St. Moritz Art Film Festival debuts with Pasolini, Paci, and face-to-face encounters

The first edition of the St. Moritz Art Film Festival (SMAFF) took place from August 25 to 28, 2022, founded and directed by Stefano Rabolli Pansera. The festival opened with Pier Paolo Pasolini's 'La ricotta' at the Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, contrasting the poet's critique of consumerism with the luxury Alpine resort. SMAFF screened nearly 50 works across four categories under the theme 'Face to Face,' exploring encounters with the other. Screenings occurred simultaneously at the Badrutt’s Palace Hotel (for members paying €5,000 each) and the Reithalle, a former horse stable turned cinema, both just 13 minutes apart. The Best Film by an Artists Award went to Adrian Paci's 'La prova' (2019), a close-up of unemployed workers in Shkodër, Albania repeating 'prova.' Diego Marcon's 'The Parents’ Room' (2021) won The Love at First Sight Award, a pseudo-animation about a father's murder-suicide. Roman Hüben's 'Douglas Sirk: Hope As in Despair' (2022) won The Best Feature Film Award. Italian artists featured included Rä di Martino with 'Laughing Dice' (2022), Yuri Ancarani with 'Atlantide' (2021), and Eva and Franco Mattes presenting 'The Bots' (2021) about social media moderators. Julian Schnabel presented 'Before Night Falls' (1999). Rabolli Pansera announced the 2023 theme 'Becoming Landscape' and plans to expand to other Engadin towns like Sils Maria, Susch, and Pontresina, with a boutique festival model emphasizing philosophical research and community.