The formation of an artist: Hugo Pratt before Venice

Stefano Knuchel

Born in Locarno in 1966. In 1988, he started his career working in Swiss radio, before moving on to television in 1998 as a creator of experimental programs and a film critic. In 2004, he founded the production company Venus and beyond, and directed his first documentary Nocaut, which screened in competition at the Locarno Film Festival’s Settimana della critica. In 2007, as part of the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Festival, he directed a two-hour documentary covering the event’s history. In 2009, Hugo en Afrique competed in the Orizzonti section at the 66th Venice Film Festival and won the international critics prize for Best Director. In 2011, he collaborated with the photographer René Burri on what became the latter’s final film project, Projet Corrida. In 2017, the documentary Quand j’étais Cloclo was released in theaters in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Since 2012, he’s been the Head of the Locarno Filmmakers Academy, an initiative of the Locarno Film Festival aiming to discover emerging talents on an international level, and since 2019 he’s also overseen the Festival’s BaseCamp project.

Bepi Vigna

A writer and screenwriter, born in Baunei (Sardinia) in 1957. After working in advertising (as a copywriter) and television (as a writer and director), he made a name for himself as a comic book writer, for Sergio Bonelli Editore (Dylan Dog, Zagor, Martin Mystère) and other publishers. In 1991, with his colleagues Serra and Medda, he created Nathan Never, one of the major Italian science fiction hits, published in various countries around the world.   

For his work in comics, he has received numerous awards as the best Italian writer, including the Premio Italia in 1991, the Yellow Kid Award in 1997, and the Premio ANAFI in 2017.

He also works with RAI as a radio and television writer, and has written film scripts, novels, and essays on the history and language of comic books. He has written various plays, staged in Italy and other European countries, occasionally directing some of the productions. As a director, he has made videos and documentaries, receiving awards at various festivals. He also runs the Centro Internazionale del Fumetto in Cagliari, and edits the magazine Teorema, which focuses on visual arts.