TRIBUTE TO GIOVANNI MINERBA

Giovanni Minerba was born in Aradeo, 1951 (Lecce-Italy). He has been living in Torino since 1972. In '77 he meets there Ottavio Mai, his partner for fifteen years; he started his artistic career, leaving his former job at a butcher’s.

In 1982 they shoot the first video Dalla vita di Piero (Piero’s life), presented at the first Cinema Giovani Festival, then (24) Messaggio (Message), Io non sono come te (I’m not like you), Inficiati dal male (Tainted with evil), Partners, Il Fico del Regime (The cool and the Fascist régime) etc… They produced all these works by themselves and were awarded several prizes at various festivals.

In 1986, after taking part to lots of festivals to present their works, they found the Torino International GLBT Film Festival "Da Sodoma a Hollywood", and in the same year they begin to cooperate with Raitre realising some films such as Ritratto con musica (The Protrait with Music), Giovanni, Storie di una certa età (Stories set in a certain age), Teatrante, musicante e saltimbanco (Comedian, musician and acrobat). They produce by themselves also for other authors: Viaggio a Sodoma (A Journey to Sodoma) and Accoppiamenti non giudiziosi (Insensible Mating) by Tonino De Bernardi, Tarallucci e vino (Tarallucci and Wine) by Raffella De Vita etc…

In 1992 Ottavio Mai dies.

In 1994 he shoots the short film Orfeo, il giorno prima (Orpheus, the day before), inspired by Dialoghi con Leucò (Dialogues with Leucò) by Cesare Pavese, chosen for Venezia, Berlino, S. Francisco, Toronto, Barcelona, Tokio GLTB Film Festivals.

In 1996 he shoots in Israel the documentary L'Amore proibito dell'eroe (Hero’s forbidden love): it is the portrait of a young homosexual fighting for civil rights after his partner’s death, an colonel in the Israeli army.

In 2000 he directs for the TV the theatre performance "Che cos'é mai quest'amore" (What’s ever this love?) by Carlo di Maio, some homosexual priest’s confessions.

In 2001 he shoots with the writer Alessandro Golinelli "Lo schermo svelato" (The disclosed Screen) broadcasted by Tele+.

Giovanni is a member of the Foreign Consultants of The Barcelona International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. At the moment he is working on the project of a documentary about a gay friend and father of two young boys gay too; then, together with the current life partner Damiano Andresano, has rehabilitated an old Trullo, in the countryside of Salento (Lecce-Gallipoli), where among the olive trees in the summer, will set up a space to voice and vision for Arts and Artists "extreme" and in the center of Galatone (Lecce) an old building with a church in 1600, turned into a Bed & Breakfast "San Sebastiano".

In 2010 Giovanni celebrates the 25th anniversary of the festival "From Sodoma to Hollywood" (The Turin International GLBT Film Festival) which he is the founder and director. Festival specialized pioneer in Europe.
.