Diritto allo sguardo. Film di famiglia e patrimonio immateriale: il ‘caso' veneziano

The value of home movies in relation to the study and the safeguard of the intangible cultural heritage and the related right to cultural identity are at the heart of the study. The first two parts of the essay are aimed at defining the scope of the analysis from a perspective both historical and theoretical. The first part provides a historical account of the emergence of amateur and private technologies in filmmaking at the beginning of 20th century. The second part offers a survey of the theoretical reflections on the documentary value of home movies and on their capacity to arouse memories and build a sense of community. Based on these reflections, the great role that home movies, in their being ways of experiencing a space, more than representations of a space, can play in enhancing the intangible cultural heritage and safeguarding the right to cultural identity is discussed. On the one hand, this potential of home movies has already emerged in the activities of the Home Movies Archive in Bologna, and especially in the projects already developed in the cities of Bologna and Reggio Emilia; on the other hand, this potential remains almost unexplored in relation to the city of Venice. The analysis of home movies shot in Venice could show the city of Venice also as a habitat and an experienced city, making interact these ideas with the more stereotyped images of Venice as a stage city and tourist city.