A Quiet scene in Los Angeles

 The art of AFAN Alessandro Fantini comes back to Los Angeles for the ENO brothers

I'm proud to announce that my art video "Verdigris", filmed for the Brian&Roger Eno's "Mixing Colours" project, will be part of the public multimedia installation "A quiet scene" that will be exhibited on the Jerry Moss Plaza at the Los Angeles Music Center from January 22 to February 21, 202 in collaboration with the no-profit radio Dublab.

My own contribution aims at translating into a "living painting" staged in front the Sangro Valley's twilight, the pensive state of mind conjured by the Eno brothers music during the first "lockdown" period.

"One of the qualities of art is that it allows a diving board from which to jump into one's own interior. It's a means of communication that encourages the whispers of personal interpretation. The pleasure of looking at these films is noticing how each one draws out something different from the music it accompanies. We hope you enjoy the dive." - Roger and Brian Eno

https://www.musiccenter.org/tmc-offstage/mixing-colours/

A living tree means a living planet

 

 "A living tree means a living planet" is a collective international documentary conceived and directed by Khalid Mokadmine, a young filmmaker from Rabat. In April he reached me out online inviting me to contribute with a one minute video to his ongoing project about the relationship between humans and trees.

He had already invited several filmmakers from all over the world, each one representing a different country by telling a different visual story, and he still wasn't able to find a director from Italy available to shoot his own segment. As soon as he discovered I'm also a painter, he proposed me to figure out a way to feature one of my painting in my video. Trees have provided humans with the primary means of survival, therefore I thought it was essential to show how they can still be a precious "motherly" source of life for my own creations and (hopefully) the spirit of the humans inhabiting my country.

DRAW IN at THE SELVA NERA FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL 2019

 

 

For the third consecutive year, one of my cinematographic works has been selected by the Selva Nera Film Festival of Padua. After "EDOnism" and "Malorda" it's the turn of "Draw in", a rural psycho-thriller I've filmed at the end of last summer as one of my "multimedianic" indie productions, in competition in the shorts section. A few weeks ago, near the same location, representing Italy, I also shot the segment of an international collective documentary film conceived and edited by a young filmmaker from Rabat that will be unveiled within September. A proof that even in the most remote corner of the deep countryside it's impossible to escape from the manifold depths of Self.

 

DRAW IN

    

DRAW IN (2018)

It will draw you in if you will draw it

Sometime the rugged countryside isn't the ideal place where isolating yourself from the world (surely not from all the other worlds).

 Directed, written, performed, edited and produced by AFAN Alessandro Fantini.

 Music, sound effects and cinematography by AFAN Alessandro Fantini. 

AFAN PICTURES 2018

TIRANTI TRANSIT

TIRANTI TRANSIT



Tiranti Transit by Alessandro Fantini from AFan Alessandro Fantini on Vimeo.

 The following is an interesting review of one my early short movies shot in DV provided some years ago by the american director and writer Patrick Meaney

Tiranti Transit is a short film by Italian director, Alessandro Fantini. It was interesting approaching this film because I can see so much of my own work in the film, both the triumphs and the failures.

The film's in Italian, and I didn't have access to the English dialogue, but I think it's so well made that you don't even need to understand the dialogue. The primary concern is building a mood, and what lingers with me after viewing the film is not the story, it's more this feeling of melancholy and warmth. In that respect, it's a very prototypical European art film. I haven't seen that much of his work, but it's reminiscent of Antonioni, with a decentralized narrative and a focus on aesthetic qualities.

I think that's what makes cinema so powerful, a Wong Kar-Wai film wouldn't work in any other medium because it's not solely about the story, or solely about the aesthetics, it's about the fusion of music and visual to create a singular feeling. The score in this film is fantastic, moody and Blade Runneresque, it's a large part of why the short works as well as it does.

The best moments in the film are at the end. There's a fantastic shot where the woman opens a door inside and there's a cut to a wide open road, which we then see her standing on. It's a great moment of surreal cutting, using editing to make a transition that's not possible in reality. This leads up to the really nice ending of the film.

My big issue with the film, something that's true of a lot of low budget, digital works, is that some shots just feel like home video, and that takes you out of the story. It's the biggest concern in working with digital, I absolutely love DV and would gladly shoot it over film, but it means that you need to better, to ensure that each shot has the care you would spend for a filmbased take. Even David Lynch had some really sloppily composed shots in Inland Empire, it's tough to nail every shot and a few here just didn't quite work. But, it didn't fully take me out of the story's mood, and I was able to quickly shift back in and reengage with the story. Maybe some color correction would resolve that issue, or more likely, just a higher end camera.

The other thing I wasn't sure about was the zooms. Some of them were great, but some felt a bit arbitrary. Some filmmakers use the zoom lens in great ways, most notably Robert Altman. I feel like with the zoom you either have to be really slow, or really fast. If you use the default camera speed, it can feel rote. But, I'm not sure if I'm reacting that way just because I know about cameras and can see how it worked. However, I'm still glad that he tried it, because some of those zooms made for great moment.

I'd rather watch a film like this than a polished Hollywood movie that doesn't have any energy in the shooting. I'd rather have a few shots that don't quite make it if it means having some of the fantastic compositions that appear throughout the film. As I've said many times before, I'd rather see a film that aims high and doesn't quite make it than something that has no ambition and nails it. So, the flaws of this film don't mean that it's not a great viewing. This film is a world you can slip into, and I really enjoyed my time there. And, the ending had a primal power that I found very affecting and well done.

If you want to view the film, it's on line here, and there's more information on Alessandro, including some fantastic art, right here. at his site.

Movies4movies

 

Alessandro Fantini directed the mystery movie "New York, a venture" (the third chapter of his "The Hidden Cities Mind trilogy") between New Jersey and Manhattan during the summer of 2014 so it's quite meaningful and riveting that it will be premiered close to its locations at the Dobbs Ferry public library, 21.6 miles away from the Bryant park library and 17.0 miles away from The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Don't miss the opportunity to watch it for the first time on the big screen of the first edition of "Movies4movies" film festival.

 

"New York, a venture" will screen at the Dobbs Ferry public library on February 25 at 11:30 after the short-movie The Tell-Tale Heart – Sisters by Christine Parker.

 

Movies4movies is a film festival founded by filmmaker Natalie Sena Murray committed to providing opportunities for filmmakers to show their work and to supporting independent film by providing grants to filmmakers. The first installment of movies4movies will be held on Saturday, February 25 at the Dobbs Ferry Public Library. This one day festival will feature programming that includes feature films, short films, and documentaries as well as networking opportunities.

More info on

https://senastudiosny.com/program-february-25

https://www.facebook.com/newyorkaventure