he Maison is main sponsor of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, having first partnered with La Biennale di Venezia in 2021 to jointly support contemporary filmmaking and to celebrate creativity and talent.

As part of this collaboration, Venice International Film Festival and Cartier pay tribute to outstanding filmmakers with the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award, dedicated to a personality that has made an original contribution to the contemporary film industry. Previous awardees include Ridley Scott (2021), Walter Hill (2022), and more recently, Wes Anderson (2023).

Following two successful seasons of Cartier masterclasses - The Art and Craft of Cinema organised in collaboration with La Biennale di Venezia, Cartier is once again co-hosting masterclasses featuring world-leading talents across various disciplines of filmmaking. The series puts the spotlight on the diversity of talent in cinema: not only the people we see onscreen, but also those who work behind the scenes to interpret the vision of a director.

In the first edition in 2022, composers such as Alexandre Desplat, Andrea Morricone and Rachel Portman described their approach to composing for cinema. The following year featured two world-leading partnerships, in film music and design, between director Damien Chazelle and composer Justin Hurwitz, as well as set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo and production designer Dante Ferretti.

The masterclasses, held on Venice Lido and open to passholders and students, will this year explore two disciplines of filmmaking:

• Film music, to offer in-depth insight into the alchemy between sound and image. Composers and filmmakers will share their experiences giving a behind-the-scenes view of creation and revealing to what extent a film is also written through music.

• Voice dubbing, to understand what is crucial to succeed in giving life to a movie in another country, with the delicate art of adapting an original version to a new language, its interpretation, and cultural references. An actor and his Italian voice will share their working methods and collaborative process with the audience.

Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO of Cartier said: “The Maison’s support and commitment to Venice goes beyond the movie festival. Since the start of our partnership we have sought to contribute to the city’s contemporary cultural life, which is intimately bound up with its heritage. This year our attention extends into visual arts, performing arts and of course craftsmanship, where Venice’s unique traditions have had such influence around the world.”

Ground-breaking exhibitions in two of the city’s most celebrated institutions are supported by the Maison.

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection presents Jean Cocteau: The Juggler’s Revenge, the largest retrospective ever organised in Italy dedicated to French poet, playwright, novelist, film director, visual artist, and friend of the Maison, Jean Cocteau. This exhibition spotlights Cocteau’s versatility and pays tribute to his contribution to various crafts. Made up of over one hundred and fifty works across a variety of media loaned from prestigious institutions, the Cartier Collection has contributed notable archival pieces to the exhibition, including the sword that Cocteau commissioned from the Maison, designed by the artist for his admission into the Académie Française.

Meanwhile, the Venice International Foundation presents Musei delle Lacrime (Museum of Tears) at Museo Correr in partnership with Fondazione Civici Musei di Venezia. This project, conceived by artist Francesco Vezzoli, features works from over twenty years of art-making alongside specially conceived pieces. This is the first time that the Venice International Foundation, whose mission is the safeguarding and protection of Venetian artistic heritage, has invited a contemporary artist to reimagine a venerated space in Venice.

The Maison is supporting the restoration and renovation of two iconic Venice venues, the Teatro Verde and Conservatorio Di Music Benedetto Marcello.

Built between 1953 and 1954 by Luigi Vietti, Teatro Verde is a stunning amphitheatre located on the island of San Giorgio. The theatre has not been in constant use, but now through the Maison’s support, in partnership with The Fondazione Giorgio Cini, renovations are bringing this unique venue closer to its original vision.

The Maison has also supported the Conservatorio Di Musica Benedetto Marcello, in the magnificent setting of the early 17th century Palazzo Pisani a Santo Stefano, to renovate one of its rehearsal rooms, including dramatically improving its acoustics and lighting, installing new fabric lining provided by Venetian artisans, and showcasing its stunning frescoed ceiling.

Celebrating the rich tradition of artisan production in Venice, the Maison also collaborates with Orsoni, the last remaining furnace allowed to operate with fire in Venice, by supporting the creation of La Scola, a centre of excellence and training that continues the development of the ancient craft of Venetian smalti and 24 K gold leaf mosaics production.

In addition, Cartier is supporting an initiative that invites visitors to discover 70 artisanal workshops, where contemporary craftspeople continue the city’s traditions. Homo Faber in Città is an immersive, city-wide addition to Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life, the third edition of Homo Faber Biennial, a celebration of contemporary craftsmanship held at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini on San Giorgio Maggiore island, Venice.