The communication campaign
Presentation of the Lago Film Fest 2025 campaign by CIANG
The visual concept for the Lago Film Fest 2025 campaign revolves around a mysterious meteorite that crashed on the shores of the lake. From the flaming rock, several species of psychedelic, anthropomorphic mushrooms have emerged, endowed with regenerative properties for the environment. These cosmic mushrooms, arriving from another corner of the universe, bring peace and lightness. With their quirky and whimsical shapes, they seem to particularly enjoy the calm and relaxed atmosphere of Revine Lago.
For the campaign, we created the poster illustration with graphics by Sara De Barba, drawing inspiration from the retro aesthetic of illustrated posters from the 1970s. We designed a series of characters that represent the festival’s different dimensions: the nighttime realm, with screenings and dancing; the daytime scene, filled with lake swims and workshops; the food experience, best enjoyed outdoors; and finally, Lago Film Fest as a space for children and families.
Starting from these macro-groups, we created a series of short frame-by-frame animated clips that depict the landscapes of Lago Film Fest colonized by the cosmic mushrooms. Edited together, these clips form the festival’s intro, with music and sound design by Nicola Lunardelli.
Mushrooms are a recurring element in CIANG’s work, along with stars, plants, and animals. With this campaign, we aimed to convey a dreamy and surreal mood.
We’re happy to have had the opportunity to design and illustrate the visual campaign for Lago Film Fest 2025, and we want to thank Carlo and the entire team. We feel deeply connected to the festival — a beautiful and vibrant event, with a fantastic selection of short films, including animation, that aligns closely with our aesthetic sensibility.
Over the years, we’ve been guests of the festival on several occasions: initially in 2019 with the Diciottocchi artist residency; in 2021, with our animations featured in the Expanded Festival section; and in 2022, with the Surrealistic Symphony program curated by Morena Faverin and Raman Djafari, where our short God of Grease was screened and our music video I Gotta Cry was part of the official selection.
The landscapes of Lago Film Fest also remind us of home, as we grew up between Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta.
CIANG
CIANG is an artist duo composed of Francesca Colombara and Matteo Dang Minh, both Italian 2D animators and illustrators. CIANG was founded in 2019 in Bologna, originally as a self-publishing project focused on underground comics and zines. Their iconic logo — a fusion of their two faces — and the name itself come from combining CIANCI (Francesca’s nickname) and DANG (Matteo’s surname).
In 2021, during the pandemic, they founded CIANG Studio, an independent animation studio specializing in animated shorts, music videos, and commercials, all marked by their signature psychedelic and underground style. Over the years, they’ve collaborated with various clients and brands including GIPHY, FX, Adidas, Bloomberg, TED-Ed, VICE, and A Studio Digital.
Their animations have been selected by numerous international animation festivals, and their work has been exhibited in art shows around the world. In 2025, they participated in — and also curated — the exhibition VITE, MORTI e MIRACOLO at the TAM museum in Matera.
The CIANG duo has also taken part in several artist residencies, including Nu’vem on Pico Island, La Maison des Auteurs in Angoulême, AiR Lovere on Lake Iseo, Oasi Nuove Forme di Vita on Capraia Island, and the KAP residency in Fontecchio.
FRANCESCA COLOMBARA
Francesca Colombara is an Italian animator, illustrator, and comic artist. She is the co-founder of CIANG. Born in 1994 in Verbania, she graduated from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in 2017 and earned a master’s degree in Comics from the Bologna Academy in 2021. Her graphic novel Panic! was published by Centrala. She has collaborated with numerous clients and brands, including FX, Giphy, Vans, Dickies, The North Face, TED-Ed, and Bloomberg. Her work has been featured in many international animation festivals and art exhibitions.
MATTEO DANG MINH
Matteo Dang is a 2D animator and Italian-Vietnamese illustrator, and co-founder of CIANG. Born in 1994 in Borgomanero (Novara), he graduated in New Technologies for Art from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in 2017. He has collaborated with clients and brands such as Giphy, Adidas, and VICE. His work has been showcased in various international animation festivals and art exhibitions. He is also the curator of Serato Animato, a traveling event dedicated to underground and experimental animation screenings.
SARA DE BARBA
Sara De Barba is an Italian graphic designer and illustrator. Born in 1998 in Belluno, she graduated from ISIA Roma Design in 2021 and later earned a master’s degree in Communication Design from IUAV in Venice. She collaborates with Piattaforma Lago on the design of communication campaigns for events such as Lago Film Fest 2024, 30_70 Doc Fest, Cine Terme, and Luci su Revine.
Credits
Concept and illustrations: Francesca Colombara e Matteo Dang
Graphic design: Sara De Barba
Music and sound design: Nicola Lunardelli, Alberto Zigoni e Ivo Bernardi