Curtain footage by Franz Kraler

Franz Kraler pays tribute to the photographer Chiara Samugheo, an original interpreter of Italian cinema from the 1950s and 1960s. The period of the "dolce vita" decrees the success of a new type of photojournalism and magazines, where the star system represents the engine of progress. Covers and features must document the figure of the "diva," the cinematic woman, as an object of desire. Chiara Samugheo's photos start from this context, but return to the object-body of the divas a real femininity and personality, something deeply intimate, in dialectical opposition to the ephemeral environment built around their bodies, thus contributing to fueling the mythology of Italian cinema. Playing on the essentiality of lines, strong chromatic contrasts, sumptuous hairstyles, the photographer has dramatically renewed the studio portrait, which will become a model for subsequent fashion and cinema photography of the 1980s. The exclusive cocktail party offered to all actors, authors, and directors participating in the Cortina film festival dedicated to short films baptized the 'Franz Kraler' award for the best screenplay: the 'Spider B24' suitcase. The elegant travel bag created by Daniela Kraler and handmade, with fine leathers, is inspired by the mythical car from 'Il Sorpasso,' the cult film by Dino Risi that turns fifty years old. I chose the suitcase, always present in the great post-war stories, because it has a very strong symbolic meaning. It holds secrets, emotions, but above all, it offers the possibility of fantasizing about the invisible to lead us to imaginary journeys. On the big screen, it is always miraculously light and represents the escape from everyday life and the desire for freedom. - Daniela Kraler