, reflected both in the composition of the faculty and the student body.
Student participants
Short films
– A Nun’s Day Out (Esmé Fenick, Teresa Hunscheidt, Mariko Catherine Hynes, Jeffrey Lo, Shih Jane Saw, Rebecca Legnaro (tutor)), 3’49”
The short film captures a nun’s morning journey through Venice, initially depicting the dreamlike tranquillity as she encounters religious symbols. Despite her pensive demeanour, she embraces the beauty around her. After the crucial moment of stepping on the red plaque, her pace quickens. Walking through a forest, she enchants herself with a vibrant red apple, and the scene changes from dreamlike to vibrant. Her smile never fades as she observes graffiti and street grime. The journey ends in a painting of Jesus, where she prays, and then visits a communist bar. After taking a beer, she smiles and places the Bible next to the Communist Manifesto on the bookshelf, revealing a complex embrace of faith and secular engagement.
– La Pietra Rossa (Laura Cutello, Clara Löffler, Luna Ryckman, Anton Van der Velden, Wei Yi, Simone Bonfrisco (tutor)), 3’48”
For many centuries, a red stone has protected the residents of Corte Nova from the Black Death and cholera. But now a new plague is haunting Venice.
– Anna (Althea Araya, Nydia del Carmen, Yukinobu Ege, Allison Geyer, Emilie Vanhove, Flavio Brunelli (tutor)), 5’16”
In the bustling labyrinth of Venice, a woman grapples with internal and external chaos. Her reality takes a surreal turn when she encounters a mysterious doppelganger.
– Ekstasis (Bilge Erkent, Vanja Gruntar, David Maria Ondarza, Maks Stern, Ming Yi, Lili Viràg Szuhay-Murciano)
A Pickpocket dreams of a brighter future as he navigates the labyrinthine streets of Venice.
(https://www.univiu.org/study/summer-schools/films-in-venice-and-filming-venice)
