J
M
Born in the
thick fog of the Po Valley, he studied Film Direction at the European Institute
of Design, where he is now lecturer in Video Strategy. In 2020, he was
selected as one of the European talents at BDC Discoveries (Balcan Docu
Center). His work has been premiered at national and international film
festivals and events, including: Ji.Hlava IDFF, Astra Film Festival AFF, 70
Trento Film Festival, ZagrebDox Pro, Cinemambiente, Lift-Off Global, IDFA
Market. Among
others, he collaborates with National
Geographic, Sky, and Canon Italia. Today, he lives in Piedmont’s countrysidme
with his partner and their two children, working on his second feature
film.
AQUARELA STUDIO
aquarelastudio.com
splash@aquarelastudio.com
Imdb
Vimeo
info@jacopomarzi.com
JACOPO MARZI
DOCUMENTARY
FILM DIRECTOR
50”
2024
The sturgeon is a species that has inhabited the Po River for over 200 million years. It is a migratory fish that swims upstream to spawn. Unfortunately, today its survival is threatened due to pollution caused by extensive human activity and the construction of a dam that has disrupted the river's nat-ural flow. The few remaining specimens are kept alive in long artificial basins submerged in the for-est. In this environment, they are bred and can live far from any danger, in clear and tranquil water. They await adulthood and being released into the dark and murky waters of the river, at the mercy of their destiny. The largest hydroelectric power station in Italy, with its imposing dams, has interrupted the natural flow of the river, hindering the mobility of fish, including the sturgeon. These fish have no longer found safe places to release their eggs. However, today there is a new hope thanks to the construc-tion of a fish ladder that restores the river's continuity. The monitoring room is located below the dam's level, and through a large porthole, you can see the water flowing rapidly again, in the hope that at least one sturgeon can pass through. "VIVI" is a clear example of short-sighted policies leading to the extinction of an ancient species. It tells the collective story of young researchers and volunteers dedicated to safeguarding life, habitat, and culture that are part of their territory. It contrasts the physicality of a wall that obstructs and di-vides with the apparently fragile but resilient nature. It does so through the eyes of the sturgeon, depicting the challenges it must overcome in a corrupted habitat. It's a symphony of water, nature, and small actions that change the world.
CREDITS
Direction, cinematography, sound / Jacopo Marzi
Supervising Editor / Emiliano Battista
Sound Design, mix by / Lorenzo Sattin
Music Composer / Tommaso Bullo / Groundkeeper Studios
AD, drone, operator / Lapo Pecchioli
Macro Cinematography / Davide Bertuccio
Colorist & Visual Effects / Gino Liegi
Grip / Kilian Agath
In collaboration with / Autorità di Bacino Distrettuale del Fiume Po, Parco del Ticino, Università degli Studi di Parma.
Production / Aquarela Studio
FESTIVAL
2024
To be announced.
2024
To be announced.
TWO HEADED MOUNTAIN
7”
2022
The Matterhorn is among the highest mountains in the Alps. It overlooks Breuil-Cervinia village in Italy and Zermatt in Switzerland, two well-known tourist destinations. The cities, divided by the mountains, have always been connected by winter sports enthusiasts and professionals. In 2020, the Covid19 pandemic broke the balance. In Switzerland, the new rules of access to the facilities have not prevented people from experiencing the mountains. In Italy, the total closure has annulled tourism, causing a loss of about 7 million euros, according to Cervino Spa. A new paradoxical normalcy, symbolizing a human condition of inner conflict, which in times of difficulty shows itself more clearly. In the Swiss part, tourists adapt to new behaviors with daily habits. In the Italian part, instead, deprived of the human element, the pylons, the Christmas lights, and the ski lifts become natural objects; snowcats, iron giants lost in time, working for months for no one, with a wandering melancholy.
CREDITS
Direction, cinematography, sound / Jacopo Marzi
Co-Cinematographer / Davide Bertuccio
Sound Design by / Lorenzo Sattin
Drone Operator / Lapo Pecchioli
Colorist & Visual Effects / Gino Liegi
In collaboration with / National Geographic
Production / JM Films (IT)
Natgeo Producer / Maura Friedman
Cervino SPA Team Head / Daniele Herin
Zermatt Bergbahnen SA Team Head / Mathias Imoberdorf
Production Assistant / Annalaura Cattelan
FESTIVAL
2023
Verona Mountain Film Festival Verona, Italy.
17° OFF Orobie Film Fesival Lombardia, Italy.
2022
25° Cinemambiente Torino, Italy.
70° Trento Film Festival Trento, Italy.
Festival del Cinema Europeo Lecce, Italy.
25° Cervino CineMountain Aosta, Italy.
