E La Nave Va by Fellini Film Poster Silkscreen Print
US$ 275.00
Color silkscreen on paper.
Edition of 50 (2019).
Size: 50 x 70 cm (19.5″ x 27.5″).
Artist: Claudio Sotolongo.
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Created by Cuban graphic artist Claudio Sotolongo, this E La Nave Va film poster draws on the legacy of the celebrated Cuban film poster tradition, a globally recognized design movement distinguished by its bold graphic language and conceptual depth. This limited-edition silkscreen print was inspired by E La Nave Va (And the Ship Sails On), the 1983 film by Italian director Federico Fellini.
The design emphasizes graphic contrast and atmospheric weight. A massive steamship occupies the center of the composition, rendered in stark geometric black, cutting into a cloud-saturated sky. Using layered halftone textures and minimalist colorwork, Sotolongo evokes the surreal tone of Fellini’s film without relying on literal figuration. The result is a restrained yet cinematic image that bridges auteur cinema and screen-printed poster art.
This edition forms part of a curated series commissioned by Cartelón with the support of the European Union Commission, created for the 2018 Restored European Classic Films initiative. It stands as a contemporary response to European film history, filtered through the lens of Cuban poster-making.
The Cuban Film Poster Tradition
Sotolongo’s work belongs to a wider graphic lineage shaped by the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC), whose posters for international and Cuban films became renowned for their experimental typographies, symbolic imagery, and strong visual authorship. In 2017, the Cuban film poster collection was inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, recognizing its value as a form of documentary and artistic heritage.
This E La Nave Va film poster carries forward that tradition, situating graphic design as a space of critical and poetic engagement with film. Sotolongo distills Fellini’s vision into an image that stands on its own as a work of contemporary art.
Claudio Sotolongo is a Cuban graphic designer, professor, and exhibition curator. A graduate of the Instituto Superior de Diseño (ISDI) in 2006, with a Master’s in Design Management and Innovation, since 2010 he has been a professor at the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Havana.
Specializing in poster design, Sotolongo has created more than thirty works for the Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC) and numerous cultural projects. He has organized design contests and exhibitions such as Diseño Incómodo: 10 años de diseño gráfico cubano y polaco, Filmes Clásicos, Diseño Contemporáneo, and 25 años del ISDI. He also co-wrote the documentary Poética Gráfica Insular (2007) and has collaborated on design projects for the Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano.
Sotolongo’s posters have earned multiple awards, including the Premio Coral de cartel at the 40th Havana Film Festival (2018) for Últimos días de una casa, and first prize in the Casa Tomada poster competition organized by Casa de las Américas. As a curator, he has organized or contributed to exhibitions on Cuban cinema posters in Havana, Los Angeles, London, and Basel. He is coauthor of the books Soy Cuba: Cuban Cinema Posters From After the Revolution (Trilce Ediciones, 2011) and Ciudadano Cartel (Ediciones ICAIC, 2011).
Released in 1983, E La Nave Va (And the Ship Sails On) is one of Federico Fellini’s final films. Its plots revolves around a surreal and allegorical voyage set aboard a steamship carrying the ashes of a famous opera singer. As aristocrats, artists, and political exiles gather onboard, the ship becomes a stage for reflection on European decline, cultural vanity, and the absurdity of war. Known for its theatrical staging, artificial sets, and episodic narrative, the film blurs the line between cinema and opera, artifice and memory. It remains a late-period masterwork, rich in symbolism and imbued with Fellini’s signature blend of irony and melancholy.
Not familiar with it yet? Catch the trailer for E la nave va (And the Ship Sails On) below and enter Fellini’s richly baroque world.
