Venice Film Festival 2021: the story of the 78th edition

The dream, the pure emotion, the imagination. Cinema returns to breathe deeply and the setting could only be the 78th edition of the Venice Film Festival, which has always been the natural stage for actors, actresses and directors from all over the world. The international exhibition took place from 1 to 11 September 2021, organized by the Venice Biennale and directed by Alberto Barbera.

A festival that has been able to hit the mark and hit the primary goal of cinema: arousing reflections, offering suggestions, enchanting. But also to create doubts, to open debates, to intrigue. The topics covered are varied: from war to the social consequences of an oppressed / oppressive state, from “female” films (focusing on the concept of motherhood and the experience of abortion) to films dealing with freedom, violence and family. In short, according to many, the Venice Film Festival 2021 was one of the best editions of recent years.

These are the prizes awarded by the jury, chaired by the Korean director and Oscar-winning screenwriter Bong Joon-ho. The Golden Lion went to gold in “L’Événement”, a French film directed by Audrey Diwan and based on the autobiographical novel by Annie Ernaux. Italy also had its moments of glory. “It was the Hand of God”, a film by Paolo Sorrentino, won the Grand Jury Prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Prize, awarded to the young emerging actor Filippo Scotti. Finally, “Il Buco” by Michelangelo Frammartino was also awarded, which took home the special prize of the jury.

As for the performers, the Volpi Cup for best female interpretation went to Penelope Cruz thanks to Pedro Almodovar’s “Madres Paralelas”, while Filipino John Arcilla received the award for best actor with the film “On the Jog : The Missing 8 “. Finally, a Silver Lion for Jane Campion for the direction of “The Power of The Dog”. To “The Lost Daughter”, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s debut feature, the award for best screenplay.

MOD4: new collaboration between Luisa Via Roma’s Fashion Game and LABA Firenze

The LABA of Florence has entered into a collaboration with MOD4, the fashion-game born in partnership with Luisa Via Roma, opening the doors to the possibility for Fashion Design students to see their garments alongside those of the most famous Luxury Brands.

A collaboration that aims to support innovation and young talents, the one born between MOD4 and the LABA of Florence which makes experimentation and innovation its educational mission. The LABA Fashion Design Course, lasting three years, provides its students with the most avant-garde tools to be able to learn the profession in all areas of fashion, offering the possibility to final year students to see the fashion shows. their collections on the catwalk in front of companies, sponsors and families, flanked and supported by important brands of the caliber of Dainese and Peuterey.

Just this year, to celebrate the first 20 years of the Florence Laba, the academy organized a series of events that culminated, on Friday 9 July, with a fashion show at the Istituto degli Innocenti in Florence.

The world, and especially that linked to Fashion Design, is constantly evolving and cutting-edge techniques are emerging in favor of a more sustainable environment, to drastically limit waste in terms of materials, time and money.

LABA transfers to its students a wealth of new knowledge and combines the traditional method with the more innovative 3D technique for product development, making them create totally digital outfits that they can see exhibited in the MOD4 catalog.

THE LABA LABISTROT OPENS AND THE NEW “LABA TALKS” FORMAT IS INAUGURATED

About 180 square meters of space, design furnishings and a bar with dining area service. LABistrot, the new creative terrace of the Laba in Florence, is officially open: a multifunctional environment – at the exclusive service of teachers and students – capable of hosting up to 80 people and which will also be able to host events and social occasions inside.

The project is part of an overall investment package, fielded by the Free Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, and which in the space of two years has made it possible to carry out a series of renovations and energy redevelopment for an amount exceeding one million EUR.

The name is significant: LABistrot, chosen by the subscribers themselves through a contest launched in recent months on social networks. “The terrace of the Laba is an additional service that we make available to our students – comments the director of the Laba in Florence, Domenico Cafasso -. Not only a refreshment point but also a precious hub for internal relations within the Academy: LABistrot can become the center for the development of new ideas and a space for active discussion on artistic disciplines “.

And precisely in this direction goes “Laba Talks”, the new format of the Laba of Florence that will inaugurate the new season of LABistrot. A series of live events on Facebook and Twitch to discuss the talent and future of the creative arts with personalities from the world of literature, food and wine culture and sport. Not simple interviews but open reflections on the meaning of making art, in a year in constant evolution.

The first special guest, Tuesday 9 March, at 6 pm, will be the chef Filippo Saporito, cooking master of the starred Florentine restaurant La Leggenda dei Frati, in Villa Bardini.

The leitmotif of the meeting, like the others, will be cinema: the chosen film will be commented on by the guest, who will have the opportunity to explore their own area of ​​expertise and analyze the film from a singular perspective. There will be anecdotes, funny personal experiences and memories of your life baggage. All accompanied by the informal atmosphere of the LABistrot, overlooking the city.

