BilBOlbul Festival Reimagines Itself for Second Decade

Bologna's comic festival BilBOlbul, now in its eleventh edition, has restructured its format after a decade focused on graphic novels. The new direction embraces intersections between visual poetry, fine art, and narrative imagery, as seen in exhibitions dedicated to Lambé at the Pinacoteca Nazionale and Mattotti at the Accademia di Belle Arti. The festival has shifted from a concentrated three-day November event to a year-long program of ongoing activities. Hamelin, the association directing the festival, has been instrumental in shaping the academic curriculum at Bologna's Accademia, which now hosts one of Italy's most popular comic courses. Emilio Varrà, a Hamelin founder and professor, discusses the festival's evolution, including a new sub-festival called Urca focused on self-publishing without a market space. The festival continues to explore comedy and surrealism, exemplified by a Jacovitti exhibition, while also delving into comic-poetry hybrids. Varrà notes that self-publishing has shifted from ideological opposition to a practical choice for many creators, though he warns of risks like overproduction and lack of editing. Bologna remains a training ground for comic artists, but many leave after forming, as local publishing houses have declined.