For the second year running Lancia will be the main sponsor of the Venice International Film Festival to be held at the Venice Lido. "After our positive experience last year," says Lancia Automobiles' chief executive officer, Olivier François, "Lancia will continue to cultivate its association with the cinema, because cinema is style, class and enthusiasm, tradition and innovation, elegance and character. It represents perfect synergy, a project – cinema – that is linking the seventh art to our brand."

The major novelty this year will be the Lancia Café, a discreet, friendly meeting place on the terrace of the Venice Lido's Hotel Westin Excelsior, where the festival's leading personalities can get together for an aperitif in a refined, relaxing atmosphere. The Lancia Café will also be a venue where up-and-coming talents, producers and the media can meet and that will host one-to-one interviews with directors and actors and press conferences. During the festival the Lancia Café will also provide the setting for a series of events and get-togethers organised by Lancia and others. A truly exclusive, elite venue where every last detail will be completely in line with elegant attitude and quality of the Lancia world. Even the furnishings and materials employed will reflect the refinement and craftsmanship of Lancia interiors. And all of this is enhanced by architectural features that contribute to creating an image of deconstructed, filtered, dynamic space: a non-orthogonal, unconventional environment in line with the uniqueness of Lancia styling.

In addition, Lancia will supply 30 cars for the event, including Musa, Phedra and Thesis models. The sides of all flagships will sport the Golden Lion statuette and the Italian flag as well as the Festival logo. These prestigious cars are the epitome of Italian elegance and will accompany cinema personalities and stars around the Lido and escort them to their appointment with the red carpet.
 

What is more, the brand has chosen Venice to world preview the New Musa, an unmistakable sign of this century-old brand's firm intention to continue to launch outstanding new models.

So by sponsoring the 64th edition of the International Film Festival Lancia confirms its decision to single out the cinema as the cultural form that best identifies with values expressed by the brand and its cars: style, quality of life on board, original and innovative solutions, personality, elegance and attitude. Indeed, in 2006 it was no coincidence that Lancia sponsored Italy's best-known film festivals, in terms of status and style, including Venice itself, the Turin Film Festival, the Future Film Festival and the TrentoFilmFestival. And this deep-rooted bond between Lancia and the seventh art is again emphasised in Italy and abroad in 2007. Without forgetting that the brand uses the cinema in its advertising, choosing locations like Venice and Rome, in addition to internationally known actors and directors.

For instance, this year Lancia won the 38th edition of the Key Award in the Serial Advertising category with its Lancia Musa Diva TV campaign. This TV serial ad comprised 3 commercials broadcast in 2006 and early 2007 starring famous Italian actor, Alessandro Gassman (the first episode set in Venice was launched at the time of the 63rd International Film Festival). Furthermore, continuing in the "Lancia and Cinema" vein, a special series of Lancia Musa entitled "Sky" featuring cinema for car passengers was launched last spring.