Venice, 10th December 2021 – A docufiction telling the history of Venice over its 1600 years. This year, the city is celebrating its mythical foundation in 421, and the Cers (Consorzio Europeo Rievocazioni Storiche – Consortium of Eurpoean Re-enactment) presents ten episodes divided into historical and thematic chapters, titled “Par Tera Par Mar: 1600 years of Venetian histories”.
The episodes are out-and-out mini-fictions, since their duration is 3 minutes each. Their objective is to remind people a history beyond the founding myth, by having its roots over centuries and in the motto “Par tera e par mar” (overland and by sea). These Venetian words underline the glory of Venice and of Saint Mark’s dominating lands and sea, beyond their capacity of being the melting pot of many cultures. About sixty historical re-enactors are the protagonists, accompanied by a voice-over telling all the aspects related to the history of Venice. The videos are in Italian with English subtitles and are concerned with many topics. One of them tells the birth of the city together with its complex dynamics and social aspects: for instance, the paleo from Veneto arrived to the lagoon from the mainland, travel and merchants from the Republic of the Serenissima, women who were protagonist of the Venetian history between the Middle Age and the Eighteenth Century, the Venetian judiciary, court ladies and gallants, the Carnival of Venice between history and myth, but also how Venice defeated the plague until the inevitable decline of the Republic.
“The project was born as a spin-off concerning the Carnival of Venice 2021. When we started to realise brief videos dedicated to Venice, we were already thinking of a possible promotional and celebratory use for its 1600 years – Massimo Andreoli sais, in charge of this project – then, new sets were added to the preceding shootings in order to tell relevant elements for us about the history of our city. This way, we told its origins, its main political characteristics, social and cultural aspects and, to sum up, the inevitable Republic’s downfall in 1797”.
These short films were shot in Venice (Palazzo Ducale, Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, Palazzo Pisani Moretta e Palazzo Bargarigo della Terrazza), in Mestre (Forte Gazzera) and in Bolovone (Parco Valli del Menago). From these 10 episodes, a medium-length film was born, which will be presented on Wednesday, December 15 at 18 at Al Colombo restaurant in Venice (entrance upon reservation, until subject to availability, just by sending an e-mail to segreteria@cersonweb.org).
Comune di Venezia
