Earlier this month, the Venice Biennale Board of Directors, chaired by Davide Croff and consisting of Paolo Costa (vice president), Bruno della Ragione, Amerigo Restucci and Valerio Riva, met today for the first time after the Legislative Decree to reorganise the Biennale, changing it from a Cultural Society into a Foundation.

The Board of Directors examined and approved the general criteria that the persons nominated to carry out the programmes must aspire to, with particular reference to a consolidated experience in the specific sector and to manifest fame at a national and international level.

In order to guarantee continuity and stability for each of the Biennale's festivals, it was decided to confer long-term mandates to the artistic directors of the various sectors consistent with the length of the Board of Directors' mandate.

On the basis of such decisions, the Board of Directors have conferred the position of Director of the Venice Film Festival to Marco Müller for a period of four years, with the Board of Directors having the task of assessing his work at the end of the 61st Festival. It has confirmed Kurt W. Forster's position as Curator of the 9th International Architecture Exhibition; it has asked its Directors of the Dance Sector, Karole Armitage, the Music Sector, Giorgio Battistelli, and the Theatre Sector, Massimo Castri, to proceed with their schedules for 2004.
The Board of Directors would like to thank Moritz de Hadeln for his contribution in consolidating the international prestige of the Venice Film Festival.

The Board of Directors has undertaken a preliminary examination of some problems regarding the Biennale sites and the development of the area of the Venice Film Festival on the Venice Lido.