The fourth edition of Cinema Barch-in, Venice’s boat-in drive-in, featuring film, music, and aperitifs on the water at the Arsenale
Everything is ready for Cinema Barch-in, the boat-in film festival: Sunday, July 30, Monday, July 31, and from August 3 to 6, the evenings under the stars return to experience cinema and music on the water in the splendid setting of the Arsenale.
A free event created for the community by Nicola Scopelliti, Silvia Rasia, and Caterina Groli, who for the fourth edition have planned an exciting program of outdoor cinema and live music: six evenings organized by the FEMS du cinéma cultural association, in collaboration with the City of Venice and the Italian Navy, and with the support of Campari.
Islands and cities to save, mysterious planets and worlds to explore: films, documentaries, animation, and short films linked by the common thread Venice: Islands and Non-Places, which follows the traces of Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities on the centenary of his birth.
Barch-in is above all an occasion for conviviality and friendship, allowing one to rediscover the Venice that lives on the water and experiences water as a connection, a means of communication, and freedom.
All evenings begin at 7:30 PM with the Aperiporto, the time for music:
– Monday, July 31 Lorenzo Liuzzi Trio – Jazz music
– Thursday, August 3 and Friday, August 4 at the console Giallo Man
– Saturday, August 5 dj set by Dj Rich (Zion Cuts) x Fanjah
– Sunday, August 6 at 8:15 PM Stand-up comedy with Nicolò Falcone
What’s new in the fourth edition
Bringing films from such diverse genres and countries to such an important and precious historical setting helps us talk about the world and modernity in an environment that brings people together. Cinema, boats, music, and conviviality are powerful aggregators. We are happy and proud that Barch-in is considered one of the unmissable events of the summer.
Maria Parisi of FEMS du cinéma
It kicks off on Sunday, July 30 with the presentation of the short film Papageno by Lotte Reiniger (1935) and the festival’s opening film: Lo sguardo su Venice, which will be presented by director Simone Marcelli, lead actress Ottavia Piccolo, and scholar Carlo Montanaro. The evening is in collaboration with the Fabbrica del Vedere – Carlo Montanaro Archive.
Saturday, August 5 is the evening dedicated to families and animation. It features the beautiful animated film Treasure Planet and is produced with the VeneziaComix cultural association.
Sunday, August 6, before the festival’s closing film, in collaboration with the SKY platform, we will discover a Venetian project that is achieving great international success: La donna della Barena, the new short film by Venetian director Alessandro Russo filmed at Lio Piccolo in the Venice lagoon. The filming involved students from the Master in Fine Arts in Filmmaking at Ca’ Foscari Challenge School.
The film is written by Alessandro Russo with Margherita Sonego, who plays Anna, the protagonist. After the death of her fisherman grandfather, Anna returns to the places of her childhood. Immersed in the magical atmosphere of the Venetian lagoon, she rediscovers her relationship with nature and herself. Watch the trailer.
Among the artistic novelties of Barch-in: the participation of the CinemAmbiente Festival in Turin, which brings some titles from its editions to Barch-in, in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Master’s Degree in Environmental Humanities.
And among the gastronomic novelties is the Ape Pizza Pistacchio, a pizzeria on wheels with an integrated oven inside an Ape Cross: it will be possible to order dinner and drinks throughout the duration of the films thanks to the CocaiExpress app, the delivery service on motorboats with electric motors provided by Vento di Venezia.
For the evenings of July 31 and August 3, Edipo Re offers an experiential and gastronomic journey aboard the sailboat that hosted Pier Paolo Pasolini and Maria Callas, the Edipo Re, with a final landing at Cinema Barch-in. Dinner on board is prepared by Marco Bravetti together with the chefs of the TOCIA! Cuisine and Community collective.
To book a boat mooring or a seat on a boat, all information and any last-minute availability can be found on the website www.cinemabarchin.com and on the event’s social media channels.
To support the event, free donations can be made on the Eppela Crowdfunding website.
VENICE, ITALY - JULY 24: An organizer poses from behind with the event logos drawn on her shirt on July 24, 2021 in Venice, Italy. The summer of 2021 will see the second edition of Cinema Barch-in, a real aquatic drive-in, to which you land by boat to watch a movie comfortably on the water. (Photo by Stefano Mazzola/Awakening/Getty Images)
VENICE, ITALY - JULY 24: A view from the top of the Arsenale where Cinema Barch-in took place on July 24, 2021 in Venice, Italy. The summer of 2021 will see the second edition of Cinema Barch-in, a real aquatic drive-in, to which you land by boat to watch a movie comfortably on the water. (Photo by Stefano Mazzola/Awakening/Getty Images)
The screening program
Sunday, July 30
The festival opens on July 30 with an evening organized in collaboration with the Associazione Piazza San Marco and La Fabbrica del Vedere-Archivio Carlo Montanaro, which includes, after the on-stage musical entertainment by Radio Ca’ Foscari, the 1935 sound short film Papageno by Lotte Reiniger (1935), based on Mozart’s The Magic Flute, which will be introduced by Carlo Montanaro.
Following this, the documentary film Lo sguardo su Venezia by Simone Marcelli (2021) with the narration of actress Ottavia Piccolo, who will introduce it live together with the director.
It is the story from the Grand Tour to the Belle Époque, from the years of mass tourism to the unreal emptiness of Piazza San Marco during the days of lockdown and the pandemic: the city of the Serenissima has kept its beauty intact but has profoundly changed its essence.
To conclude the evening, the French short film Venise n’existe pas, the debut work of actress Ana Girardot, entirely filmed in Venice, will have its Italian premiere.
Monday, July 31
The evening is dedicated to independent cinema in collaboration with Quarta Parete & UDU (Union of Italian University Students). For the first time on the big screen in Venice, Aftersun, the 2023 Oscar-nominated film by Charlotte Wells, will be screened thanks to the support of MUBI.
After the Lorenzo Liuzzi Trio concert, the short film Ai bambini piace nascondersi will be screened at 9 PM, introduced by director Angela Norelli.
The film Aftersun by Charlotte Wells (2022) will be screened for the first time on the big screen in Venice thanks to the support of MUBI, the international platform for independent and auteur cinema that innovatively blends streaming with social networking.
Set in a Turkish resort, the film, awarded a BAFTA and nominated for a 2023 Oscar, deals with a complicated father-daughter relationship.
Thursday, August 3
Anote’s Ark is a 2018 Canadian documentary film (screened in English with Italian subtitles) directed by Matthieu Rytz.
Through the stories of its inhabitants, the film tells the impact of climate change on the island of Kiribati, one of the first nations on Earth at risk of disappearing submerged by water in the event of a sustained rise in sea level.
Friday, August 4
The usual “surprise film” formula returns, chosen with Cineclub Venice and revealed only a few minutes before the screening. Spoiler: we only know that the genre is Fantasy/Adventure.
Saturday, August 5
An appointment with flying ships, cyborg cooks, and alien pirates to explore space like the oceans: the animated film Treasure Planet, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, is inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous adventure book Treasure Island.
The film maintains the spirit of the adventure novel by mixing the pirate theme with that of space travel, from the deserted island to the discovery of new worlds in the universe. The evening is in collaboration with the Venezia Comix cultural association and Fumetteria Zazà.
Sunday, August 6
The festival closes with the series Christian by Stefano Lodovichi (2022), loosely inspired by the graphic novel Stigmate by Claudio Piersanti and Lorenzo Mattotti, broadcast directly from the SKY platform.
Photos of Barch-in, Cinzia Gabriele and Stefano Mazzola by Getty Images.
