After the signing of the historic barrel of Amarone in the Masi cellars, the winners of the award, accompanied by the President of the Foundation Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti , the Vice President Sandro Boscaini and the Secretary Marco Vigevani , went to the village of San Giorgio for the official ceremony in the homonymous Roman-Barbarian parish church (7th century) which dominates a landscape of terraced vineyards up to Lake Garda.
The interesting debate took place in this splendid architectural setting, also broadcast in streaming, moderated by the Radio 24 journalist Alessandro Milan , who led the winners in a conversation on extremely current topics, including the causes of global conflicts, the women's civil rights, ongoing wars, up to the fundamental issues related to access to water and the consequences of climate change. But also health, the post-pandemic and the necessary prevention. Finally, the changes that in recent years have made a prospective review fundamental in various areas, including language. Themes that were perfectly represented by the winners of this forty-second edition.
Doing the honors was Sandro Boscaini , who recalled : “This year the prize has a strong international matrix: we went as far as Persia and Japan to find excellent prize winners and, for the Civiltà Veneta Prize, we have some true 'champions of connection with the roots', who have at the same time been able to bring their work into the world”.
This was followed by institutional greetings from the Mayor of Verona Damiano Tommasi , present at the ceremony: “It is an honor to be here to represent the city, enhanced by the excellence present today. This year's theme made me reflect on the importance of our roots and the courage to create future perspectives."
Roberto Zorzi, Mayor of Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella , also spoke: “For years the Masi Award has brought internationally prestigious personalities to our splendid parish church, who have demonstrated commendable skills. It is also thanks to the contribution of the Foundation and the Masi winery that our territory is now recognized throughout the world."
Even the President of the Veneto Region Luca Zaia wanted to underline the cultural value of the Award with a greeting message to the Presidency of the Foundation: "The Award, which this year has as its main theme "Roots and perspectives", demonstrates the foresight with which Masi and the Boscaini family were able to believe in this cultural valorization project. In fact, culture and business are not two worlds that are so distant and separate, on the contrary they interpenetrate and enrich each other, creating a strong connection that allows the growth of a territory that also stands out for its "business culture" made of values, excellence, love for the land and for what it produces with hard work, wine. The connection we have with our roots is therefore important, because they define a community and its identity, which remains so over time and lays solid foundations for the future".
The institutional greetings were closed by Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti who reiterated how: “Saying 'Roots and Perspectives' is equivalent to saying 'Tradition and Innovation'. These are contradictory terms, but this is precisely what allows us to grow. The Masi Group knows this well, because it is in its DNA, and our award winners also respond well to this combination".
Alessandro Milan opened the debate by presenting all the winners of this edition to the public, praising them as "profoundly current" personalities.
A special dedication from the Iranian director Rakhshan Banietemad for the recognition: “I thank the Foundation board and the jurors. I am honored to receive the Masi Award for my complete work as a director. This award belongs to those, primarily women, whose lives have been a source of inspiration for my works. I will entrust this award to the Iranian Cinema Museum, in honor and memory of the master of Iranian cinema Dariush Mehrjui, violently killed just a few days ago."
Andrea Rinaldo shared with the audience a precious reflection on water, one of the fundamental topics of the present and future: “A resource that is structurally contested: the so-called 'water wars' have accompanied our entire history. And it is still at the center of conflicts as a primary resource. If we think of the Fertile Crescent, which was the origin of the transformation of man, from which cities and religions were born, we can affirm that water is truly a theme that concerns roots and perspectives. It is necessary to generate a collective conscience and make a real adaptation to the new situation imposed by climate change".
Franco Stevanato also expressed his reflection on the topic, summarizing the principles that have guided the success of the family business : "heart and head in the roots, great curiosity and hunger for further growth". In the speech led by Milan, the entrepreneur recounted the commitment with which the Group, present throughout the world, supports a fundamental sector for society such as the pharmaceutical sector, with the aim of constantly improving people's living conditions .
Stimulated by the moderator's questions, Mario Cannella underlined the rich Italian linguistic heritage with illustrious figures starting from Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio and how that of the lexicographer is a frontier profession, which in the last twenty years has seen a profound evolution of the language . “By observing with detachment, you can understand when a term is establishing itself in society and can effectively enter dictionaries. As they say, 'everything flows', and so does the Italian language. In this constantly changing scenario, it is essential to continue research work to maintain the value of the vocabulary."
In the context of new languages, the talk retraced with the double voice of the authors Yuko and Shin Kibayashi , the genesis of the manga "The Drops of God", the object of a resounding success, with millions of copies sold all over the world, born from the their passion for wine and the desire to tell the impressions experienced during the tasting through images. “The language of wine can thus become a common, global language. When we thought of the title we didn't imagine such an international success for our project which, after the TV series, will continue with new features."
At the end of the debate, Milan asked the winners to summarize the concept of "Perspectives": for Rakhshan Banietemad "hope and not losing hope"; for the Kibayashi brothers "witnessing the affirmation of the newly born Japanese wine in the world"; for Mario Cannella “continue with the work and see how the language evolves”; for Franco Stevanato “ambition, opportunity and ability to grow”. Finally, Andrea Rinaldo explained how he sees heterogeneous perspectives, for example drought affects different territories differently.
The ceremony continued with the presentation of the Awards. Two special awards from the Boscaini family were then added, presented by the Prefect of Verona Demetrio Martino . They were received by two collaborators who over time have contributed to the success of Venetian wines in the world.
