Lucca Comics & Games 2023 Fest Offers Something for Every Fan, From ‘Harry Potter’ to ‘Hunger Games’
After two pandemic years and a successful 2022 edition back in full swing, Lucca Comics & Games — Europe’s biggest geek meet, second in size globally only to Tokyo’s Comiket — is set to unspool again in the picturesque Tuscan town from Nov. 1-5. In the turbulent times of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the gathering will offer its 80,000 daily visitors a slew of movies, series, comics, games, video games, concerts and live events.
“We’re the only festival in the world having a red carpet and a large cinema-focused component that is not primarily a film festival. Lucca is a great hybrid event,” Lucca chief Emanuele Vietina tells Variety ahead of the event’s launch.
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The big star of Day One will be Michel Gondry, who will attend the opening ceremony and host a masterclass covering his body of work, including his latest, “The Book of Solutions.”
Giovanni Cova, head of the entertainment marketing company QMI who is in charge of the film and TV section, admits there will be fewer stars in town, but adds: “Nevertheless, we were hit [by the strike] less than others. Lucca is not so red carpet-, actor-focused. It’s a fest attracting a ‘trained’ audience who may find it more interesting [meeting with] directors and screenwriters.”
Other film and TV highlights of this year’s edition include Frank Miller’s presence celebrating the 30th anniversary of Zack Snyder’s epic “300,” Shawn Levy’s new Netflix series “All the Light We Cannot See,” Eli Roth’s slasher “Thanksgiving,” Hayao Miyazaki’s much-anticipated “The Boy and the Heron,” Blumhouse-produced horror “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (based on the titular video game franchise) and a special fan screening of “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”
“Over the last few years, we benefited from the rise of Italian genre cinema. And, every year, there are more and more Italian movies in line with our target audience,” says Cova as he presents the rich local lineup. Some of the buzziest titles are Manetti Bros.’ “Diabolik 3″; Amazon Prime comedy “Elf Me,” starring popular comedian Lillo; Maccio Capatonda’s surreal “Il migliore dei mondi”; Netflix crime series “Suburræterna”; Enzo D’Alò’s Ireland-set animation “A Greyhound of a Girl,” based on Roddy Doyle’s novel of the same name; and RAI teen drama fantasy “Noi siamo leggenda,” helmed by “The Sea Beyond’s” Carmine D’Elia. Other famed Italian guests include Franco Nero, Giancarlo Giannini and the music duo Oliver Onions, best known for scoring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill’s films.
The theme of this year’s edition is “Together.” The focus is on “small communities who love a [given] piece of content, and enjoy it alone in their everyday life.” “But when they come to Lucca, they meet with each other and can interact with the creators of that [piece of] content,” says Cova. Together with Vietina, he explains how the program will be a godsend to the fan bases of many popular franchises.
A “Jurassic Park”-themed installation celebrating the saga’s 30th anniversary, “Barbie”- and “One Piece”-themed parades, exhibitions celebrating pop icons such as “Doctor Who,” “Harry Potter” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe and the Batman-themed pavilion Gotham Shadows are only some of the gems ready to please the crowds filling the streets of Lucca. Moreover, attendees will enjoy the opening of two brand-new spaces: an 1,800-seat esports stadium, sponsored by Riot Games (the studio behind gaming hits like “League of Legends” and “Valorant”), and the Isybank Community Village, set to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Lucca Games hosting live-streamed events, web creators and cosplay enthusiasts, among others.
“This will be a special edition for one more reason,” adds Vietina. “This year, Lucca will host nine mangakas; it’s almost like a wave. Differently from San Diego and New York [Comic-Cons], which are led by North American productions, Angoulême being bound to French-Belgian ones, and Comiket driven by Japan’s domestic market, Lucca is the world’s only hub dedicated to comics which manages to ‘speak’ to everyone, from West to East.” Japanese manga artists heading to Italy include Hiro Mashima, Naoki Urasawa, Keigo Shinzo, Kan Takahama and Shintaro Kago.
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