EVENTS & TALKS
THE RIGHT TO BE SEEN: AFRODESCENDANT WOMEN ARTISTS IN ITALY AND BEYOND NATIONAL BORDERS BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY, US
2024
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I was invited to give a paper on the work of women filmmakers of African descent at the Right to Be Seen Symposium held at Bucknell University, Pennsylvania. My paper titled Animating Cultural Identity: Short Animated Films by Women Filmmakers compared two animated shorts – My Mother’s Stew (UK, 2017) by British-Nigerian artist Sade Adeniran and Villa Madjo (Belgium, 2023) by French-Swiss Senegalese Elen Sylla Grollimund – and situated them in dialogue with In One Drop (Italy, 2023), by Italo-Sri Lankan filmmaker Valeria Weerasinghe.
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REFUGEE WEEK FILM SCREENING AND DISCUSSION AT KINGSTON SCHOOL OF ART, KINGSTON UNIVERSITY
2024
During Refugee Week, I organised an event in which we highlighted the extraordinary contributions of refugee women directors and journalists with migratory backgrounds, celebrating their art and stories. We welcomed Ukrainian filmmaker Olha Petruk, who presented her work within the context of her story of migration. Olha asked insightful questions to the refugee women who joined us online via Teams. We also screened We Depend on Each Other, a powerful short film by Zozan Yasar, an exiled Kurdish journalist and filmmaker. We celebrated the success of Bediah, whose documentary A Swing in Atayfiyah evocatively told the story of her experiences in Iraq and family heritage. Afghan journalist Rahel Saya, connecting from Italy, offered her personal insights into her experience as a refugee from Afghanistan, some of which are narrated in my recent documentary. Members of the community, Kingston University staff, BA, MA and PhD students joined in support of the refugee artists and journalists, making the event a true celebration of their fantastic achievements. The event concluded with cake, prosecco, and flowers.
MIGRANT VOICES IN CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN CINEMA, INTERDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCE
UNIVERSITY OF KENT
2024
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I presented my documentary film Our Italy / La nostra Italia. This short-documentary represents the journey of migration to Italy from the point of view of 23-year-old Afghan journalist and refugee Rahel Saya in conversation with Valentina Ippolito, an Italian-born migrant documentary filmmaker based in UK.
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DEVELOPMENTAL SEMINAR FOR JOURNALISTS: MIGRATION BETWEEN VOICES OF AUTHORS AND PROTAGONISTS / SEMINARIO DI AGGIORNAMENTO PER GIORNALISTE/I: MIGRAZIONE TRA VOCI AUTORIALI E PROTAGONISTE
TURIN, ITALY
2024
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I was invited to give a talk on Italian cinema of migration by the Literary Contest Mother Tongue: Stories of Migrant Women in Italy/ Concorso letterario nazionale Lingua Madre, Ufficio per la Pastorale dei Migranti and Rete GIULIA (Free United Female Journalists/ Giornaliste Unite Libere Autonome).
I focused my analysis on migrant women within a global cinematic context. My discussion further developed the chapter I published in the recent Migration Report (Caritas and Migrantes). My appeal for a more inclusive film industry was quoted by the journalists at the event as outlined below: The cinematic representation of female migration was discussed by Valentina Ippolito - online - who chose to present a series of films whose protagonists find themselves experiencing migratory displacement. Many works cited from Vesna goes fast (1996) by Carlo Mazzacurati to The Unknown (2006) by Giuseppe Tornatore, from Il resto della notte (2008) by Francesco Munzi to Mar Nero (2008) by Federico Bondi, and again Io sono Lì (2011) or Ibi (2017) by Andrea Segre. The hope – she commented – is to contribute to the construction of an Italy with open borders to artistic diversity and interethnic dialogue, an Italy that welcomes migrant people through paths of cultural and social integration. For this reason let's encourage Italian production companies to support migrant women in their creative journey, so that their voices become the voice of Italian migration cinema”. |
ROUND TABLE ON GENDER, MIGRATION, FOOD SECURITY, CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND FAIRTRADE
KINGSTON UNIVERSITY
2024
The event was organised by Dr Tânia Dias Fonseca, Strategic Academic Lead for Sustainability.
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The theme of this event was gender equality, migration, food security and other issues are strongly affected by climate change. In this conversation, we discussed the role of initiatives such as Athena Swan, Fairtrade, circular economy, and the film industry in mitigating and raising awareness of climate change impacts worldwide. I discussed the role of women filmmakers in representing climate change in contemporary cinema.
Speakers: How Athena Swan supports institutional change in intersectional issues in an ever changing HE context by Dr Ricarda Micallef
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KU COP 28 EVENT
KINGSTON UNIVERSITY
2023
Watch the films via the QR code and join the conversation on climate change.
