Over the last decade we have witnessed an incredible resurgence of interest in experimental cinema. A new generation of artists has emerged. Museums, cinematheques and festivals now have programmes and retrospectives of past and contemporary experimental films, and film and video installations are now part of the art gallery experience.

Today in Italy, events dedicated entirely to experimental cinema are rare. Over the last few years some festivals have integrated sections where experimental films and videos as well as time based art pieces are programmed, but the opportunity to have a whole festival devoted to the exploration of past and present-day practices in experimental cinema is quite unique.

“…A truly creative work of art creates a new reality and itself constitutes an experience, in contrast to the merely descriptive effort which produces an existent reality or adventure. This distinction is particularly relevant to cinema, for the physical similarity between the lens and the eye has led to the use of the camera largely as a recording instrument. But in a human being it is the creative intelligence behind the eye which confers meaning upon that which the eye registers.

The amount of attention paid to the moving images has actually increased over the past ten years, if that seems possible. This may be due to increased artistic production and the run of newly-created archives and databases. These latter are often ambiguous affairs, adding little to a clear understanding of the work or its historical and artistic context.