Everything is ready for "La Città Incantata 2018" in Bagnoregio

Sergio Staino, Peter Lord, Fusako Yasaki, and Francesca Ferrario are coming

With 50 guests from around the world, including animators, directors, screenwriters, designers, street artists, storyboarders, colorists, and graphic artists, with a special focus on women - both those who have made history and young talents - featuring prominent figures like Sergio Staino, Peter Lord, Fusako Yusaki, and Francesca Ferrario, "La Città Incantata 2018 - International Meeting of World-Saving Illustrators" will return to Civita di Bagnoregio on June 8th, 9th, and 10th. The event is promoted by the Lazio Region with the ABC Art Beauty Culture Project, in collaboration with the Municipality of Bagnoregio, Roma Lazio Film Commission, LAZIOcrea, and ATCL - Theatrical Association of the Lazio Municipalities.

Spread across squares, alleys, streets, houses, and private gardens open for the occasion, the meeting will begin on Friday, June 8th, at 5:00 PM and will conclude at 1:30 PM on Sunday, June 10th. It will consist of 72 hours of meetings, reviews, screenings, exhibitions, workshops, all open to the public. During this time, visitors will have the opportunity to actively engage with the guest illustrators of La Città Incantata.

For the fourth consecutive year, the unique setting of the UNESCO candidate town will once again become the capital of global animation. This well-established event will transform the suspended cloud of Civita di Bagnoregio into a realm inhabited by unique artists, who will narrate history, explore the present, and uncover new trends.

Directed by Luca Raffaelli, the International Meeting of World-Saving Illustrators 2018 will host, for the first time, a female retrospective where Fusako Yusaki, a Japanese designer, artist, and clay animation sculptor known for her work and as the creator of some beloved characters in Carosello, will be able to engage with the New Yorker Candy Kugel, a multi-award-winning author who will provide a sneak preview of her latest film "I Candy." Additionally, there will be the Italian Francesca Ferrario, a clay animator who has worked with Peter Lord and is a rising star in the Italian animation scene, and Marta Gennari with Giulia Martinelli, young animation authors from the Experimental Cinematography Center who won the European Animation Award with their graduation project "Merlot." Lucia Bulgheroni, who won the third prize for the best short film at the Cannes Film Festival with "Inanimate," will also be part of this journey through female production, from animation history to contemporary times, looking toward the future with new talents and promises.

Among the distinguished guests expected for the fourth International Meeting of World-Saving Illustrators 2018, Peter Lord, a British film director and producer, co-founder of Aardman Animations, renowned for both feature films and short films, especially those featuring the beloved characters Wallace & Gromit, will also be present. With three Oscar nominations, in 2013 for Best Animated Film with "The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!" and earlier in 1993 and 1997 for Best Animated Short Film with "Adam" and "Wat's Pig," Peter Lord is also the co-author, co-producer, and director of "Chicken Run" (2000), one of the most successful stop-motion films.

From the international scene to the Italian context, "La Città Incantata 2018 - International Meeting of World-Saving Illustrators," from June 8th to 10th, 2018, will also be an opportunity to celebrate and remember a great Italian journalist with a unique event dedicated to Ilaria Alpi, along with her colleague Maurizio Torrealta, Marco Rizzo, the screenwriter of the comic book "Ilaria Alpi: The Price of Truth," and Marco Giolo, the author of the animated film "Somalia 94." This showcases how animation and comics can narrate current events and shared memories.

Sergio Staino, an Italian cartoonist, caricaturist, and filmmaker, will also be one of the prominent figures during the three days in Civita di Bagnoregio. With "La matita oltre il buio" (The Pencil Beyond the Darkness), he will present a heartwarming story about how an artist who sees less can still continue to draw. Not just animation, "La Città Incantata 2018 - International Meeting of World-Saving Illustrators," for the first time in 2018, will also become a musical stage with the concert by Lillo and the Vagabonds and their "variety show" that combines music, dance, and humor.

During "La Città Incantata - International Meeting of World-Saving Illustrators," Roma Lazio Film Commission will organize "Meet my toon," an important opportunity for designers, animators, and cartoonists to meet animation companies. It will be a chance to showcase their work and future projects, present their professionalism, and showcase their creativity to industry professionals such as MAD, GRAPHILM, MUPI STUDIO, RAIBOW CGI, and LYNX in a unique setting.

Among the many guests appearing on June 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2018, are: Alberto Corradi, Alessandro Bilotta, Candy Kugel, Dario Moccia, Francesco Moriconi, Giancarlo Caracuzzo, Giuseppe Squillaci, Lorenzo Terranera, Luca Boschi, Lucia Biagi, Maicol&Mirco, Marco Corona, Marco Giolo, Marco Rizzo, Mauro Carraro, Michelangelo Fornaro, Pier Luigi Gaspa, Simona Binni, Squaz (Pasquale Todisco), Stefano Argentero, Stefano Disegni, Vincenzo Filosa, Virginio Vona, and many others.

Photos and press materials: Link to Google Drive