« We overcame days when we suddenly found ourselves in uncertain circumstances, with no freedom, estranged from our familiar ways. We now await a day when all will be resolved and we will go back to living as we have always done, taking it for granted. Aware, then, that we live in a memory and hope for an “after”, we do what we do best: we keep moving and telling who we are.

Transients by definition, wanderers of earth, air, fire and water, we witness the transformation of cultures, shaped by our choices, our reactions, our struggles. If the world is will and representation, we have no choice but to use our bodies to tear apart the veils and mix identities that are themselves mutable, liquid, in eternal motion. To tell of this is a political expression of belonging. A salvific and liberating cry that creates a bridge between the embrace – with which only a year ago we celebrated the return to the possibility of touching people again – and the desire to reaffirm who we are and what we want to be.

Contemporary cinema dwells more than ever on being, existing despite everything. We are stories in motion, we freely flow through the streets, crossing paths, brushing past others’ intentions, looking for the answer to everything that has to come in each other’s eyes. We tell all this in the artwork created for the 37. Settimana Internazionale della Critica. Last year’s black and white is now stained by the emotions we are experiencing. We know it will take time to return to full colour, but the future does not scare us.» Mauro, Emiliano e Fabrizio 

Emiliano Mammucari is a cartoonist, writer and illustrator. He began his career in 1998 with the graphic novel Povero Pinocchio, published by Montego, the publishing house he helped to create. In 2013 he released Orfani, Sergio Bonelli Editore’s first monthly colour series, later published worldwide. For the 2017 Orfani: Terra, he also wrote the story. He worked on the drawings for La nuova alba dei morti viventi, a reimagining of Dylan Dog’s first famous publication. In 2018 he published the book Lezioni spirituali per giovani fumettari. In 2020 he drew Zardo, the “rediscovered” graphic novel written by Dylan Dog’s father Tiziano Sclavi. His latest work is the series Nero that tells the story of an Arab warrior during the Crusades.

Mauro Uzzeo has been working with comics, cinema and television for many years now. He scripted the adventures of Dylan Dog, Orfani and Zagor. Together with Giovanni Masi he created Il Confine, a multi-media narrative universe, and they also scripted together Flash Vs. Zagor. He was head director of the creative department of Rainbow CGI and is the right arm of Iginio Straffi in the creation of the Winx Club cartoons. He worked on the special effects of L’ultimo terrestre by Gipi, he directed the animated credits of Fausto Brizzi’s Com’e bello far l’amore, wrote the script for Monolith and Se mi vuoi bene, the latter by Fausto Brizzi with whom he co-wrote the film Bla Bla baby. He scripted the film Dampyr and doubled as a creative producer for the animated series Dragonero. Uzzeo collaborated with Italy’s Department for Equal Opportunities for several campaigns supporting women victims of violence. He participated in the biggest
collective exhibition of cartoonists 1938/2018 Eighty years from Italy’s racials laws. Together with Daniele Bonomo, Paolo Campana, Stefano Piccolu and Fabrizio Verrocchi creates the ARF!, a cartoon festival that in 2020 published Come Vite Sistanti, a collective work of over eighty among the most important italian cartoonists. Throughout the years his works have been awarded at the Future Film Festival, Castelli Animati Lamezia Film Festival and Animago. As recognition of his activities as “cultural agitator”, he received in 2016 the Andrea Pazienza award.

Fabrizio Verrocchi started off as character designer for one of the main Italian software houses in 1999 and then moved on to work as graphic designer and art director, advertising and fashion (BCVa, Sixty Group, Fendi), web and mobile UI/UX design (Agid – Agenzia per l’Italia Digitale, Maiora Labs, RedBit Games, SciamLab) and publishing, mainly comics (Arancia Studio, BAO Publishing, Disney, CoconinoFandango, Sergio Bonelli Editore, Star Comics). He is founder and then coordinator until 2021 of the Graphic Design course, department of Comics and Illustration at the RUFA – Rome University of Fine Arts. In 2015 with Stefano Piccoli, Mauro Uzzeo, Daniele Bonomo and Paolo Campana founded ARF! Festival di Storie, Segni & Disegni, Rome’s comics festival, where he is in charge of brand identity and communication.