Slow Food Relaunches CINE Project

Support Cinemas, Rebuild Social Relationships and Promote Environmental and Food Culture

Now that social venues are opening back up, we can finally restart the activities of the Cinema communities for Innovation, Networks and Environment (CINE) project, funded by the European Union, with the contribution of Fondazione CRC, and coordinated by Slow Food. In addition to the French MobilEvent , and the Croatian association Kinookus,  the other partners are the Associazione Cinemambiente , the Cinema Boaro in Ivrea (province of Turin), the Cinema Vittoria in Bra (province of Cuneo) and the City of Cherasco (province of Cuneo) in Italy.

This European initiative, with projects in both Croatia and Italy, was born to strengthen the value of film experiences in local communities. It promotes film in places where cinemas do not exist or are disappearing and highlights their ability to serve as venues for cultural and social aggregation, while sowing the seeds of environmental and food culture among younger generations. What makes CINE innovative is its desire to bring together film and activism, and entertainment and civic engagement. Slow Food aims to engage younger generations by introducing them to issues around the environment and food, getting them to participate directly in culinary-focused activities.

The project starts June 30 and will run until April 2022. In Croatia Slow Life, a course held from June 30 – July 2, will coach future trainers to engage young people towards cinema and films. On July 6 the official program kicks off in Sutivan, a town on the island of Brač. Seven events will be held in cinemas and five in small villages around Sutivan that will welcome people with screenings and tastings as well as opportunities to meet the film’s stars. The focus of these movies are small scale producers who, in their daily work, take care of nature and our food. Highlights include a film about an organic beekeeper, accompanied by a honey tasting; a documentary on biodynamic wine with the possibility of sipping the unique Pelješac Varenik, a highly concentrated grape syrup that is a Slow Food Presidium; or one showing the problems caused by plastic in our seas, explained by a marine biologist.

In Croatia the project is co-financed by the Municipality of Sutivan and the program is hosted at the Sutivan Summer Cinema which makes part of Kavanjin Mansion, a former vacation home of the famous Croatian poet Kavanjin that  will be completely renovated in the next few years. The CINE project in Croatia foresees the digitalisation of the Summer Cinema which will allow richer programs and wider collaborations with similar cultural hubs in Croatia and abroad.

Back to communities will be the focus of the Italian training, organised in Bra (CN)  from July 6 to 8. This program will officially launch during Cheese, the Slow Food event dedicated to raw milk products which will be held in Bra (CN) from September 17 to 20, and Cinemambiente Festival, from October 1 to 6 in Turin, with a preview during Cinemambiente Summer Festival in Val Chiusella (Piedmont) from August 4 to 8.

Why film?

Slow Food strongly believes in the capacity of cinema to forge a bond between viewers. Even in our current era of individual cultural consumption, as we sit in our living rooms with our screens connected to a boundless universe of online content, we crave personal and social connection and cinemas continue to play an important role as cultural aggregators, particularly in smaller communities. It is this awareness that has led to the launch of the CINE project, which focuses on supporting the function of cinemas as cultural reference points where common values and themes revolving around environmental protection, gastronomic heritage and the people working in the food industry can be discussed at both a local and a global level. In order to do this, Slow Food will be testing out a new kind of cinematic experience.

The program of screenings will be drawn up in collaboration with Cinemambiente and local cinemas, selecting primarily European films. But the project isn’t just about showing movies and documentaries; a series of complementary events—like tastings and debates involving local people working to promote environmental and gastronomic sustainability—will be organized alongside the screenings.

One of the project partners is MobilEvent, a competition founded in 2005 that challenges aspiring directors to produce a one-minute film on their phone. MobilEvent will provide tips to young people between the ages of 14 and 25 on how to use easily accessible devices, like smartphones, to make short films of high quality.

The Cinema communities for Innovation, Networks and Environment (CINE) project is funded by the European Union, with the contribution of Fondazione CRC, and coordinated by Slow Food. In addition to the French MobilEvent, and the Croatian association Kinookus, the other partners are the Associazione Cinemambiente, the Cinema Boaro in Ivrea (province of Turin), the Cinema Vittoria in Bra (province of Cuneo) and the City of Cherasco (province of Cuneo) in Italy.