Official, Audience and Independent Awards

GOLDEN GENTIAN - GRAND PRIX CITY OF TRENTO

For the film that best represents the cultural objectives inspiring the Festival overall, being of high artistic quality.

6000€

Donde los árboles dan carne

Alexis Franco

Argentina, Spain, United States / 2024 / 72' / Italian premiere

With an intimate yet powerful gaze, Alexis Franco takes us deep into the heart of the Argentine Pampa, where different generations face the consequences of desertification and the dissolution of a world that once seemed unchangeable. The director crafts a film suspended between fiction and reality: a humanist neo-western that deconstructs and reimagines the masculine myth of the gaucho, restoring dignity and fragility to a community that still resists without rhetoric. The narrative unfolds through daily gestures and arid landscapes, evoking a silent epic that questions our relationship with the land and with time.

GOLDEN GENTIAN CAI - ITALIAN ALPINE CLUB

For the best film on mountaineering.

3000€

Adra

Emma Crome

United Kingdom / 2023 / 53' / Italian premiere

Adra brings us on a wild ride through the history, culture and community of North Wales, one of the worlds most vibrant epicentres for rock climbing. It brings out the essence, the heart and soul of climbing, from its rebellious spirit to how it brings people together and gives them a sense of belonging. We get pulled into the diverse landscape of North Wales and this film makes us want to go there and possibly share a rope with some of the funky characters. But most importantly it reminds us that even though ropes and carabiners can be useful for climbing, you should never forget to bring the style.

GOLDEN GENTIAN CITY OF BOLZANO-BOZEN

For the best exploration or adventure movie.

3000€

All The Mountains Give

Arash Rakhsha

Iran / 2023 / 90' / Italian premiere

Not everyone has the luxury of doing difficult journeys for pleasure alone. We salute the film’s director, cinematographer and editor, Arash Rakhsha, who early in life was forced by circumstance to be a smuggler himself, but who then taught himself filmmaking skills of a very high level and returned over six years to film the harsh life of his smuggler friends. He shares their dangerous journeys and intimately portrays their family life and their fading dreams for a better future. We admire the filmmaker’s multi-skilled contribution, and acknowledge the haunting music score, which he, as both director and editor, incorporated so well.

SILVER GENTIAN

For the best artistic-technical contribution.

1500€

Perfectly a Strangeness

Alison McAlpine

Canada / 2024 / 15' / Italian premiere

Through an original use of time-lapse and the hyperrealist cinematography, Perfectly a Strangeness transforms the Chilean desert into a suspended landscape, where the high definition of the image feeds a profound sense of wonder in the face of the cosmos. The director Alison McAlpine and the cinematographer Nicolas Canniccioni create a sensory experience that is both ironic and moving: a short, dialogue-free film, visually stunning, paying tribute to other iconic four-legged protagonists of cinema—such as those immortalized by Bresson and Skolimowski—offering a poetic reflection on wonder and otherness.

SILVER GENTIAN

For the best short film.

1500€

Anngeerdardardor

Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakken

Greenland, Denmark / 2025 / 19' / Italian premiere

For its rare ability to intertwine narrative delicacy, visual strength, and authenticity, telling, with a pure and sincere gaze, the isolation and longing for connection felt by those who see themselves as different. An intimate story that becomes universal.

JURY PRIZE

2000€

The Wolves Always Come at Night

Gabrielle Brady

Australia, Mongolia, Germany / 2024 / 97' / Italian premiere

From the very beginning, director Gabrielle Brady constructs a hypnotic vision that immerses us in the daily life of a Mongolian family. With great sensitivity and a close, humanistic gaze, she crafts a hybrid film that weaves together fictional scenes created in collaboration with the protagonists. With a steady and profound narrative rhythm, Brady alternates between moments of the family's daily work—such as herding sheep—and instances of intimate familial joy. She does not shy away from blending lighthearted happiness with the weight of drama, as seen when Davaasuren, the father, discovers that a sandstorm has killed much of his flock, or when he is forced to sell his beloved horse in order to move to the city. The character wrestles internally with the uncertainty of the future and his deep attachment to his surroundings, and as viewers, we accompany him on that emotional journey. The strangeness of this new and hostile urban environment allows the director to introduce a poetic note: the dreamlike return of the cherished horse in a symbolic sequence that suggests a glimmer of hope amid the displacement.

