Mercoledì 15 aprile la Sala Astra del Cinema Visionario di Udine ha ospitato la conferenza del prof. Fabrizio Bozzetti intitolata “Bagliori di un presente distopico: una conferenza su Cimena e Distopia” dedicata alle classi 5^ del nostro Istituto. Si è trattato dell’ultimo step di un progetto promosso dal Dipartimento di Lingue della nostra scuola comprendente una trilogia di conferenze tenute dal prof. Bozzetti su tematiche storico-letterarie agganciate all’attualità del nostro tempo storico.
Lo scopo delle conferenze è quello di affiancare il programma di letteratura inglese a quello di storia e letteratura italiana del triennio LSA e ITI attraverso approfondimenti tematici inerenti a “Cinema e Medioevo” per le classi 3^, “L’eroe tragico in William Shakespeare” per le classi 4^ e “Cinema e Distopia” per le classi 5^, con lo scopo di fornire anche spunti per eventuali collegamenti interdisciplinari, soprattutto in vista dell’Esame di Stato.
Nell’ottica di rendere partecipi attivamente le classi coinvolte in questo ciclo di conferenze, l’attività viene accuratamente strutturata dalle/i docenti di lingue e divisa in tre fasi distinte:
- una preparatoria in classe dove si anticipano a grandi linee le tematiche che verranno affrontate durante la conferenza,
- una intermedia che coincide con la giornata dell’evento e che consiste in un ascolto attento e partecipato durante il quale i/le ragazzi/e devono prendere appunti e, se possibile, porre domande al relatore
- una conclusiva di restituzione dove alle classi è richiesto di produrre una recensione della conferenza in lingua inglese, possibilmente strutturata secondo la tipologia Cambridge.
Di seguito alcuni feedback degli studenti e delle studentesse delle classi 5^ LSM A,
5^ LSA A, 5^ LSA B e 5^ LSA C
Prof.ssa Barbara Liva e Paola Palumbo
5^ LSM A
I really recommend this conference to everyone that is interested in movies or that like dystopian genre. I thank the teacher for the opportunity to follow such an interesting lesson different from the usuals ones. Minca Matilde
I strongly recommend this conference to those who are interested in Dystopia and dystopian philosophy as it reminds us to aknowledge the past so that we won’t repeat the same mistakes. Prof. Bozzetti also talked about the importance of freedom and how the concept of Dystopia is a mirror that reflects the fragile state of the human kind. – Islam Quabid
I would recommend the confere la canz1 dobbiamo mettere a posto adesso. nce especially to students interested in cinema and social current issues, because the speaker was very good at connecting movies with important political themes. Rosa Giacomo
The conference was very entertaining and stimulating. One of its strengths was the inclusion of short film clips from various movies to keep the audience engaged and to help visualize the topic. For this reason, I highly recommend participating in this project. It also covered many films, ranging from old silent movies to more modern ones. We heard many different stories featuring dystopian governments controlling a society that isn’t even able to rebel. Honestly, my favorite was “Metropolis” as it perfectly encapsulates, at least in my opinion, the concept of totalitarian dystopia and the degradation of a society unable to protest and forced to work forever. Fabris Alessio
“In the end, Mr. Bozzetti’s message was not completely pessimistic. Even though he showed many worrying aspects of the modern world, he also said that dystopian stories usually contain an important lesson: the protagonists resist. They continue to think, question, and defend their ideas even when the system around them seems impossible to fight. According to him, this is one reason why dystopia is so popular among young people. Teenagers often feel different, misunderstood, or stuck in a world shaped by adults whose choices seem irrational or unfair. Because of this, dystopian stories feel close to our experience.” Irene Masciello
5^ LSA A
Last week I attended a conference about dystopian movies through the years and it was quite an interesting experience. The expert showed us several clips from famous films like 1984 and Blade Runner to show how directors imagined the future in the past
[…] The expert was clearly very prepared and explained how these stories represent the real fears of society, like government control or technology.
The speaker said that these movies are basically warnings for our future, which was a deep thought. Nicolò Bianchi
Fabrizio Bozzetti’s conference on cinema and dystopia was well-organized and extremely engaging. The speaker guided us through an exploration of how movies have shaped – and have been shaped by – our fears of the future.
What made the conference really captivating were the examples of both classic and contemporary movies with dystopian plots. I was shocked to realize that many of those movies had actually predicted the future. I found this impressive but also alarming because it shows how even our most irrational fears could become reality in the immediate future. Another aspect that led me to reflect was that in most of the fictional scenarios shown by Bozzetti the critical state of the world is caused by human beings.
