Infinite Art: How the Magic of Cinema Is Born
From November 13 to December 17, 2026, IULM University will explore the crafts and techniques that bring the magic of cinema to life through the “Cinema Artigianale” initiative: five seminars, an exhibition on special effects, and a preview screening of the fantasy film *Man and Witch – The Dance of a Thousand Steps*, attended by Tami Stronach, who played the Child Empress in *The Neverending Story*. The exhibition opening will take place following the screening.
How do you give a face to an imaginary creature? And how do you build a world that exists only on paper? These questions are the focus of“Cinema artigianale,” a project curated by Marcello Baretta, a professor in the Special Effects Lab at IULM, which takes students behind the scenes of cinema, from prosthetic makeup to Italian science fiction.
The Program
The “Spectacular Italian Cinema” series, aimed at IULM students, kicks off on November 13 with a session on horror cinema featuring Andrea Leanza, a prosthetics designer. On November 20, there will be an event dedicated to the art of movie posters, paying tribute to illustrator Renato Casaro. This will be followed by three seminars: one on Italian special effects with Pierfilippo Siena, visual effects supervisor (November 26); one on prosthetic effects with Valentina Visintin, prosthetics designer (December 4); and one on Italian science fiction with Victor Togliani, production designer (December 17). Download the complete schedule of events.
On Monday, November 23, at 3:00 p.m., in the Sala dei 146, there will be a preview screening of *Man and Witch – The Dance of a Thousand Steps*. At 4:30 p.m., there will be a discussion with Tami Stronach, actress and producer of the film, and Greg Steinbruner, lead actor, featuring remarks by Marcello Baretta.
From November 23 to December 4, at IULM 7_#Open Space, the exhibition *L’arte infinita* explores the techniques of analog special effects through images provided by the creators of *The Neverending Story*. The exhibition will open following the screening of the film *Man and Witch — The Dance of a Thousand Steps* (scheduled for November 23 at 3:00 p.m.) and will be open to the public through December 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
For IULM students, attendance at all 5 sessions of the seminar series counts toward earning the Badge of Honor.