On 16 November 2025, Marco Bellano, former Principal Investigator of the Marie Skłodowska–Curie Global Fellowship FICTA SciO, took part in CICAP Fest 2025, the festival of science and curiosity held across the city of Padua. His talk, titled “SGUARDI VERDI. L’animazione racconta l’ecologia”, took place at Palazzo del Bo (Aula E) at 10:45 AM.
The talk explored how animated images engage with ecological themes, revealing their capacity to translate complex environmental questions into accessible and emotionally resonant visual narratives. Animation is not merely entertainment but a medium capable of shaping ecological awareness through metaphor, affect, and imaginative speculation.
Drawing on examples from films, series and short works, the talk showed how animated representations of the Earth, non-human life and fragile ecosystems can offer new ways to discuss sustainability. Animation becomes, in this sense, both an educational tool and a poetic device: a means to invite diverse audiences to reflect on what our gaze can — and must — learn to protect.
This intervention also follows Bellano’s recent role as co-organiser of the international conference ECOMEDIA. Politiche, pratiche e rappresentazioni territoriali dell’audiovisivo in Italia (4–5 November 2025), further strengthening the project’s engagement with environmental media and the cultural narratives surrounding ecological communication.
CICAP Fest 2025, dedicated to the theme “Sconfinare: l’avventura della conoscenza”, brought together researchers, artists and communicators to reflect on how science and critical inquiry can overcome prejudices, illuminate the unknown and foster public understanding. Further information on the event is available in the festival’s website.
