ABOUT
Acquamarina Productions was funded by video artist Paola Marino in the year 1997. Paola was born in Bologna (Italy) and would eventually study Film and Semiotics at the University of Bologna where she graduated summa cum laude in 1995 in Film Theory (among her professors, the eminent philosopher, linguist, and critic Umberto Eco, author of bestsellers such as "The Name of the Rose" and "Foucault's Pendulum"). In 1996 she moved to Toronto, Canada, where she started her career as a video producer. Beginning in 2007, she discovered her passion for Opera, an art form that she had almost totally ignored until that point. Since then, she has been experimenting with the combination of film and opera through video artworks inspired by multiple arias. Her award winning video artworks Cherubino, Carmen, Irene, and Dalila were officially selected in several international festivals. In 2012 she was the recipient of an Ontario Arts Council grant for the production of a documentary on Italian-Canadian social documentary photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo. In the same year she was nominated for the 2013 K.M. Hunter Artist Awards, among 8 artists from the Province of Ontario in the film and video category. Her recent interest in exploring North American Aboriginal dance and music led her to collaborate with Aboriginal artist Eddy Robinson directing and co-producing the short "Kinoomaage-Asin/Teaching Rock", which premiered at the Toronto imagineNative Film and Media Arts Festival 2013 and screened at The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum’s 13th Annual Native FilmFest 2014. In 2013 Paola started working on a documentary about life coach Teal Swan titled "Open Shadow: The Story of Teal Swan" which she would complete and release online in 2017. In the same year Paola produced and directed with Aboriginal artist Theola Ross "Twilight Dancers", a short documentary funded by CBC Short Docs. "Twilight Dancers" premiered in 2017 at The Catalina Film Festival (California, USA). Subsequently it had been officially selected by ImagineNative Film and Video Festival 2017 (Toronto, Canada), by Cinequest Film & VR Festival 2018 (California, USA), and by Athens International Film and Video Festival 2018 (Ohio, USA).
FILMOGRAPHY
TWILIGHT DANCERS
(Canada, 2017, 16min, HD - short documentary)
Official selection at The Catalina Film Festival - 2017 (California, USA).
Official selection at the ImagineNative Film and Media Arts Festival - 2017 (Toronto, Canada).
Official selection at Cinequest Film & VR Festival - 2018 (California, USA).
Official selection at the Athens International Film and Video Festival - 2018 (Ohio, USA).
OPEN SHADOW: THE STORY OF TEAL SWAN
(Canada/USA, 2017, 57 min, HD - documentary)
KINOOMAAGE-ASIN/TEACHING ROCK
(Canada, 2013, 5 min., HD – Music/Dance video)
Official selection at the imagineNative Film and Media Arts Festival - Toronto 2013
Official selection at The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum’s 13th Annual Native FilmFest 2014
DALILA
(Canada, 2013, 8 min., HD – Art video)
Official selection at the Chicago International Music & Movies Festival 2013
Official selection at the Contemporary Italian Film Festival in Toronto 2013
DESIRE: An Operatic Trilogy
(Cherubino – Carmen – Irene)
Official selection at Mississauga Celebration Square for Mississauga Culture Days
(September 28 to 30, 2012)
Official selection at ArtBox Montreal organized by the Yellow Fish Art Gallery
on Boul. St.Laurent/rue Guilbault Montreal (June 7 to 17, 2012)
WINNER of the Special Jury Award at the 2nd edition of the Short Film Festival "Ciak sul Fermano",
Altidona, Marche (Italy) (July 13, 2014)
MANIDOO (Spirit of the Forest)
(Canada, 2012, 3:49 min., HD – Music/Dance video)
Commissioned by Morningstar River, a company established in 2007 by Eddy Robinson -
an Anishinabe (Ojibway/Cree) and a member of the Crane clan - to fulfill the need from society for
Aboriginal cultural education and display of authentic culture.
Padiglione Italia in the World – Venice Biennale ’11: featuring works by
Italian-Canadian artists Tony Calzetta, Francesca Vivenza, Vincenzo Pietropaolo
(Canada, 5 min., 2011, HD – Short documentary commissioned by the
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage
on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy).
Exhibited at the Venice Biennale (June 4th – November 27th, 2011) in a multimedia
installation created by architect Benedetta Miralles Tagliabue.
IRENE
IRENE
(Canada/Italy 2010, 6:43 min., HD - Drama/Experimental)
Winner of Best Art Short at the Eugene International Film Festival 2011; official selection at the Park City Film Music Festival 2011; official selection at the Sciacca FilmFest 2011; official selection at the Chicago International Music & Movies Festival 2012
CARMEN
(Canada 2009, 4:39 min., HD - Drama/Experimental)
Winner of Best Art/Experimental Short at the Eugene International Film Festival 2010; Official selection at the Chicago International Music & Movies Festival 2010; official selection at Palm Springs International ShortFest 2010; official selection at the Nevada City FilmFestival 2010)
CHERUBINO
(Canada 2008, 4 min., HD - Drama/Experimental)
Winner of the Special Jury Award at CIMM Festival – Chicago International Music & Movies Festival
2009; official selection at the 7th Annual Female Eye Film Festival 2009;
official selection at the 4th Annual Delta International Film & Video Festival;
official selection at the 15th edition of NXNE 2009 - North by North East Music & Film Festival)
Claudia Cardinale in Los Angeles – July 26/28, 2005
(Los Angeles/Canada 2005, 60 min., MiniDV - documentary)
Tongue and Groove: A Portrait of Leon Rooke
(Canada 2004, 58 min., MiniDV - documentary)
GRAINS OF RICE
(Canada 2003, 13 min., MiniDV - Drama)
selected for screening at the 5th edition of the Toronto Italian Film Festival
IDENTITIES
(Canada 2000, 8 min., Super 8 B/W - Drama)
selected for the gala screening at the Hart House Film Club, University of Toronto – year 2000; selected for screening at the 3rd edition of the Toronto Italian Film Festival – year 2001.
Mimmo Paladino: The Italian Transavanguarde
(1998, 20 min., Hi8 video - Documentary)
Marino Marini: Sculpting Horses and Horsemen
(1998, 30 min., Hi8 video - Documentary)
SUN-DAY
(Canada 1998, 8 min., Super8 B/W - Drama)
Sandro Chia: The Italian Transavanguarde
(1997, 30 min. Hi8 video - Documentary)
Venetian Glass: 1920-`70
(Canada 1997, 20 min., Hi8 video - Documentary)
PUNTUALITA'
(Italy 1995/Canada 1996, 6 min., Super8 colour - Drama)