For the Venice Film Festival, Grazia, the magazine edited by Silvia Grilli is available at the newsstand and on the app with a special issue for which the actor Stefano Accorsi is the guest editor. An extraordinary edition that celebrates the magic of the cinema as well as its behind the scenes, the stars and all the key players and professionals of an industry that is undergoing considerable transformation, which is extremely important for the cultural industry.

“Two and half years into the pandemic, movie theatres in Italy are unfortunately struggling as fewer people are going to the cinema, however cinema is very much alive thanks to the platforms and has amplified its most wonderful dimension: that of dreaming. Together with Stefano Accorsi, I invite you to read this issue and experience the unpredictability of a world where the magic can arrive at the last take, like the rainbow we photographed with him during the photo shoot for the cover page in Sicily”, said editor Silvia Grilli in her editorial.

“With Silvia, we tried to describe the behind the scenes of cinema today and how it is evolving for the future, placing special attention on environmental sustainability as well as the right amount of space to the merits and talents of women. I think that the contrast among persons, genders and origins keeps us continuously stimulated. If we proceed with a continuous effort, in a non-emergency situation, we should be able, with the support of the various categories, to make movie theatres attractive to the public again in a few years. It is one thing to watch a film on television, it is another to watch it all together at the cinema: laughing or crying together, sharing the emotions. After two years of the pandemic, we need to start sharing again. It is the cinemas, theatres and concerts that can start again to give us moments of great collective emotions”, stressed Stefano Accorsi in the editorial for this special edition of Grazia.

This issue includes an exclusive interview with Stefano Accorsi conducted by the editor Silvia Grilli, in which the actor talks about the passions of his unpredictable life, which is similar to a film where anything can happen, from his first auditions with a famous director to the months in Mississippi where his first film was shot, the exchange of romance and knowledge with the women he loved, his marriage with his wife Bianca and their extended family.

In the interview for the Venice Film Festival, Accorsi confides to Grazia about the emotions he cherishes the most:”I will always remember the first time. I was 20 years old. I arrived by train and took the ferry by myself and was overwhelmed by a sunset over the lagoon: a feeling of early autumn. This magical arrival, the full movie theatres, the continuous interviews, the memorable phrases of Pupi Avati”.

Accorsi also talked to Grazia about his years in France: “I learned a lot during those years. I had been successful in my country, but there I had to start all over and go to auditions”. During the interview, he added: “When you acted in films that were very successful and when for a period of time it does not happen again, when you are in a profession like acting, where you live for the desire to be seen by others, it is normal for this to make you anxious. I told myself: “You have to be patient, be proactive”. Being proactive does not automatically produce results, but since that time I have never stopped”.

The magnificence of the cinema is also recounted by some key figures of the industry, starting with Alberto Barbera, who was interviewed by Stefano Accorsi: the director of the Venice Film Festival talked to the guest editor of this extraordinary issue of Grazia about his overwhelming passion for the silver screen.

The issue The magnificent cinema! is enriched by contributions from important directors, such as Cristina Comencini, Daniele Luchetti, Matteo Rovere and Elisa Amoruso, and by interviews with actors such as Micaela Ramazzotti, Vittoria Puccini, as well as the Minister of Cultural and Environmental Heritage Dario Franceschini.

When browsing through the pages of this special edition, readers will also find an exclusive survey conducted by the Human Highway institute for Grazia that found that 7 Italians out of 10 go to the cinema much less than before, but would return if the silver screen would offer engaging special effects or if it would be possible to meet and listen to the actors themselves.

The issue also includes accounts from some of the most important women in the industry, inducing Nicole Morganti, head of Italian Originals for Prime Video. Morganti explained to Grazia why we need quality and stories that reflect us both on the small and the large screen, especially if they are written and filmed by more young women. Sonia Rovai, Head of Scripted Production Sky Italia, tells the magazine what she likes today about the new generation of viewers.

The issue also includes stories about the photographers, screenwriters and professionals that make each scene perfect: from the costume designers to the make up artists, experts able to transform actors into their roles and the coaches who prepare them to interpret more difficult roles as well as the entire film set crew.

A tribute to Venice

Venice, the fascinating and magical city that hosts the Film Festival, is described in this special issue also with the most exciting pictures taken by the photographers Graziano Arcici, Jacopo Salvi and Daniele Venturelli: these three great image professionals who have always immortalised the stars on the red carpet explain to Grazia the stunts they have pulled to capture the magic and quirks of the actors who walk the red carpet at the Lido every year.

A tribute to the lagoon is given by the Director of the Cineteca of Bologna and President of the Rome Film Fest, Gianluca Farinelli, who recalls together with Grazia how this city was often the location for many unforgettable films that have made film history, from films by Luchino Visconti to Woody Allen and 007.

The magazine celebrates Venice also through fashion and beauty, with a photo shoot at sunrise along the canals and an overview of the trending beauty looks.

Grazia Gazette

A year from its launch, the project Grazia Gazette, Venice Issue is continuing (www.grazia.it/gazette): Live updates from the Film Festival, interviews, events, in-depth information about many films and the most exclusive looks from the red carpet to explore next season’s fashion and beauty trends. Exclusive content and curiosities that can also be accessed using Grazia’s Instagram profile (@grazia_it), where the editor Silvia Grilli will talk live with Stefano Accorsi on 3 September.

The two partners of the initiative, Moet&Chandon and Lexus, have confirmed their presence at the Venice Film Festival with Grazia for the third consecutive year.