In fact, the most common dystopian plot is centered on a future world where men have either created a new dreadful society or destroyed the whole planet.
The fear of the imminent decline of the world is still highly relevant in today’s world as it was when dystopian movies were first produced.
Michelle Masotti
The conference made me think a lot about our society today. It showed that maybe we are already living in a kind of dystopia, even if we don’t always notice it. For example, the Instagram profile of the White House was mentioned, and it made me reflect about how communication can be controlled and how information is presented to people. This example was very interesting and also a bit worrying. I also found very interesting how the dystopian genre is used for social criticism. These stories are not only fiction, but they talk about real problems in society and sometimes they can predict future situations. It is interesting to see how films and books can show things that are similar to our reality. Fabiano Bin
5^ LSA B
On the 15th of April 2026 our class, along with other classes from our school, attended the lecture on “Cinema e Distopia”. The speaker, Fabrizio Bozzetti, did an outstanding job in explaining the history of dystopian cinematography, descending in minute details and making sure every single attendee understood the message he was trying to transmit. Speaking about his message, his main intent was that of making us realize that we currently are living in what our past ancestors may have called a dystopia, a world controlled by a small handful of people who believe they can run us and the planet because of their wealth or influence. Despite the political message behind the presentation, the cinematographic aspect that gave a name to the conference was immensely present, as Mr. Bozzetti was able to express his great knowledge of the topic via a series of extracts from various movies and series. Leonardo De Agostini.
I liked how different movies, not only famous ones, were used to explain the topic of dystopia. I liked that before showing us the scenes of the movies, Mr. Bozzetti explained not only what we were about to watch, but also the historical background of who wrote the book from which the movie was inspired by. In addition I appreciated how the lecturer used real-life examples like wars and the choices of the president of the U.S.A., which made us understand that our present can be considered as a real life dystopia. Laura Fabbro
The choice of films was particularly interesting. Some of them were older or not very well-known movies, which made the experience more original and intriguing. It also provided inspiration for films to watch in the future and helped to develop a better understanding of this genre both for books and for movies. he conference also encouraged us to reflect especially on the idea that aspects of dystopian reality might already be present in today’s society, and it made us all wonder whether we already live in such a reality. This made the experience more than just a discussion about cinema and books, as it also created many questions, curiosity and maybe just a bit of ambiguity about the world we live in. Elisa Costantini
Fabrizio Bozzett made examples like Orwell’s “1984” or Huxley’s “Brave New World” but most of all my attention was pulled when he brought up the example of the 2009 film “District 9” He didn’t analyze the cinematic work in detail, but it was the part of the lecture that gave me more food for thoughts than all. I looked into the film’s plot, and, in my opinion, it resonates a lot with one of the biggest and worse managed problems we have in present times: immigration. Nowadays immigrants are treated like outlaws as soon as they step foot in a country and they are put into facilities that look way to similar to prisons, without a job (not even a humble one) and are marginalized from social life. This leads to the lack of integration everyone complains about and to the consequent problem of maintaining people who cannot find a job but have the just right to a livable condition which they do not have the possibility to care for, alone. This example gives the overall idea of how the lecture, and the lecturer, were able to lure the public into activating critical thought and understanding how difficult today’s problems can be, and I appreciated it a lot. Matteo Basso
In my opinion, the conference was one of the most interesting we have had throughout these years. I appreciated the way that was used to flow through the history of dystopian films. The fact that many scenes were shown as examples contributed to maintain our attention. I think the point about the situation of our society was exactly right and probably the most interesting part in general. Filippo Del Pino
5^ LSA C
“Do you still believe that our society is very different from a dystopia? Then take a look at the communication styles of the current President of the USA, Donald Trump, or any other populist leader in the world: doesn’t it seem dystopian? We can observe the same distortion of language, the glorification of violence, the disdain for culture, and the suppression of dissent that we have learned to recognize in dystopian cinema. Furthermore, the transition to a dystopia is not necessarily violent. It can happen very subtly, perhaps through increasing control over information and people’s privacy, which in turn makes it easier to manipulate and convince them to follow extreme ideologies. Doesn’t this remind us of the current state of the internet and social media communication? Uninformed and confused people are constantly targeted and manipulated in order to persuade them to support more liberticidal ideologies. Doesn’t this seem like the perfect environment for the birth of a dystopia? Or could it be that it is already too late, and we are already living in a dystopian society? These are only some of the questions tackled in this deeply interesting conference by Fabrizio Bozzetti.” Sebastiano Rui
