Lights! Camera! Impact! From moving pictures to moving ideas and action

Friday 1 September from 5pm
The Home of The Human Safety Net, St. Mark’s Square, Venice

Lights! Camera! Impact! From moving pictures to moving ideas and action is an exploration and celebration of cinema that puts creativity at the service of social issues. Hosted by The Human Safety Net, this groundbreaking gathering of filmmakers and other pioneers of impactful storytelling will take place on the occasion of the 80th Venice International Film Festival, on Friday 1 September, from 5pm.

“Lights! Camera! Impact" will showcase exclusive previews of powerful films which address and social justice and inclusion. These important themes are at the heart of the mission of The Human Safety Net Foundation.

Gabriele Galateri di Genola, Chairman of The Human Safety Net commented: 'We are delighted to promote a dialogue that sees the crucial issue of integration intertwined with the different narratives that are drawn from it in the media. In particular, the power of cinematic representation can help us to look differently at the voices and experiences of people seeking a future elsewhere. The mission of The Human Safety Net is to provide concrete support to those who intend to build an entrepreneurial pathway or get professional skills to get a job position to contribute to their inclusion in the local economy”.

At “Lights! Camera! Impact" The Human Safety Net is gathering dynamic voices from entertainment, philanthropy, and human rights advocacy. It is partnering to do this with Think-Film Impact Production, an impact media company who are launching the inaugural Collateral Impact Award at the 80th Venice International Film Festival this year; and Vital Voices Global Partnership, a global non-profit organization which invests, connects and amplifies women leaders taking on the world’s greatest challenges.

The Italian premier of the short film “Portrait of a Stranger”, a collaboration between UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency) and award-winning filmmakers Platon and Anadil Hossain will follow opening remarks by Gabriele Galateri di Genola, President of The Human Safety Net.

Anadil Hossain, the event curator and filmmaker commented: “Stories build connections between communities and cultures, challenging the way we see the world and each other. Now more than ever, we need our collective imagination to make that connection more impactful.”

Also featured will be Tamara Kotevska, director of “The Walk”, sharing a short clip of her up-coming documentary on the global sensation of Little Amal (the 12 foot puppet of a Syrian refugee child who has toured the world, raising awareness of refugees), as part of a conversation led by Alyse Nelson, cofounder, president and CEO of Vital Voices, on the power of women led storytelling and collaboration.

“Over more than two decades of working with thousands of women leaders across 185 countries, we have seen firsthand the power of storytelling to break through seemingly intractable problems and connect us around solutions” said Alyse Nelson.

There will then be an inspiring discussion with film industry creatives and changemakers on how films can drive change and have real impact. The speakers include DanielleTurkov-Wilson (CEO, Think-Film), actors Elsa Zylberstein (also at the Film Festival in the cast of “Coup de Chance”) and Yalitza Aparicio (Oscar nominated for her role in Alfonso Cuarón's Golden Lion and Oscar winning film, “Roma”) and multi-award winning documentary director Stefano Savona.

The evening ends by marking the presentation of the Collateral Impact Awards at the Film Festival and celebrating filmmakers who change the way we see the world so we can all make the changes needed for a more inclusive future.

The event will be hosted at The Home of The Human Safety Net, at the Procuratie Vecchie in St. Mark's Square, a unique space in a building now open to the public for the first time in 500 years after an important restoration work by Pritzker Prize-winning architect David Chipperfield, with the goal of creating a special place for discussion and dialogue on how to advance human progress by tackling the biggest issues facing the world’s most vulnerable people.

Portrait of a Stranger (trailer)

To request accreditation for the event: events@thehumansafetynet.org
For more information about The Home of The Human safety Net: thehumansafetynet.org