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Under my supervision, my Year 1 and Year 2 students on (BA) Filmmaking at Kingston University produced a series of poetic films about Climate Change screened at the Town House on 5th December 2023 as part of a successful KU COP 28 event ‘Climate Change and Us’. I had the chance to present the film screening which was organised by Dr Tânia Dias Almeida Fonseca. This one-day filmmaking challenge encouraged film students to represent themes related to climate change, global warming, and the local and global environment.
The screening offered opportunities for interdisciplinary discussions about the ways in which Kingston University staff and students can co-operate to address the climate crisis at local and global levels. |
SUNFLOWERS FOR UKRAINE
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
2022
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I organised this event in collaboration with a group of students from the University of Bristol. We were joined by the Vice-Chair of Amnesty International (Bristol), Hannah Martin, to discuss the refugee crisis. Award-winning Ukrainian director Dzen Yevstigneykin, whom I met at Art Travel Festival in Ukraine, was also in attendance on Zoom from Ukraine.
Event info: Meet the University of Bristol students who have flown out to help Ukrainian refugees in Poland as featured on the BBC followed by an exclusive screening of Djakuyu (2017) - an award-winning Ukrainian film made by a Ukrainian director in attendance at the event. The event includes a discussion about the refugee crisis and meaningful ways to help. This urgent humanitarian event involves leading experts in the field and is supported by Amnesty International Bristol, Bristol Student Union, Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and Kharkiv International Festival of Arts and Travel. |
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
'MIGRANTI ALLA REGIA / MIGRANT FILMMAKERS' IN
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INTERVIEWS & BOOK REVIEW
INTERVIEW ON THE DIALOGICAL GAZE
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THE DIALOGICAL GAZE BOOK REVIEW
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INTERVIEW ON THE DIALOGICAL GAZE WITH PUBLISHER
2022
INTERVIEW THE LAST WARRIORS
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GRAND PRIX AWARD INTERVIEW THE LAST WARRIORS
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KHARKIV INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND TRAVEL, KHARKIV, 2019
FESTIVAL ENTRY: RED WIND
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THE DIALOGICAL GAZE BOOK PRESENTATIONS
MILAN CULTURE HALL
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Claudia Lazar (Visual Arts Manager at IRCRU Venice), Valentina Ippolito (author),
Francesco Saverio Marzaduri (film critic and Festival Organizer). |
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Further Information about the event is available here
BOOK LAUNCH, ROYAL PALACE OF NAPLES (Palazzo Reale di Napoli)
2021
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ACADEMIC TALKS
- ‘Romanian Migrants in Contemporary Italian Cinema of Migration’, Faculty of Arts, University of Bristol, March 2021. Invited speaker.
- ‘Karen Women’, Screen Research in Conversation, Faculty of Arts, University of Bristol, November 2020. Invited speaker.
- Violence against migrant prostitutes, an analysis of Vesna va veloce/ Vesna goes fast (1996) by Carlo Mazzacurati’, Representation in the arts of (in)visible violence against women and their resistance. Australasian Centre for Italian Studies (ACIS) Visual and Performing Arts Research Group. Adelaide, Australia, October 2019.
- ‘The Journey Through Imagination: Francesca’, The Xth Annual Graduate Conference in Italian Studies. University College Cork. Cork, Ireland, October 2019.
- ‘The photographic motherland in Il resto della notte/The rest of the night (2008) by Francesco Munzi’, Intersections, Art and Photography in Italian Cinema, Florence, May 2019.
- ‘Representing Romanian Migration in Contemporary Italian Documentary Films’, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Italian Graduate Conference. Los Angeles University. LA, USA, January 2016.
- ‘The urban space in Italian migration cinema: between reality of migration and the utopia of the Other in Cover-Boy: the last revolutionby filmmaker Carmine Amoroso’, Making and Unmaking the (New) Italian City: The (re)creation of the Urban Space in Literary and Filmic Texts. Canadian Society for Italian Studies, June 2015.
PEMBROKE COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
NEWS & EVENTS
VALENTINA IPPOLITO DEPUTY LEADER LOOKING CHINA PROJECT
2016
PEMBROKE FILM MASTERCLASS SERIES
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In 2014, I founded the Pembroke Masterclass Series. Description below:
The Pembroke Film Masterclass series brings together students, academics, film critics and film aficionados, to celebrate the art of cinema at Oxford University. Pembroke Masterclasses are the perfect platform for anyone with an interest in the art of filmmaking. The Film Masterclasses offer opportunities for Q&As with award winning Directors as well inspirational lectures on the work of leading filmmakers in the industry. The Masterclasses discuss new approaches to filmmaking on the theme of identity in cinema. The Masterclasses are sponsored by the Pembroke Annual Fund.