Interior Design Trends

Contemporary style devoted to minimalism, technologically advanced materials and green structures. Trends for the Interior Design sector 2021 focus on the harmonious coexistence of different elements with an attractive and rigorously personalized aesthetic result. The environments in which we live are the mirror of individual needs, attitudes and nuances: it is therefore essential to create tailor-made spaces.

The common basis for all 2021 trends is therefore minimalism, to which are added details and elements capable of making the environment unique. There are many possibilities to replicate in your home or in the workplace, in this year that has just opened. Let’s find out some of them.

Let’s start from floors and walls. Alongside the timeless whites and blacks and neutral colors we find dark colors (first of all, gray), capable of creating truly distinctive contrasts. Among the most popular shades, the colors of blue and green stand out, to be used sparingly. Full speed ahead also with direct prints on wall coverings that can revolutionize the DNA of a project.

Another direction that the sector is taking, with great awareness, is that of sustainability. Respect for the environment also applies to the furniture that cannot overlook this type of care. “Respect” and “recovery” are two watchwords that translate into eco-friendly prototypes starting from the production process.

Wood – a natural and insulating material – dominates unchallenged, as does aluminum, which is widely used especially in household items: it is recyclable, it does not oxidize or corrode. Bamboo, another natural element, also guarantees high performance in terms of resistance, lightness and economy. Finally, eco-sustainable fabrics.

Last chapter, the multipurpose rooms or the so-called “wildcard” spaces. The pandemic has made it increasingly evident the need to have environments that quickly adapt to DAD or smart working or areas of the house where a gym can be created for personal use: it is therefore necessary to rethink spaces in a chameleonic key. Thanks to multipurpose furniture and free-plan design schemes, everything can be moved and transformed. Just take advantage of every square meter.

Just Breathe – Temporary Shop of Gaia Gorelli

Nice work of the student Gaia Gorelli for the 3D Rendering exam of Prof. Niccolò Poggi of the Interior Design course.

The project, named Just Breathe, involves the design of a temporary shop within which lighting elements powered by alternative energy are displayed. The aim is to communicate a message: the product itself becomes a social and cultural initiative, raising awareness of the community towards environmental issues.

CHANGE:

– COGNITIVE

Promote, through greater knowledge of the problem and its possible solutions, the adoption of a specific behavior.

– BEHAVIORAL

Abandoning or changing harmful lifestyles in favor of healthier habits.

– OF VALUES

Induce to take concrete action within a specific period of time, encouraging certain choices.

– OF ACTION

Changing deeply rooted opinions on certain issues or situations.

The Just Breathe – Temporary Shop project is dedicated to this particular historical period in which the main topic of discussion is the difficult, and often conflicting, relationship between man and the environment. The modern economic system too often provides for the need to exploit resources, transforming the surrounding environment in an excessive way. In this exchange, a net imbalance is created within which man exploits the raw materials available in an irresponsible way, releasing gas, industrial waste, waste and pollutants into the ecosystem. The direct consequence of this imbalance has led to direct consequences on the planet such as global warming, pollution and climate change. Gaia Gorelli’s work implements a constructive critical approach to a precarious sustainability condition.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AS A SOLUTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

“Education for sustainable development today becomes a strategic objective for the present and the future of our country. The environmental challenge, linked to the conservation of our planet’s resources, represents a challenge that cannot be eluded for future generations. an era that imposes on the whole world, but in particular on Italy and Europe, choices radically different from those made in the past: far from the traditional production model, directed towards a new model of economy that respects the environment, oriented towards a society that does not produce waste but knows how to create wealth and well-being through the reuse and regeneration of resources. For this to happen, a profound change of mentality is necessary that involves institutions, companies and individuals. ” – Gaia Gorelli

HOME22 – VISUAL DIARY OF 30 YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHERS OF 22 YEARS OLD FORCE AT HOME

Home22 is an ongoing project developed by the third year photography students of the LABA of Florence and curated by Prof. Stefano Vigni.

Home22 is the visual diary of 30 young 22-year-old photographers forced at home during the second pandemic wave. Here they tell the environment in which they live and in which they are confined, the domestic environment, sometimes the family one, in other cases the apartment shared with fellow students, or the intimate and personal representation of one’s own vision of home that sometimes it must necessarily be reinterpreted.

People are called to elaborate photographic interpretations of various aspects and facets of what the home represents for them.

The project is long-term because to date there is no certain date, nor is it possible to identify the moment when this isolation will end. For this reason the photographic galleries associated with the young authors will be integrated and edited with new materials available.

On the “Flow” page you will find the most significant images that will be selected by the projects from time to time, connected to thoughts and texts that can integrate the vision as much as possible.