A year of perspectives on the future of cinema 

In 2022, Università della Svizzera italiana in collaboration with the Locarno Film Festival launched a joint chair on the future of cinema and the audiovisual arts, supported by Swisscom. One year after Kevin B. Lee, Locarno Film Festival Professor for the Future of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts, we take stock with him of what has been achieved and future plans. Professor Lee, is the balance of this first year positive? Through the Chair, the USI and the Locarno Film Festival, with the support of Swisscom, have combined their respective strengths to establish a strong position for research, teaching and the development of new possibilities for cinema in Ticino, Switzerland and beyond. Much has been achieved on all sides, but if we look only at the USI's side, there's much to celebrate. The Chair has successfully launched its offerings both on the Lugano campus and at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio. We have succeeded in offering a cinema curriculum that attracts students from different fields of study and strengthens the link between the two campuses. Which themes have you tackled in particular? My main area of research is the video essay, which I see as a powerful tool for students and scholars.