If you believe that to stop the Siena International Short Film Festival and Market is an absurd and unjust act, you may send a message to the mayor of Siena and to all the structures of the City involved in its organisation. Copy all of the following email addresses and send in your opinion: sindaco@comune.siena.it, asscultura@comune.siena.it , cultura@comune.siena.it, dircultura@comune.siena.it, museocivico@comune.siena.it, cultura_teatro@comune.siena.it, guglielmo.turbanti@comune.siena.it, cultura_sport@comune.siena.it, consiglio@comune.siena.it, festival@cortoitaliacinema.com Français | Italiano

[English translation from original italian] Comune di Siena Piazza Il Campo, 1 www.comune.siena.it Siena, 5 February 2009 Dear Sirs, Our determined commitment to the vitality and coherency of the Short Film Festival has led our Administration to intensively finance this project since 1997. And, over the years, the Festival has risen to a prominent position in the sector. This steady and committed support from us was also possible thanks to the generous human and financial resources available, guaranteed by a series of favourable circumstances and economic trends. In this regard, the financial cost represented by the important free-of-charge services and structures we have offered to the Festival must not be underestimated. This includes, for example, the Teatro Rozzi. As we witness each day the alarming signals of a growing economic crisis, we are also obliged to revise the conditions of our participation in the field of culture, in general, and specifically in the audiovisual and cinema sector. Thus, though we continue to recognize and appreciate the value of the Festival as a cultural event, we find ourselves unfortunately obliged to channel our available resources in other directions. To our regret, we therefore must advise that we shall not be allocating any funds to the Festival for the year 2009. It is our sincere hope, however, that the Short Film Festival may locate other sources for the necessary funding. If this were the case, we would be most happy to host the Festival in Siena, yet not without attentively considering the costs that nevertheless represent the free granting of structures and services. Sincerely yours, Maurizio Cenni Mayor