The association LOGGIA Design & Art, in collaboration with Zhong Art International and NEMO Academy, within the framework of the traditional celebrations of Chinese New Year 2026 (the Year of the Horse, a central moment in Eastern culture and imagination), offers the audience of Giunti Odeon an opportunity for viewing and reflection dedicated to animation cinema as a space for cultural dialogue between East and West.
With the support of the FánHuā Chinese Film Festival, the animated feature Into the Mortal World by Ding Zhong (2024, running time 118 minutes) will be presented.

In recent years, the presence of Chinese animation in Italy has become increasingly visible thanks to cultural contexts and dedicated festivals, fostering the circulation of animated works and the emergence of new narratives. Although more recent than the diffusion of Japanese animation, this growth has been significant, allowing an ever-wider audience to engage with imaginaries rooted in myths, legends, and universal values.

Federica Fabbri, lecturer in Animation Cinema, introduces the context of contemporary Chinese animation. Her talk offers a historical and cultural reading of the phenomenon, focusing on the central role of mythological and traditional narratives—from Journey to the West to popular legends—mirroring the Western tradition of drawing upon classic fairy tales.

Luca Chiarotti, lecturer in Game, Concept, and Illustration, introduces the feature film Into the Mortal World, exploring its value as a project developed within an academic environment. The film, originally conceived as a short created by students of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and later expanded into a feature-length work, becomes a case study on the relationship between education, research, and professional production.

This reflection is placed in dialogue with Yujo, an animated short produced within a training program involving students and teachers, highlighting how educational collaboration can become a genuine space for experimentation, learning, and cultural production. The screening of Yujo (6 minutes) concludes the talk, guiding the audience toward the viewing of the feature film.

The day continues with the full screening of Into the Mortal World, an animated feature that reinterprets a classic Chinese folktale by weaving together mythological elements and references to contemporary culture. The film offers a vision in which divine and human figures coexist and collaborate, and in which animation becomes a tool for dialogue between worlds, generations, and cultures.

LOGGIA Design & Art

LOGGIA Design & Art is an association dedicated to design and art, conceived as a space for encounter, dialogue, and innovation.

Born within the Italo-Chinese ecosystem of ZAI – Zhong Art International, with the collaboration of Antonio Locicero design and Tipstudio, LOGGIA Design & Art provides a creative forum for exchange and professional growth, where design and art professionals, together with cultural and educational institutions, can collaborate and inspire one another.

The mission of LOGGIA Design & Art is to create a dynamic and stimulating network in support of new generations of designers and artists. The association is founded on the values of inclusivity and the enhancement of cultural diversity, integrating research, education, and production. Through dialogue between Italian and Chinese culture and by connecting academia with the business world, LOGGIA contributes to a more open and global design and art landscape.

LOGGIA Design & Art’s activities include cultural projects, editorial content production, and public events. As a community of practice and innovation, LOGGIA Design & Art promotes the power of art and design as tools for dialogue and change, positioning itself as an institutional point of reference for the sector at both national and international levels.