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On the video screen scenes of a gondola floating down a canal. “Of course music will be added later,” said the filmmaker, “this is the early stages”. We’d met him at one of Ficino’s parties and he had invited us over to view some of what he called his raw footage. The camera zoomed in on the Chinese gondoliers face. “This was taken in Venice Aquatic City in Hangzhou,” said the filmmaker, “an imitation Venice in China. I also have footage of an imitation Venice in the United States, and an imitation Venice in Japan. My plan is to film all the imitation Venices in the world so people can experience imitation Venice without leaving their homes.”