THEThe Ariston stage is preparing for a moment of profound civil reflection. During the final evening Of Sanremo 2026, Gino Cecchettin will take the stage to talk about gender violence and officially present the initiatives of the Giulia Cecchettin Foundation. The story of Giulia, the young student whose life was tragically cut short in November 2023, has become a painful symbol that Italy cannot and does not want to forget. Today, that wound turns into a necessary educational missioncarried out by her father Gino to honor the memory of his daughter and raise awareness in society about the scourge of feminicides.
The advert for the Giulia Cecchettin Foundation: the banality of evil in a restaurant
In conjunction with the Festival, the Foundation launches a new spot of strong impactmade by Cookies Agency directed by Simone Godano. The film portrays an everyday scene: a group of male friends sits at a table in a restaurant. Between one laugh and another, one emerges narrative made of minimized comments: toxic jealousies and photos shared without consent they are declassified to “simple jokes”. This apparent normality hides an escalation that culminates in one extremely serious phrase, promptly trivialized by the group as soon as the women return to the table. It is the precise story of how the culture of abuse often hides behind apparently affectionate gestures.
If we don’t change, only the names will change
The heart of the message is contained in the sentence that closes the video: «Violence does not arise suddenly. It creeps into our culture. If we don’t change, only the names of the victims will change.”. The advert points the finger at the normalization of bad behaviour, inviting men to take responsibility for intervening among peers to stop small daily abuses.
Violence is almost never an isolated outburst of anger, but a process that grows in the words and looks that we choose not to contest. The objective of the Giulia Cecchettin Foundation is precisely this: tackling the problem at its root through prevention. Alongside the video, the Foundation also created a radio commercial to which Francesco Pannofino lent his voice.
The words of Gino Cecchettin, the presence at Sanremo 2026 and the duty to act
For Gino Cecchettinpresident of the Foundation, the presence of Sanremo 2026 and the launch of the video are fundamental steps to build a different future. «This commercial invites us to look honestly into our daily lives. Violence arises in language, in the justifications we give ourselves, in small forms of control which we continue to call normal”, he underlined. Giulia’s father’s commitment is an appeal to the collective conscience: «We have the duty to interrupt this mechanism and consciously choose respect, listening, responsibility. The Foundation was created to build a future in which no woman will ever have to become a name on a list of victims.”
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