Competition and program of the third edition of the Urban Visions Film Festival

On November 24-27, 2022 City Space Architecture organized the third edition of the Film Festival Urban Visions in Bologna. This edition was designed in a hybrid format: all films were available on the dedicated streaming platform for free during the days of the Festival, just as in the first and second edition. Some screenings of non-competiting films and special sessions were also organized at City Space Architecture’s headquarters in Bologna, during the days of the festival and the week after (December 1-4, 2022). After the challenges and difficulties faced during the pandemic, this third edition of the festival sought to bring the local community back to a physical gathering space and to foster dialogues and cultural exchanges.

The aim of the Urban Visions film festival is to develop a field of research activities to facilitate a dialogue between urban theory, social complexity and film studies, and to raise awareness of some contemporary urban issues, emphasizing the relationship between individuals and the urban spaces they inhabit. In this context, a film becomes a tool to open new perspectives, to explore new theoretical paradigms and research methods, and to establish an effective understanding around urban humanities, especially in the urban settings in which the festival takes place.

Program

In response to the open call that was published on FilmFreeway in August 2021, targeting both young and experienced filmmakers, the third edition of the Festival City Space Architecture received 143 films from 28 countries (Figure 3.1). The A-Place competitions' selection, which was curated by Luisa Bravo (City Space Architecture), shortlisted the following films:

- 19 films, out of 34 works submitted to the theme “Migrants, refugees and displaced communities”, aimed at investigating the living conditions of migrants, refugees and displaced communities in cities, in Italy and elsewhere;

- 12 films out of 19 works submitted to the theme “Resilient Communities”, aimed at investigating the work of self-organized communities through creative and multidisciplinary placemaking initiatives.

The A-Place section of the third edition of Urban Visions film festival included the following activities:

- A special event to present the film out of competition “Terre Mutate” by Alessandro Marinelli, under the theme “Resilient Communities”

- A special event to present the non-competiting film “La città dentro” by the Zimmerfrei Collective

- Award ceremony and closing session (online)

In addition, there were screenings after the festival at City Space Architecture headquarters on December 1-4, 2022, with a selection of films out of competition from the two main A-Place themes.