In the Belly of the City

A newsletter arrived from Torino sent by Stefilm, now the classic Italian documentary production company, once – when we were much younger – the company that was mentioned by everyone as the only one from Italy, that dared to go international in order to make films for the European market. I say ”we” because I have a lot of warm memories for almost a couple of decades, working/meeting with the two architects Elena Filippini and Stefano Tealdi, and the doctor Edoardo Fracchia. The three, who left what could have been decent careers, to enter unstable lives as documentary producers, directors and distributors. Now the trio stands behind a company with an impressive filmography that can be studied on their website, link below. Doing also distribution of films from other European countries in Italy as well as running training and workshops. The aim is to improve the documentary culture in Italy.

One thing was always on the agenda when we met in Bardonecchia for the Documentary in Europe or in Marseille for the Sunny Side of the Doc or in Torino for visits in the office or privately: Food. When Stefano Tealdi was president for the EDN, he often joked that EDN (European Documentary Network) also could stand for Eating and Dining Network… and right he was, having workshops in the South of Europe meant good food and wine. It still does. And coming from Piemonte the wine quality in these meetings had to be high, and now – after a couple of dark years for the club – you can also talk football, about Juventus, the champions.

Concluding: it is therefore only natural that Tealdi and his colleagues send out a newsletter advertising that Stefilm from monday 18th of February till friday 22nd of February ”takes you to the wonderful world of foodmarkets” on arte. The company has produced a tv series of one (television) hour documentaries shot in the bellies of Torino, Barcelona, Budapest, Vienna and Lyon. Before this series Stefilm has been studying and producing docs on coffee, tea, gelato, pizzas of course, pasta…

Bon Appetit!

http://www.stefilm.it/

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Tue Steen Müller
Tue Steen Müller

Müller, Tue Steen
Documentary Consultant and Critic, DENMARK

Worked with documentary films for more than 20 years at the Danish Film Board, as press officer, festival representative and film consultant/commissioner. Co-founder of Balticum Film and TV Festival, Filmkontakt Nord, Documentary of the EU and EDN (European Documentary Network).
Awards: 2004 the Danish Roos Prize for his contribution to the Danish and European documentary culture. 2006 an award for promoting Portuguese documentaries. 2014 he received the EDN Award “for an outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture”. 2016 The Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. 2019 a Big Stamp at the 15th edition of ZagrebDox. 2021 receipt of the highest state decoration, Order of the Three Stars, Fourth Class, for the significant contribution to the development and promotion of Latvian documentary cinema outside Latvia. In 2022 he received an honorary award at DocsBarcelona’s 25th edition having served as organizer and programmer since the start of the festival.
From 1996 until 2005 he was the first director of EDN (European Documentary Network). From 2006 a freelance consultant and teacher in workshops like Ex Oriente, DocsBarcelona, Archidoc, Documentary Campus, Storydoc, Baltic Sea Forum, Black Sea DocStories, Caucadoc, CinéDOC Tbilisi, Docudays Kiev, Dealing With the Past Sarajevo FF as well as programme consultant for the festivals Magnificent7 in Belgrade, DOCSBarcelona, Verzio Budapest, Message2Man in St. Petersburg and DOKLeipzig. Teaches at the Zelig Documentary School in Bolzano Italy.

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