SAY CHEESE!
Are we All in the picture?
Saturday April 26 2025
In collaboration with Fondazione Diversity
10.00 AM
coffee
Plus - Sala Expo
welcome coffee
10.30 AM
Keynote
Plus - Spazio Arena
Blood Speaks: storytelling as activism
with Poulomi Basu (Artist | UK)
How can storytelling become a catalyst for representation and social change? In this keynote, artist and activist Poulomi Basu shares her vision of storytelling as an act of witnessing and resistance. Through works like Blood Speaks and Maya, Basu reclaims narratives, amplifies marginalized voices, and challenges dominant perspectives. This session will explore the power of art to raise awareness, inspire action, and reshape the way we see the world.
11.00 AM
Masterclass
Plus - Spazio Arena
La rappresentazione conta
With Francesca Bonfanti (Head of Communication, Fondazione Diversity, DiversityLab | Italy), Gabriella Crafa (VicePresident, Fondazione Diversity, DiversityLab, Digital & Diversity Transformation expert and enthusiast | Italy)
Language, communication, and the representation of diversity—both on and off screen—are the core elements of Fondazione Diversity’s work. For over ten years, the foundation has studied, analyzed, and promoted accurate narratives of underrepresented and marginalized groups.In this masterclass, we will explore what we mean by authentic representation, how to create a respectful narrative, and the major pitfalls to avoid when developing characters and storylines related to diversity. We will provide an overview that covers narrative tropes, dismantling biases, and best practices for building truly inclusive productions—both in front of and behind the camera. This is a journey of awareness and shared responsibility among those who commission, produce, and consume audiovisual content.
12.15 PM
Think Tank
Plus - Spazio Expo
Use your power – Start a revolution
With Francesca Bonfanti (Head of Communication, Fondazione Diversity, DiversityLab | Italy), Gabriella Crafa (VicePresident, Fondazione Diversity, DiversityLab, Digital & Diversity Transformation expert and enthusiast | Italy)
People still talk about “minorities” when discussing representation, society, culture, and politics. But the numbers tell a different story from what we’re used to: Do we know how many people in the world have disabilities? How many are over 60? How many have a migrant background in Italy? And how many of their stories are actually represented in our films, TV series, and programs? In this session, we will find answers to these questions, starting from the awareness that, as an audience, we hold great power—one that can drive a shift in both paradigms and collective imagination. Through a collaborative exercise, we will build tools for (self-)awareness, learning to recognize and decode both positive and harmful narratives and actively promoting the former in our daily lives.
Speakers
Poulomi Basu
Artist | UK
Poulomi Basu is an award winning Indian neurodiverse artist and filmmaker known for her exploration of the interrelationship between systems of power and bodies through work that exists at the limits of art, technology and activism. She focus on the intersectionality of ecological, racial, cultural, and political issues experienced specifically by womxn of the global south. Selected as a BAFTA Breakthrough UK 2024, Basu was awarded 2023 ICP Museum Infinity Award for outstanding contribution to ‘Contemporary Photography and New Media’. Her work was nominated at Festival de Cannes 2024.
Francesca Bonfanti
Head of Communication, Fondazione Diversity, DiversityLab | Italy
Francesca Bonfanti has years of experience in communication within the audiovisual industry, focusing on representation and the promotion of cultural initiatives and events. She is the Head of Communication at Diversity, where she manages projects in the MarCom sector and the organization of the Diversity Media Awards. She is one of the founders of Orvieto Cinema Fest, an international short film festival now in its eighth edition, and has worked in communication for events such as Filmmaker Festival and FescAAAl – the African, Asian, and Latin American Film Festival.
Gabriella Crafa
VicePresident, Fondazione Diversity, DiversityLab, Digital & Diversity Transformation expert and enthusiast | Italy
Gabriella Crafa is a business executive with 20 years of experience in international digital and tech projects. She founded Asap, publisher of TvSerial.it, the first and largest Italian magazine dedicated to TV series. As a former Senior Digital Manager at MSC Cruises, she launched the first worldwide Intranet. As VicePresident of Diversity, she advocates for inclusion in media and businesses. Since 2016, she has led the Diversity Media Awards and the Diversity Brand Summit. In 2024, she launched DiversiFind, a platform connecting underrepresented talents with opportunities in the entertainment industry.
Fondazione Diversity
Fondazione Diversity promotes inclusion and fights prejudice and discrimination through research, communication, and education. Through the Diversity Media Watch, it monitors the representation of identities in Italian media, publishing the Diversity Media Report and awarding the best narratives at the Diversity Media Awards. With DiversiFind, underrepresented talent gains free access to training courses, scholarships, and professional opportunities in the entertainment industry, while organizations can tap into a diverse pool of talent, skills, and experiences to make their productions more inclusive and representative