award LOVE & PSYCHE and two collateral awards all'iraniano INVERSION, Open Eyes Award and Prize to Israeli Between Fences Methexis to greek short NUMMI

I had guessed it would not be easy for qualified juries both the official competition, that selection of documentaries and finally to the jury of short films to choose between 39 Also selected works from the prestigious Berlin Film Festival and Cannes. We also can not fail to mention that this has just ended has been a banner year of growth after several years of suffering due to insensitivity of the institutions that should promote culture, only weapon left to bring together the peoples. With a compound program from 90 film, of which 60 Italian previews, European and international, accompanied by many prestigious guests, the MedFilm Festival has again gave direct testimony of the varied cultural and political context that makes only the Euro-Mediterranean area, proposing a festival open model, inclusive and participatory, in which the works and their authors, as well as the public, the press and the festival's staff, They are at the center of a cultural and educational project that makes meeting, dialogue and sharing of ideas, its central point.

The final evening of the festival saw the delivery of the prizes to the winners of the different categories and in particular the P the confermentRemio LOVE AND PSYCHE the Iranian film INVERSION of Behnam Behzadi, also won two other awards awarded by the Jury PiuCulture side and from the University. For the first time in twenty-two years of the festival's history, the same movie the best from the various juries was judged, and thus by a cross and diverse audience, ranging from 17 and up, sign indisputable artistic quality of the work and especially the universality of the issues.

The evening began with an out of the program by the Jury COMPETITION LOVE AND PSYCHE which called for Truth and Justice in the matter of our compatriot Giulio Regeni as well as the Egyptian cinema Yousry Nasrallah has found worthy place on the opening night of the MEDFESTIVAL his film. In particular, the Jury, composed by Federico Pontiggia, Angela Prudenzi, Isabella Ragonese, Claudia Bedogni e Tiziana Lo Porto, It awarded as already said Award LOVE AND PSYCHE Best Picture all'iraniano INVERSION di Behnam Behzadi the following reasons “For the ability to innovate poetically humanist lesson of Iranian cinema, transforming the stifling atmosphere of air in a female sun radiates empathy and hope all latitudes”. Furthermore, the SPECIAL JURY prize went Algerian KINDIL Damien Ounouri the following reasons “For the talent to denounce the reality with stylistic originality returning to the genre its chosen territory: the cinema”. While the ARTISTIC EXPRESSION Award Best Director went to another young Originally algerina Dania Reymond con GARDEN TEST the following reasons “For the happy and joyful reaffirmation of the cinema as a privileged instrument of description and analysis of reality, able to calm the dramatic legacy in Algeria unconditional and confident openness to the future of young generations”. As for the Jury CONTEST OPEN EYES, composed by Roberto Silvestri, Irene Dionisio, Tarek Ben Abdallah, Francesca Bellino and Katia Ippaso, This has given the Prize OPEN EYES Best Documentary to Israeli BETWEEN FENCES the theater director Avi Mograbi the following reasons “A finished work that is current and dramatic theme of forced migration with great respect towards the figure of the refugee who, entering the stage the stage of fiction game, unmasks the theater of cruelty International”. A Special mention went to the Palestinian Jumana Manna with "A MAGICAL SUBSTANCE FLOWS INTO ME" . Finally they were reported by the jury Algerian other "Atlal" Djamel Kerkar and Spanish "INFORME GENERAL II - EL NUEVO RAPTO DE EUROPA" Pere Portabella.

Finally for the section of short films to the participants Methexis COMPETITION, The jury - composed by students from National Schools of Cinema in Morocco, of 'Egypt, Greece, Tunisia, of France, Lebanon, Turkey, Italy, Croatia awarded the Prize Methexis Best Short Film at the greek "NUMMI" Niko Avgoustidi the following reasons: For strong emotions and impressions evoked by the film, for its ability to address social issues related to refugees and how they are welcomed in Europe. And the CERVANTES Short Film Award at the more creative the Portuguese "Batrachian'S BALLAD" Leonor Teles . The jury also awarded a SPECIAL MENTION to the French: "ESTATE" di Ronny Trocket.

how to COLLATERAL AWARDS the PIUCULTURE Award, organized with the online newspaper Piuculture and awarded by a jury of six original Roman citizens from Egypt, Tunisia, Albania, Bangladesh, Syria and Moldova, went as I said at the award-winning INVERSION "To have interwoven with great wisdom and gentleness different problems of today's society - from environmental pollution, which remains a transverse element in different countries, the role of women in Iranian society. All this is made even stronger by excellent acting that eschews any victimhood to capture the most subtle and essential elements. A well-written and well directed film, life rich and full ". Even JURY STUDENTIi the University La Sapienza, Roma Tre, Tor Vergata, John Cabot University and the National Academy of Dramatic Art Silvio d'Amico, They have decreed BEST FILM INVERSION "For the ability to ask questions about their identity, it is dictated by the environment and traditions, or an intimate feel. Analyzing the irruption of modernity and technology in a secular culture, the film leads to a self-critical reflection on individual and collective freedom ". The Honorable Mention of honor went Algerian KINDIL "For the experimental courage and social commentary through the horror genre". While the prize BEST DOCUMENTARY went to the Tunisian zaineb HATES THE SNOW di Kaouther Ben Hania "For the originality with which it was conceived and built, for spontaneity and irony with which a subject is treated more than ever like that of integration between different cultures, for the delicacy with which they develop stories and personal relationships that touch the human side of the viewer ". BEST SHORT FILM has confirmed the greek NUMMI "As reflected the real and current issues, such as the plight of refugees, from the point of view of a child. One of the most successful aspects of the short film is its ability to evoke the harsh reality that lies across the sea ". In addition, the SPECIAL MENTION went to the Egyptian "AIDA" by Maysoon El-Massry ".

Among the novelties of this year the ITS JURY Rossellini who decided that the new BEST FILM and BEST DOCUMENTARY both KINDIL Atlal. The other novelty of this 22th edition was the Cinephilia Screenwriting LAB FOR SHORTS, developed in collaboration with Cinephilia Productions and designed by the director Darine Hotait, the lab is a project that aims to help filmmakers to develop their potential for storytelling, their critical faculties and the specific technical skills. The lab aims to promote the most original voices, visionary and courageous from the Middle East and North Africa. The first Italian edition of Lab on 5 selected projects,of which 3 from the MENA region and 2 Italy was awarded by jury of Darine Hotait, Irene Dionisio and Monica Zapelli the two young Lebanese Farah F. Naboulsi and Dalia Yassine authors of Spindrift.

For what concerns us the OFFICIAL COMPETITION we loved much and we put it in first place the Algerian Kindil Damien Ounouri, the surreal ability to describe in a film between the fantasy and horror the redemption provided to women, followed by Iran Inversion di Behnam Behzadi, highlighting once again the status of women in Iran with a family history, and tied Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces di Yousry Nasrallah, which metaphorically describes the failure of the Arab Spring in Egypt. Fourth place Tunisia Hedi di Mohamed Ben Attia first work that reveals the insecurities of the hero followed by meta-film of the Algerian film The Trial Garden di Dania Reymond. At the rear the French-Tunisian gangster-movie Chouf di Karim Dridi which incorporates tentatively scripts of action movie French.

Our thanks go to all breeders from Gianfranco Pannone, Giulio Casadei, Alessandro Zoppo and Veronica Flora that have enabled the success of this 22nd edition of the MEDFESTIVAL, but also and especially to the tireless director Ginella Vocca who believes in the power of universal dialogue through CINEMA!