Damien Chazelle, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning director of La La Land, will receive the Star of the Mole Award at a Masterclass on his world-acclaimed modern classics.
After his efforts as President of the Jury of the 2023 Venice Film Festival, Damien Chazelle will be a guest of National Cinema Museum of Turinwhere he will land on October 24th to hold a Masterclass on his cinema and receive the Stella della Mole award.
The National Cinema Museum of Turin pays homage to one of the most influential auteurs of our time, who continues to shape the landscape of contemporary cinema with his distinctive creative voice, receiving the highest recognition in the industry and making him the youngest filmmaker to win the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for best director.
Visionary director, screenwriter and producer of modern classics acclaimed throughout the world and of music-themed films that have mixed romanticism and scandalous excesses of show business, Chazelle will be the protagonist of a Masterclass, Tuesday 24 October 2023 at 6.30 pm in the Chamber of the Temple of the Mole Antonelliana and, at 8.30pm at the Cinema Massimo, he will introduce the screening of his latest sumptuous Babylon (2022), a black dramedy set in 1920s Hollywood, with a stellar cast that includes Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt, both in the roles of actors navigating the industry’s transition from silent films to talkies.
Pre-sales opening: 2 October 2023, 10:00 am, on www.museocinema.it and www.cinemamassimotorino.it.
The award-winning filmmaker will talk with the director of the Museum Domenico De Gaetano and the critic Grazia Paganelli about those fortunate cinematographic undertakings and meticulously crafted works that gave rise to a riot of experimentation and innovation, from his first successes with Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench and the award-winning Whiplash to a groundbreaking musical like La La Land and to the intense biographical drama First Man.
Babylon: Chazelle’s love letter to his city of stars (and shit)
Prior to the event – curated by Marco Fallanca – Damien Chazelle will receive the Star of the Mole, in recognition of having brought a unique perspective to his projects, infusing them with the passion, creativity and uncompromising commitment necessary to achieve his artistic vision: often focused about music and the pursuit of dreams, his filmography has addressed themes such as perfectionism, dedication, the difficulties and challenges that come with achieving success, pushing people with potential talent beyond their limits and deconstructing the entire ambition concept.
“Damien Chazelle is undoubtedly a genius of our time destined to leave his indelible mark on the history of cinema and it is a true privilege for this institution to host his Masterclass in an evocative setting such as the Mole Antonelliana” – declares Enzo Ghigo, president of the National Cinema Museum. “His love for the Golden Age of Hollywood shines through in the prodigious excellence of his films: the same love for classic narrative cinema and contemporary world cinema that we want to celebrate in our museum, transmitting it to the public and visitors”.
“Since his astonishing directorial debut, awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Torino Film Festival in 2009, Damien Chazelle has showcased precocious talent and his visionary approach to storytelling, exploring innovative narratives and taking viewers on a journey touching and engaging” – underlines Domenico De Gaetano, director of the National Cinema Museum. “With the emotional range of his visual brands ranging from tight editing to a virtuosic use of long shots and elegant full-length cinemascope shots, his films with masterfully sublimated casts manage to deepen the emotional and psychological impact that the ambition can provoke, while also offering a nuanced portrait of the ups and downs of chasing your dreams”.