Board member since 2021

Name of the candidate: Franco Belletti
Job title: Administrative Director
Age: 59
Gender: Male
Citizenship/origin: Italy
Artistic/geographical experience: /

Name of the organisation / festival: Ravenna Festival
Membership category: Individual
Country of the organisation / festival: Italy
Festival art disciplines: Music, dance, drama and others
Annual turnover: €5.000.000
Number of visitors per edition: 40.000

Motivation: Three years ago a friend of mine suggested to me to apply for the Board membership of EFA. It was a good suggestion and an extraordinary experience: in these difficult years (pandemics and a war in Europe) in the Board I found a group of friends and colleagues of higher experience and great sensitivity. And I wish to thanks all of them: the president Jan Briers, the vice presidents Filiz Sarper and Paul Dujardin, the other board members, the General Secretary Kathrin Deventer and all the EFA staff.

Some projects were confirmed (I’d like to mention The Festival Academy for the strong impact on new generations of festival makers), some were realised for the first time (EFFEA, a wonderful project that involves many collective members to support emerging artists under the wings of European festivals). Some urgent topics were brought to the attention of all members, one above all: environmental sustainability (and EFA has been recently selected as a partner of the EU Climate Pact).
Today it’s more and more important to be a festival-maker. The festivals sector is the weakest and at the same time the most dynamic one in the performing arts. Festivals are able to break walls, to speak to a multitude of audiences and to help new generations of artists to create their work.
And there’s more to do: we need to work for a more open, more inclusive and stronger community of art festivals.
That’s why with the same spirit and the same humility I propose my candidature for the Board in order to help our association for the next term.

Bio Franco Belletti
Born on 27 June 1964, in Cervia (Italy) where he still lives.
Since the late ‘80s, he worked as a fundraiser, manager, producer, and trainer in the field of the performing arts festivals.
Responsible of Admistrative Office of the Fondazione Ravenna Manifestazioni, managing body of the Ravenna Festival and Teatro Dante Alighieri.
Consultant for European programmes and Public Funding for the Fondazione Orchestra Giovanile “Luigi Cherubini”.
Vice-president of Italiafestival/Agis, the association that gathers the most important performing arts festivals in Italy.
President of “Consorzio Digitalia”, a consortium that works in the field of high quality audio and video shooting and broadcasting for the performing arts.
Current Board Member of the European Festivals Association.