V​enice Film Festival 2022: A luxury destination for film lovers

The floating city of Venice is a luxurious travel destination for any elite and sanguine visitors. The majestic architecture blended with dreamlike images of art, history, and music fills the atmosphere with sophistication and class. The uniqueness of the turquoise waters attracts thousands of visitors each year to experience an intimate gondola ride.

Elegance and creativity have been a big staple in Venice for centuries. The city produces some of the finest goods, exquisite fashion pieces, and delicate glass souvenirs. It is also home to some of the most luxurious accommodations in the world, including former palaces, gilded ceilings, and spacious salons of refurbished elegance. Being the host of the Venice International Film Festival each year, the jet-set elite come from far and wide to experience the magic the festival holds. This year, the festival was held at the luxurious 5-star Hotel Danieli.

Hotel Danieli sits overlooking the Venice Lagoon providing legendary views of the Grand Canal. Any upscale traveler will enjoy waking up to the breathtaking views of the Ponte Del Sospiri and Plazza San Marco, with the constellation colors reflecting off the canal. The 3 palaces that compromise the hotel date back to the 14th, 17th, and 19th centuries; Palazzo Dandolo, Palazzo Casa, and Palazzo Danieli Excelsior.

The palaces are set in a heritage setting, holding a collection of precious antiques and art, contemporary comforts, and all the amenities needed for a luxurious Venice experience. The Terrazza Danieli Restaurant on site is an essential part of the hotel being well known for its unique cuisine concept. Ingredients from the lagoon mixed with the oriental influences of spices traders are prepared by world-class chefs for a delicious mouthwatering dish.

The luxury and sophistication were a perfect setting for the 2022 Venice International Film Festival and an ideal background for the honorees and recipients at the festival. Film industry professionals with culturally diverse backgrounds were honored for various promotions, productions, and support services. Highlighting the values for unique individual experiences and perspectives in the film were Pino Calabrese, Evgeny Afinneevsky, Daphne Di Cinto, and Ainslee Robson.

“When I started to work fifty years ago, we didn’t have the same sensitivity we have today, and we didn’t realize how many things should have changed.” - Pino Calabrese

Calabrese was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award because of his remarkable fifty-year tenure in theater, and Afinneevsky was awarded the Excellence in Film award due to his determination and unity of the Ukrainian people throughout the ongoing conflict.

Afineevsy’s passion for storytelling goes far beyond borders, as he visits some of the world's most dangerous places for his documentaries. Many of his films capture harrowing accounts of wartime and he doesn’t shy away from pushing boundaries. His film Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom, has earned an Oscar and Emmy. Freedom on Fire: Ukraine Fight for Freedom, his follow-up film, premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, influencing that every voice should be heard, now more than ever.

Cinto was awarded. Cinto received the Cultured Focus Visionary in Film Award, and Robson received the Cultured Focused Innovation in Film Award, for their unity in sisterhood however being from completely different parts of the globe but coming together to promote universal unity in women. Finally, Film Festival Committee Member and journalist Angela Prudenzi were in attendance at the event to highlight the purpose of women's voices in cinema. She spoke of the Woman in Cinema Program, which she co-founded, and Woman Italian Cinema, supported by the Ministry of Culture, production and the remaking of films suitable for deaf and blind observers wanting to experience the luxurious magic of the film industry, all while promoting female empowerment and inspiration.