Università della Svizzera italiana (USI)

A groundbreaking collaboration between the Locarno Film Festival and the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), the Professor for the Future of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts explores the continuous changes occurring within cinema in relation to technological and societal transformation. 

A cornerstone field of research is the study and practice of video essays, which I consider a powerful tool for students and researchers. In the 21st century, the audiovisual is increasingly taking the place of writing as a primary mode of communicating ideas and experiences, and the video essay is a key model for this development.

Beyond this, I research topics related to the future of cinema and the audiovisual, such as the role of artificial intelligence and algorithms, and how different types of audiovisual media and entertainment compete within the economies and ecologies of human attention.

And my exposure to the beauty of the Ticino landscape has made me more sensitive to the ecological challenges of our time, and what cinema can do to address them.

Highlights

Investigating Ecocinema through the Video Essay: How can the video essay be deployed as a critical tool to analyse ecocinema and its relevance to the current environmental crisis?

The new Video Room opens at the National Cinema Museum, debuting with video essays by USI students.

LES CHAMBRES OBSCURES DE L’IA: A program of films and conversations exploring the material and social dimensions of artificial intelligence, challenging conventional portrayals and expanding our understanding of intelligence.

Masterclass Missing images: on festivals, essay films and untold histories at L’immagine e la parola, March 2023

Watch some of the video essays my students produced that were shown at the 75th Locarno Film Festival.

Courses

“Video Essay for Communications, Culture and Society,” M.A.

“Digital Screen Futures,” M.A.

“Preparing for the Future of Cinema and the Audiovisual,” B.A.

“Festival Economies and Ecologies” B.A.

“Video Essay for Academic Professionals,” Professor, Post-graduate, PhD and academic research staff 

“Video Essay Atelier” M.A.

“Spatial Practices of the Video Essay,” M.A.

“Borders, Boundaries and Ethics of Video Essay,” M.A.

“Video Essay for Ecocinema” M.A