At the Origin of the night

Origin tells the story of a city built on water: an ancient dialogue between humankind and the forces of nature, in a fragile and precious balance

The Nuit de la Rive Gauche returns on Thursday, October 30, from 6 to 9 p.m., bringing art, culture, and beauty not to the entire city, but specifically to the Venetian districts of San Polo and Santa Croce.
At the heart of the Nuit is Fondation Valmont, once again proud to offer an unmissable tribute to the most intimate and luminous side of Venice. A nocturnal succession of spaces and artistic languages celebrates contemporary art while naturally looking to the past, revealing the city’s creative energy—an energy that can only arise from beauty and the shared vitality of a living community.
Alongside Fondation Valmont and its Palazzo Bonvicini, currently hosting the must-see exhibition TELEMACHUS. The Quest for Self, participants include Joystick with Cera, Salone Verde with Textile Tradition Transformation, The 2212 with Les Masques de Fondation Valmont, Lunardelli Venezia, and Galleria Lorcan O’Neill featuring Martin Creed and Giuseppe Ducrot. Also taking part is Fondazione dell’Albero d’Oro, which opens the doors of Palazzo Vendramin Grimani in the evening for visits to the exhibition Di storie e di arte. Tre secoli di vita a Palazzo Vendramin Grimani.
The highlight of the Nuit de la Rive Gauche — and a profoundly meaningful one for its message — is the exclusive screening at Palazzo Bonvicini of Origin, the latest work by photographer and filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The film is an extraordinary aerial journey over the Venetian Lagoon, revealing unseen corners and rare perspectives far from the usual clichés of one of the world’s most photographed cities. Through images of exceptional beauty, the lagoon emerges as a landscape suspended between sky and sea, a place where art and nature merge in perfect harmony. A poetic and immersive work that celebrates the origins of Venice and invites reflection on the importance of preserving its beauty.
Origin is also featured at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, strongly supported by Carlo Ratti, in a reduced version, while it premiered out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival — an occasion that allowed us to meet and speak with the internationally renowned French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. His aerial imagery has become his aesthetic hallmark, yet here his vision goes beyond the image itself, offering an homage to the power of nature and to humanity’s enduring capacity for contemplation and respect.

How did the project for your new film Origin come about?
My connection with Venice is long-standing. After a stay in Kenya, I wanted to live in Venice for a while — it seemed the perfect city for photographers. I greatly admired Fulvio Roiter’s work. I published a book, Venice from the Sky, where the Lagoon already appeared as a natural, almost graphic work of art. Later, with Human, presented in 2015 at the 72nd Venice Film Festival, I created new aerial images of the Lagoon and realized that this territory deserved an entire film.
My intention was to give voice to those who live in the Lagoon every day, exploring their intimate relationship with such a fragile environment. When Carlo Ratti proposed a collaboration, the project took shape: I made an initial film, supported by Generali, now shown at the entrance to the Architecture Biennale. Then Alberto Barbera gave me carte blanche to create another film for his festival, and we were able to shoot again here. In May, we were incredibly lucky — stormy, dark, and magnificent skies made the water even more theatrical.
I worked with Giovanni Pellegrini, an extraordinary drone pilot and connoisseur of the Lagoon, who guided us with his traditional bragozzo boat. Much of the film’s success is thanks to him.
Unlike my previous works, Origin has no commercial ambitions: it’s a free, poetic piece, a gift to ourselves. I believe it may be one of the best things I’ve done in recent years. Venice is probably the most photographed city in the world, yet the Lagoon remains mysterious and little known.

How did you work on the Lagoon’s imagery?
We included some archival footage shot by helicopter ten years ago around Burano, Pellestrina, and the outskirts of Venice. Giovanni filmed alone during the winter, and then in spring we completed the shooting from his boat. At the same time, we collaborated with Alison, who introduced us to the ecological issues: the Lagoon is magnificent but fragile.

Why do you choose to use aerial photography in your works?
It all began in Kenya, where to fund my research on lions I piloted hot air balloons. From above, you immediately understand human life: houses, fields, movements. Since then, I’ve published nearly a hundred photography books and made Home with Luc Besson, seen by over 600 million viewers. The aerial perspective remains, for me, a universal key to understanding.

Music plays a fundamental role in your films. What was your choice for Origin?
I wanted to include Vivaldi, a symbolic figure of Venice. My usual composer wasn’t in favor, thinking the choice too predictable. So we brought in a conductor from the Opéra de Versailles, an expert on Vivaldi, together with a composer friend who improvised from his scores. The result is an original, respectful, and at the same time innovative musical dialogue.

What is the gaze of a non-Venetian upon the Lagoon?
Venice evokes an immediate, universal emotion. I’m not Venetian, nor do I speak Italian, but this city enchants me every time. It has managed to preserve a rare authenticity.

Where will it be possible to see Origin again?
It’s not a work destined for traditional cinema or television circuits — it’s an artistic experience that will find its place in spaces of contemplation.

What are your future projects?
Yes, Carlo Ratti would like me to develop a project I care deeply about for the next Architecture Biennale. As I did with Woman, I’d like to make a film of interviews — but this time not about architects or clients, rather about those who are rarely mentioned: the workers, artisans, and laborers from Africa, Asia, and other continents who physically construct these buildings. The great names — Renzo Piano, Frank Gehry — are always celebrated, but almost never the hands that shape the material. I’d like to give them a central place.

Featured image: © Hope Production