The result of several months of fine-tuning work carried out by the Veneto Region, CSC and Veneto Film Commission is A program agreement was signed today between the Regional Councillor for Education, Elena Donazzan, and Marta Donzelli, president of the Fondazione Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (CSC), for the creation of a laboratory with training courses related to the Immersive Arts.
“The idea of creating a school dedicated to immersion in Veneto is proof that Veneto is a land of innovation, both technologically and in terms of languages and aesthetics – comments Jacopo Chessa, Director of the Veneto Film Commission – Furthermore, the Venice Film Festival hosts one of the most important showcases of XR works in the world, making the presence of CSC – Immersive Arts in the area even more strategic. A new and innovative project that we are sure will soon bear significant fruit.”.
“I am very happy to be able to announce here in Venice the project that we have been developing for the past 5 months with the Veneto Region and the Veneto Film Commission – declares the President of the Experimental Center of Cinematography Foundation Marta Donzelli- I thank Director Jacopo Chessa for establishing the connection with the Councillor for Education, Training, Employment and Equal Opportunities and the Councillor for Territory, Culture, Security and Sport of the Veneto Region.
This connection will give birth to the first training center in Italy and Europe dedicated to Immersive Arts. The Experimental Center, as its name suggests, has always focused on experimentation, and today experimentation means exploring the frontiers of cinema and audiovisual language. I believe it will be a very promising and interesting adventure for young people who want to explore audiovisual languages by acquiring the tools that new technologies provide us, tools that will undoubtedly influence the way we tell our stories.
The signing of the agreement took place as part of the activities currently underway at the Veneto Region-Veneto Film Commission Space set up at the Hotel Excelsior, the beating heart of the 79th Venice International Film Festival. The agreement stipulates that the Region will cover the costs of implementing the training project to the tune of €250,000, while the Veneto Film Commission, acting as an intermediary between the Region and the CSC, will analyze the needs of the Veneto region to better identify training and professional development initiatives.
“"This agreement effectively allows us to launch a true immersive arts school in Venice," reiterates Councillor Elena Donazzan. "We want to strengthen Venice's contemporary identity in cinema and project it into the future. This is in response to the significant and growing demand for professionalism that the film industry has long been experiencing. In particular, we have noted a demand for specialized profiles in video production using the most advanced new technologies. Businesses, communications companies, and television production companies, through the new and diverse distribution channels, represent a formidable field for development in a labor market that is still being explored. Professionalism through skills remains the guiding principle of the Veneto regional administration, which aims to effectively respond to the needs of the labor market and the economic world.
“This is an important moment,” he specified. Cristiano Corazzari, Veneto Regional Councillor for Culture, said: "We have succeeded in giving Veneto substance to an important initiative that will allow us to trigger virtuous paths. Venice and the Veneto region are the ideal breeding ground for productions, and we want to add the breeding ground of the most advanced professionals, which will allow us to best face the challenges that await us.".
The activities will be coordinated and monitored by a control room chaired by the Education and Training Directorate of the Veneto Region and composed of:
– two members identified by the Director of the Training and Education Directorate from among the regional staff,
– two members appointed by the Experimental Center of Cinematography Foundation
– a member appointed by the Veneto Film Commission Foundation.
In the short term, the launch of an initial pilot project in the form of a summer campus is under consideration, to be held in the summer of 2023 on the Island of San Servolo. Work will also be underway to launch the first two-year full-immersion courses, starting in September 2023, for small classroom groups of up to 12 participants.