Mountain International Swiss Mountain Film Festival Lugano, Switzerland
Nuovi Mondi Film Festival Cuneo, Italy.
Sestriere Film Festival Sestriere, Italy.
2023
Verona Mountain Film Festival Verona, Italy.
17° OFF Orobie Film Fesival Lombardia, Italy.
2022
25° Cinemambiente Torino, Italy.
70° Trento Film Festival Trento, Italy.
Festival del Cinema Europeo Lecce, Italy.
25° Cervino CineMountain Aosta, Italy.
Mountain International Swiss Mountain Film Festival Lugano, Switzerland
Nuovi Mondi Film Festival Cuneo, Italy.
Sestriere Film Festival Sestriere, Italy.
OVER THE FOREST
8”
2022
Fonkpame. South Benin. In a world where the beginning and the end travel on the same track, death is something to be kept close to, not to be afraid of, part of life itself. So much so as not to die when you die, but to become a spirit. Twins, perfect and sacred, are special beings as are the mothers who conceive them. They live and are cared for forever among the people of the village, first in the form of flesh and blood, then in the form of wood. Statuettes that welcome the spirit of the dead twin and keep him alive. For this reason, Hortence and the Voodoo mothers look after, treat and respect them as if they were alive: washing, feeding and dressing them.
Benin is the cradle of Voodoo, it was born here and has been recognized as an official religion. Hortence follows its dictates. She had three twin births so she is a divinity in her village. Four twins died and live in the form of statues, two remained alive. Chancelle and Chancelline walk through the forest every morning to reach the school. Here they attend courses in French, mathematics, geography. The tools to learn a job, to build a future and push themselves towards change. Unaware of the strength of their gesture, they face a society where becoming an adult is a privilege. Where only the chosen ones can cross the forest to reach an often denied future.
CREDITS
Direction, cinematography, sound / Jacopo Marzi
Co-cinematographer / Davide Bertuccio
Sound design / Lorenzo Sattin
Music/Djembe / Serigne Maguette
Production / We World Onlus, JM Films
Supported by / Canon
FESTIVAL
2022
Ji.hlava IDFF Jihlava, Czech Republic.
31° FESCAAAL Festival Cinema Africano Asia America Latina Milano, Italy.
2022
Ji.hlava IDFF Jihlava, Czech Republic.
31° FESCAAAL Festival Cinema Africano Asia America Latina Milano, Italy.
HYMN FROM THE HIVE
84”
2022
A house. A shelter. A man is he last one left in the homeland. A woman returns to her community every year. The daughters and husband who have lost all traditions. A rapper who raps in the old language. In 1990 Susanna marries Udo. Their wedding is the last one celebrated between two Saxons in their village. After that the couple emigrated like half a million of Transylvanian Saxons. After 30 years in Germany the relationship between Susi and Udo has gone stale and they haven’t taught their native language to their daughters that feel just German. Georg on the other hand is proud of his identity. He hopes with his rap to spread the young generations about the heritage to make them proud of being a Saxon. This is the choral story of a family who is learning to change in order not to disappear.
CREDITS
Direction, cinematography, sound / Jacopo Marzi
Co-cinematograper / Davide Bertuccio
Producer / Elena Santamaria
Production Company / OxyGene Film Productions LTD (UK), JM Films (IT)
Sound Designer / Lorenzo Sattin
Colorist / Davide Pini
Supervising editor / Emiliano Battista
Executive Producer / John Dodds
FESTIVAL
2022
41st NAFA International etnographic film festival Transylvania, Romania
Lift-Off Global Network Berlin, Germany
2021
Astra Film Festival Sibiu, Romania
2020
Bdc Discoveries Sofia, Bulgaria
2019
Astra Film Lab Winner of the Post-Production Award Sibiu, Romania
ZagrebDox Pro Zagreb, Croatia
2022
41st NAFA International etnographic film festival Transylvania, Romania
Lift-Off Global Network Berlin, Germany
2021
Astra Film Festival Sibiu, Romania
2020
Bdc Discoveries Sofia, Bulgaria
2019
Astra Film Lab Winner of the Post-Production Award Sibiu, Romania
ZagrebDox Pro Zagreb, Croatia
~
extra
THE STAR OF BOÖTES
photo project
The Star of Boötes is a long-term project set in the houses that my family lives in, the place where most of all people experience loneliness, reflecting a childless society.
Remnants of life where time is dilated and reduced at the same time, faces change, houses change, emotions are transformed, perception changes. Like fetuses in the womb, they feel and are connected to their surroundings, but the outside is only a distant echo. – a state of meta-pregnancy. The search for a new perception, to find in this solitude our vital drive.
JACOPO MARZI
©
LAST EDIT: 05/09/2023