Snowden

Screening of the film Snowden (2016) directed by Oliver Stone. A film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, and Tom Wilkinson

Guests of the evening: Giada Messetti (sinologist) Roberta Cocco (academic and expert in digital transformation)

The screening of Snowden will take us to the heart of one of the most talked-about cases of the 21st century, where secrecy, technology and civil responsibility intertwine in a story that has redefined the global debate on surveillance, privacy and digital freedom. Oliver Stone's film, through the story of Edward Snowden, raises crucial questions about the relationship between citizens, governments and increasingly pervasive technological infrastructures.

Following the screening, a discussion with Giada Messetti (sinologist) and Roberta Cocco (academic and expert in digital transformation) will offer a detailed look at the geopolitical and cultural implications of data control, analysing the differences between models of digital governance and the challenges that arise in a connected and hyper-surveilled world.

The evening will conclude with a debate open to the public, who are invited to contribute questions and reflections to enrich the discussion.

Discussion with

Massimo Temporelli

Physicist and science communicator

Massimo Temporelli has a degree in physics and worked for 10 years as a curator at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. Today, he is an entrepreneur in digital fabrication, a consultant and keynote speaker on innovation, with a particular focus on the relationship between humans and technology, including all the anthropological and sociological repercussions that this relationship entails and will entail.

He is president and co-founder of TheFabLab, a digital fabrication laboratory based in Milan. He was a TEDx speaker in 2012 (Florence) and 2020 (Turin). He has made popular science television programmes for Sky and Rai. He is the author and voice of the famous podcast F***ing Genius (Storielibere.fm). He writes for Wired and Millionaire magazines and his latest book is Noi siamo tecnologia (We Are Technology) (Mondadori, Strade blu, 2021). In 2016, he won the “Federico Faggin Innovation Award”. He has been an ambassador for AIRC since 2017.

Giada Messetti

Sinologist and television author

Giada Messetti is a sinologist and television author. She is a populariser and commentator on topics related to China on television, in theatre, on radio, at conferences and festivals, and in newspapers and periodicals. Every Thursday, she co-hosts the programme “Uno, nessuno, 100Milan” on Radio24. She has published a trilogy of essays on China for Mondadori: Nella testa del Dragone (Inside the Dragon's Head, 2020), La Cina è già qui (China is Already Here, 2022) and La Cina è un'aragosta (China is a Lobster, 2025).

Roberta Cocco

Academic and expert in digital transformation

Roberta Cocco is an expert in digital transformation, an academic and member of the STEP scientific committee. She is a former advisor to the Minister for Technological Innovation and Digital Transition in the Draghi government and former Councillor for Digital Transformation and Civic Services for the Municipality of Milan. She has had a long career at Microsoft, holding managerial positions at national and international level, culminating in her role as Director of National Plan Development for Western Europe, covering 12 countries.

She is an adjunct professor at Bocconi University and LIUC in Castellanza. Committed to civil rights, particularly gender equality and the dissemination of digital culture, she is a member of several national and international networks. She is an independent advisor on several boards. In 2010, she was awarded the title of “Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” (Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) by the President of the Republic.