The aim of the festival is not just the mere screening of works, but most importantly, the joining of people who contribute to the festival, allowing time for dialogue, stimulating interconnections and cultural exchange as well as triggering debates on art and film matters, thus creating a dynamic platform for future projects. Correct environment is essential in order to gain easy access to principal and side events, and to have them concentrated within nearby areas; small cities are far less dispersive than big ones and therefore better suit the award’s multi-faced program which will easily create interest amongst the public. Screening facilities play an important role due to the award’s very specific character, always on the cutting edge between film and visual contemporary art, “debating” on context issues related to “presentation places”.
When Cinema Lux in Lugano first offered me the opportunity to host the festival in its halls, I have been immediately attracted by this very particular and quite renown cinema, both for its cultural program and its architecture, which I believe is the perfect location context to convey Fair_Play’s concept.
Lugano has an intense socio-political and cultural history. Very near both to Milan and Zürich, the city has a remarkable international background also due to its universities and of course financial institutions.
The award program requirements, both in terms of public and private structures as well as available spaces, are therefore perfectly fulfilled. Lugano’s geographic, urban and marvellous natural context create a perfect atmosphere to host the award’s events. The authorities of the city of Lugano have committed themselves and will continue to do so in the future in order to establish a very strong and internationally recognised cultural network with which the festival is of course looking forward to actively collaborate in the development of synergies. Based on the above mentioned arguments the management of the award decided to accept the offer made by Francesco Juilland and Maurice Nguyen, to bring FairPlay 2008 in Lugano at Cinema Lux Massagno.

Maurice Nguyen_
born in Hanoi North Vietnam in 1947. Has made his experience in Losanne within the field of cinematographic distribution, production and sales.
In 1976 he moved to Lugano, where in 2003 become manager of the Cinema LUX in Massagno with the ambition of screening arthouse films.
In 2005 the Swiss-Italian television has produced Mohammed Soudani’s documentary titled Maurice un Apolide Passepartout. He is currently following the production of Raviolis, film which will be shot in Switzerland, France and Vietnam.

Francesco Juilland_
producer and president of Eight Dragons Media Fund and founder of Film Production Enterprise Iguana which produced the critically acclaimed Iguana directed by Monte Hellman. As head of acquisitions in Eurostar International HE acquired films such as A Better Tomorrow 1 & 2, Savage Nights and Lawn Mower Man. In 1996 he produced Homer: Portrait of the Artist in his Old Days which won the David di Donatello award for Best Screenplay. He later become executive producer of Mediacube and Greencube, (commercial production companies).
In 1998 he co-founded Mediacube USA Inc. Then he set up the entertainment division of Interactive Group, which fully produce original content for over 18 TV Channels. In 2004 he produced six movies with Franchise Pictures and Warrner Brothers. He worked for S. Stallone, R. De Niro, J. Nicholson, A. Hopkins, B. Willis, J. Lopez, just to name few.