Venice to Honor Production Designer Paola Comencini with Campari Passion for Film Award

As a movie connoisseur who has traversed the silver screen for decades, I can confidently say that the Venice Film Festival honoring production designer Paola Comencini is truly a celebration of cinematic artistry at its finest. With her extensive background in architecture, set design, and costume design, she brings an unparalleled sensibility to her work, effortlessly highlighting the unique qualities of eras and characters across various genres and languages.


The Venice Film Festival will honor esteemed Italian production designer Paola Comencini by presenting her with the Campari Passion for Film Award. This award is given to individuals within the film industry who, alongside directors, play a vital role in achieving artistic excellence on the silver screen.

As a passionate cinephile, I’m thrilled to share my admiration for the extensive portfolio of production design work by Paola Comencini. This impressive collection includes Italy’s blockbuster “There’s Still Tomorrow,” masterfully directed by Paola Cortellesi, the trailblazing TV series “Romanzo Criminale,” and the poignant drama “Il tempo che ci vuole,” skillfully directed by her sister Francesca Comencini. This latter piece will gracefully debut out-of-competition at Venice Film Festival.

The Venice statement honors “Il tempo che ci vuole,” a film that was crafted by their father Luigi Comencini, the renowned Italian director who created the Academy Award-nominated Cinema Italiano classic “Bread, Love and Dreams” starring Gina Lollobrigida and Vittorio De Sica. This movie isn’t just a visually stunning piece of art but an emotionally powerful odyssey.

In her extensive professional journey as an architect, set designer, and costume designer, Paola Comencini has consistently showcased a unique understanding of capturing the essential characteristics of periods and personalities. She masterfully traverses various genres and linguistic boundaries with remarkable discipline and creativity, as noted by Venice’s artistic director Alberto Barbera in his statement.

“Her exceptional creative flair enables her to capture the essence of stories destined for the silver screen, while also enriching each character within both indoor and outdoor settings.” (Paraphrased version)

Past winners of the award have been Bob Murawski, an American film editor; Luca Bigazzi, a cinematographer from Italy; Terence Blanchard, an American jazz musician who composes; Marcus Rowland, a British production designer; Arianne Phillips, an American artist and costume designer based in the U.S.; and Tonino Zera, an Italian production designer.

The 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival will run Aug. 28-Sept. 7. 

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2024-08-07 13:16