ROME - Sally Potter, British director of ‘The Party’, was presented the European Silver Ribbon award during an outdoor screening at Villa Wolkonsky in Rome where she was the guest of honour on Thursday.

 In the wonderful surroundings of the unique Villa Wolkonsky gardens, cinephile ambassador Jill Morris welcomed the British director in a magical Roman evening, where guests applauded award-winning Potter and watched ‘The Party’ on the big outdoor screen.

 The post-Brexit comedy ‘The Party’ (starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall, Patricia Clarkson and Bruno Ganz), was conceived as an idea in 2015 at the time of the British general election, and so the story “reflects the political and social crisis of that time, as well as the personal crises of many. When you write you have to put your ear to the ground and listen, to catch the rumbling that rises to the surface.”

 "The characters in the film are of the post-war generation, who grew up with the idealism of the 60s and the certainty of a better future, but who in the 21st century reality experiences the frustration of failed dreams and disillusionment.”

 Having personally voted against Brexit, Potter spoke at the screening about the worrying ideological motivations for the United Kingdom leaving Europe: “All over Europe we are convinced that we must close our borders to protect ourselves – and all because of the nostalgia for a past life that perhaps never really existed. A defensive attitude that I hope we will overcome. We must open ourselves and create bridges between cultures.”

 When a Corriere della Sera journalist asked her during the evening about how she felt about being the first female director to win the European Silver Ribbon award – the oldest film award in Europe - Potter said: "It's exciting, of course. But I hope that soon we get to the point where women and people of colour can be defined simply as 'directors' without an extra word before to label them differently. People never say 'male' director. I dream of having no adjectives.”

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