The Canadian and Italian film communities descended on the Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) in Toronto on June 20 for the Industry Day portion of the Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF), which was highlighted by speeches from a pair of Academy Award winners.
As an applied research centre supporting Ontario’s screen industries, SIRT sits at the intersection between technological advancement and immersive storytelling. Both were large themes throughout the event that began with a welcome from Sheridan President and Vice Chancellor, Dr. Janet Morrison.
The program opened with a keynote address from composer Nicola Piovani, who won the Oscar in 1998 for Best Original Dramatic Score (“Life is Beautiful”), and another Academy Award winner was next to hit the stage, when Nick Vallelonga – writer and producer of “Green Book,” this year’s winner for Best Picture – spoke about the new storytelling.
SIRT Director David Dexter moderated a discussion titled “Art Meets Technology” with film director Marco Spagnoli, whose “7 Miracles” is the first feature length virtual reality film, and there were also a pair of panel talks on Italian-Canadian co-productions, and the blurred lines between TV and movie production.
In addition to the formal program, the event also featured technology installations in the areas of immersive spatial audio and 360 video, to highlight innovative trends seen across the world.