I liked this conference because it connected dystopia with the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. I found it interesting to understand how many dystopian works, such as Nineteen Eighty-Four, were inspired by real regimes like Nazism, Fascism, and Stalinism. This conference helped me understand that control over people, freedom, and information is not only fiction, but something that has really happened in history. This connection with our school program helped me better understand both dystopia and totalitarianism. Riccardo Moreale
“What I liked the most about this conference was that there was a strong reference with twentieth-century totalitarian regimes. Many dystopian societies in fact reflect real situations, such as propaganda and the manipulation of information. This shows that dystopia is not just fantasy, but often an exaggerated version of reality. During the conference, the speaker explained the main elements of dystopia: control over people, limitations on freedom, the creation of a common enemy, the misuse of technology, and often a main character who questions the system. He also explained why dystopian stories are popular, especially among young people, who recognize their fears about the future, the environment, and technology in these stories.” Davide Nobile
“A three-hour-long presentation might seem boring or hard to follow; however, the teacher was so engaging that he managed to keep the audience’s attention throughout the entire time. This was possible thanks to the continuous alternation between film clips, short monologues, and reflections on current events. Moreover, Bozzetti seemed so passionate about the topic that everything he said was extremely compelling.” Morgan Torbia
“On Thursday, my classmates and I had the opportunity to attend a conference. It offered a very interesting insight on how the theme of dystopia is present in one of the most influential narrative genres in our lives: cinema. One of the aspects that attracted me the most is the fact that cinema can be used to develop a critique of history and society, helping us understand the risks of the present.” Sara Vuerich
“A strong point of the conference was its ability to move from art to real-world issues, some of which were extremely relevant and up to date. Starting from cinema, Bozzetti encouraged us to reflect on important topics such as human rights, ethics, environmental problems, dependence on technology, and cybersecurity. The videos shown were very impactful, especially because they dealt with themes that strongly affect our generation. This made the experience not only informative but also emotionally engaging. I found the conference extremely valuable and impactful. It was not only informative but also eye-opening, as it encouraged us to reflect critically on the world we live in and the future that awaits us. I would strongly recommend it to anyone because it offers a powerful perspective on both cinema and society.” Sara Maggio
“….it was very interesting to reflect on the increasing proximity of dystopia to reality, which is particularly evident in the present moment. The manipulation of information demonstrates how narratives can be constructed, reframed, and disseminated to shape public perception. At the same time, the influence of digital and social media platforms highlights how algorithms shape what we see, think, and do. As a result, dystopia is no longer just fiction, since it has become a way to understand and analyse how power operates in everyday life.” Luca Piliego
“The conference was very interesting because it demonstrated how dystopia is present not only in books and films but also in today’s reality. Through cinematic examples and videos, we were able to better understand how media and power can influence people and their ways of thinking. In particular, it emerged how social media has a profound influence on us, both in terms of information and opinions. For this reason, it is important to develop critical thinking and not passively accept everything we find online.” Chiara Morandini
“Bozzetti also explained that many dystopian ideas from the past now seem very close to our present world. He talked about digital surveillance, fake news, social media, and algorithms that can influence our opinions and create ‘bubbles’ in which we only see what confirms our beliefs. This was one of the strongest messages of the conference: today, control is not always imposed by force, but is often accepted because it is convenient.” Costanzo Luca
“The most interesting part of the conference was the importance that Professor Bozzetti gave to words and language. We watched a clip from the movie adaptation of “1984” in which the main character was writing a diary, an illegal activity in that world, while describing the creation of a new language that contained no ‘useless’ words. The most interesting aspect of that clip was the connection between this kind of control, which leads to illogical slogans such as ‘Ignorance is Strength’, and our own world, where we often witness the same kind of nonsense.” Roberto Cozzutti
“The conference was really interesting, and I especially appreciated the final message: ‘If we study and use our brains, we can stay free.’ He explained that if we do not know many words, it becomes easier for powerful people to lie to us. He also talked about social media and how apps like Instagram use algorithms to study us. This part was a little scary because he said that we are the product for these big companies.” Giacomo Munini
“Dystopia is such a seemingly unreachable concept, a world in which men and women are forced to obey and suffer throughout their lives, living under a regime that values them solely as cogs in the machine. Some of the best examples mentioned by Fabrizio Bozzetti, such as Metropolis and Nineteen Eighty-Four, still seemed like worlds completely alien to ours. After all, who would willingly give up their freedom and live in such places? Despite this, in today’s world we are closer than ever to realizing a dystopian society, and Professor Bozzetti wanted to warn us never to give up our freedom because, if we are not careful enough, it might be taken away.” – Tommaso Rangan