Oxford Talks
The Pembroke Film Masterclass series brings together students, academics, film critics and film aficionados, to celebrate the art of cinema at Oxford University. Pembroke Masterclasses are the perfect platform for anyone with an interest in the art of filmmaking. The Film Masterclasses offer opportunities for Q&As with award winning Directors as well inspirational lectures on the work of leading filmmakers in the industry. The Masterclasses discuss new approaches to filmmaking on the theme of identity in cinema. The Masterclasses are sponsored by the Pembroke Annual Fund.
Oxford Talks
An Evening with Amanda Nevill CBE
British Film Institute CEO
Further info available at this link |
A talk with Amanda Nevill was followed by a Q&A and a drinks reception. The evening was chaired by Valentina Ippolito, Founder of the Pembroke Film Masterclass Series. Amanda Nevill joined the BFI in 2003 and has led its complete transformation into a major organisation valued by the UK industry and recognised as influential internationally. Amanda’s great focus is on nurturing the next generation of filmmakers and audiences. Amanda pioneered the development of the VOD platform BFI Player, launched the BFI Film Academy and BFI Film Audience Network across the UK, transformed BFI Southbank into one of London’s coolest arts venues and ensured the BFI London Film Festival is one of the most significant film festivals in the world.
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Before the BFI, Amanda was Head of the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (National Media Museum) for nine years, also serving as one of the Executive Directors of the National Museum of Science & Industry. Before that she was CEO of the Royal Photographic Society. Amanda is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. She holds an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Bradford University, an Honorary Fellowship from Bradford College and an honorary degree of Doctor from the University of York in 2015. She was awarded a CBE in 2015.
Interview with Nick Broomfield
Further info available at this link |
This Masterclass discussed the making of Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014), HBO's documentary by award winning documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield and offers attendees the invaluable opportunity to network with one of the most highly regarded documentary filmmakers in the film industry. Film screening will be followed by Q&As with the Director. Tales of the Grim Sleeper investigates into the murders of serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr. in Los Angeles. Lonnie Franklin Jr was arrested in July 2010 after a 25 year killing spree in which it is thought he could have killed over a 100 victims, potentially making him the most prolific serial killer in history. Significantly his arrest was not the product of painstaking detective work but completely accidental, the result of a computer DNA match that linked him to a possible 20 victims. Franklin now awaits trial. Tales of the Grim Sleeper looks into how it was possible for all this to happen.
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The Time Is Now
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The Masterclass opened with a free screening of Dreamcatcher (2015), a highly-acclaimed Sundance 2014 prize-winning film by British filmmaker Kim Longinotto. Dreamcatcher takes us into a hidden world through the eyes of one of its survivors; Brenda Myers-Powell. A former teenage prostitute who worked the streets of Chicago, Brenda defied the odds to become a powerful advocate for change in her community. With warmth and humour, Brenda gives hope to those who have none. The screening was followed by a structured series of presentations with Mia Bays (Oscar-winning and twice BAFTA nominated creative producer and strategic lm thinker), award-winning director Lindy Heymann, Programme Director Jo Duncombe, and audience expert Peter Buckingham. The panel discussed themes relating to gender equality in film and the surrounding culture; audience participation followed by an open discussion. |
The Migrant’s Journey: Penalty 
Further info available at this link |
This term Pembroke Film Masterclass Series turned to the dreams and hardships of migration with an event featuring award-winning director Aldo Iuliano and David di Donatello award-winning editor Marco Spoletini, joining us to discuss their new film, Penalty. An exclusive prescreening at Oxford University of Penalty, directed by award-winning director Aldo Iuliano, shot by Golden Osella laureate Daniele Ciprì and edited by David di Donatello Award-winner Marco Spoletini, was preceded by a brief introduction to the cinema of migration by Professor Guido Bonsaver. The prescreening was followed by a talk with the film’s director and editor, and the screening of a making-of featurette, as well as a special message from the DoP, Ciprì. An open-format discussion with the artists concluded the masterclass.
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Character and Place in the Films of Marc Isaacs
Further info available at this link |
Since 2001 Marc Isaacs has made more than ten creative documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4. His films have won Grierson, Royal Television Society and BAFTA awards, as well as numerous international Film Festival prizes, including one from the Krakow Film Festival. The transient space is a prominent feature of the documentary films of Marc Isaacs. This masterclass looked at why the idea of transience is so crucial to Marc's working practice, and included clips from his films as well as a chance to ask questions. |