Irene Dionisio is the new director of the Torino Gay & Lesbian Film Festival that will take place in Torino in June 2017, from 15 to 20

Irene Dionisio, young and talented director and visual artist, is the new director of the Torino Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. She’s been appointed a few days after the recent election, as President, of Giovanni Minerba.

This decision aims to further consolidate the role of the festival in national and international film scene. The dates of the festival have also been set: the TGLFF will take place in June 2017, from 15 to 20, in Torino, the city where it was born, at the Multiplex Cinema Massimo, the movie theatre of Museo Nazionale del Cinema - the national film museum.

The choice of Dionisio follows a long process of change activated by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, in terms of both continuity and enhancement, and it has the necessary institutional support of the Piedmont Region and the City of Torino. "This appointment is the result of a major team effort that saw us, the Piedmont Region, at the forefront to ensure the future of this event", said Antonella Parigi, Culture assessor of the Piedmont Region. "I am particularly glad that Irene Dionisio will direct the Tglff because I am sure that, together with the new president Giovanni Minerba, will bring her original point of view on reality within the festival."

Francesca Leon and Marco Alessandro Giusta, Culture and Equal Opportunities assessors of the City of Torino strongly believe in this process of renewal. “We believe that TGLFF is paramount among the many reasons that make Torino a cutting-edge city - both in culture and in safeguarding the rights of all people”, they said. “We're happy for the important work done with the Museo Nazionale del Cinema and the Piedmont Region to trigger a further strengthening of this excellence. We are even more pleased that a young and talented person like Irene Dionisio has agreed to direct the festival and that Giovanni Minerba, a key figure of the event for 32 years, has decided to take over the presidency. Both, along with a winning team, will surely bring the festival to new important and well-deserved milestones".

"The National Cinema Museum is glad for the appointment of Irene Dionisio as President of the TGLFF - emphasizes Paolo Damilano, President of Museo Nazionale del Cinema. She’s a young resource of Torino's cinema scene, already well known and internationally appreciated. Torino, thanks to the support of the Film Commission Torino Piemonte, gave her the opportunity to realize her first  film "Le ultime cose” (“The last things"), that was presented at the last Mostra del Cinema di Venezia. I wish her to  strengthen the cultural experience acquired by the Festival in over 30 years, working  side by side with other initiatives and events organized by the museum". 

Irene Dionisio, director and visual artist born in Turin in 1986, graduated in History of Philosophy. After her degree she joined the curatorial public art ensemble a.titolo, which currently produces her documentaries, and worked with the documentarist Daniele Segre and the director Alina Marazzi.

She has worked as director and author with many national and international production companies. Since 2010 she’s involved in social and cultural projects related to political issues such as integration and gender issues.

Her artistic production includes video installations and documentaries, such as Shores. In the safe northern sun (Sponde. Nel sicuro sole del nord, 2015) and The factory is full (La fabbrica è piena. Tragicommedia in otto atti, 2011) that were shown in many international festivals and received numerous awards including the Cariddi Prize, the Solinas Prize, the Scam Prize and the Jury Prize at the Cine Verité festival in Iran. Her videos have been shown at the Pac in Milan, at the Museo Berardo in Lisbon and at the MamBo in Bologna.

The last things (Le ultime cose) is her first feature film. It premiered at the Film Critics' Week of the Venice Film Festival and was distributed by Istituto Luce Cinecittà in autumn 2016.

"We will work for a festival focusing on LGBTQI, as it has always been. We also want to marry the extraordinary thirty-year tradition carefully nurtured by Giovanni Minerba – an extremely valuable political and cultural heritage - to new research trends tha can be found in the movie festivals all around Europe, and not only”, says the newly elected director Irene Dionisio. "The redesigned festival, networking with existing urban realities and Italian and international festivals, will engage in proposing and stimulating debate and experimentation on new cinematic trends, opening the process to the entire community".

The Turin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is administered since 2005 by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Torino and is held under the patronage of MiBACT - General Direction for Cinema,  Piedmont Region and City of Torino.