T4FUTURE AWARD

An award established by Trento Film Festival in 2022 – For the best work in the T4Future film section.
The jury is made up of pupils at secondary schools in Trentino: Nadia Schmid e Giulio Guella (Liceo Classico Giovanni Prati); Cristiano Salfati (Liceo Scientifico Leonardo da Vinci), Raffaele Tomasi, Giacomo Perenzoni, Eugenio Gregori (Collegio Arcivescovile di Trento), Livio Ducati e Simone Rubini (Liceo delle Arti Vittoria di Trento).

Tête en l'air

Rémi Durin

France / 2023 / 11'

Tête en l'air impressed us not only with its well-finished graphics, but also with its message, inviting us to observe even the smallest details that others ignore. It is a short film suitable for all ages: children will be engaged by a story that is intriguing in itself, while adults can grasp the deeper hidden meanings and appreciate it even more."

The jury would like to give a special mention to “Mountain Roots”, the documentary most closely aligned with the theme of the festival. We were struck by the sensitivity with which it tells the story of the area and by an external perspective that succeeds in enhancing it: it is great to see someone come from outside and appreciate so deeply what we have to offer."

MOUNTAIN ROOTS

Carrie McCarthy, Mark Pedri

Stati Uniti, Italia / 2025 / 28'

AUDIENCE AWARD - BEST MOUNTAINEERING FILM
 ROTARI

For the mountaineering, climbing and adventure film, of any length, most voted by the audience among all the films in the program.

Eternal Solo

Andrea Cossu

Italy / 2025 / 35' / Italian premiere

AUDIENCE AWARD - BEST FULL-LENGTH FILM 
DAO - CONAD

For the film most voted by the audience among the feature documentaries in Competition.

SKI - The Greatest Ski Tour Of All Time

Nikolai Schirmer

Norway / 2024 / 96' / Italian premiere

MARIO BELLO AWARD

Established by the Film Centre and Film Library of Club Alpino Italiano - For the film that best reflects the values and ideals of Club Alpino Italiano.

1500€

The jury, made up of Monica Brenga (Jury President), Marco Blatto and Marco Ribetti , has decided to assign the "Mario Bello" Award to the film:

On The Blunt End

Joseph Walker

United Kingdom / 2024 / 15' / International premiere

Our world takes concrete form in many ways: there are many signs that must coexist. It is up to us to bind them together into a single rope, flexible and at the same time resistant. An intimate film supported by an attentive visual narrative, it is universal in terms of its values of sharing, acceptance and the ability to embrace different life scenarios without abandoning one’s passions and the people one loves.

RAI TRENTO AWARD

Established by the RAI branch in Trento - For the best documentary on current affairs.

750€

The jury, made up of Sergio Pezzola (Jury President), Walter Perinelli and Stefano Uccia has assigned the 2023 RAI award at Trento Film Festival to the documentary:

Svalbard: Silent Games

Francesco Biscaglia

Italy / 2025 / 52' / Italian premiere

The documentary bears witness to how an international conflict can have major repercussions on the life of a small community in an isolated place in the world. In Norway's SvalBard archipelago (cold coasts) in the Arctic Ocean, with a wealth of coal mines, the 2970 inhabitants have coexisted peacefully for many years. They include Ukrainian miners and Russian and Norwegian office workers, divided by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Social relations and communal games have been suspended, while the Ukrainians have returned home to support the fighters. Intimate interviews accompanied by images of a desolate landscape and historic images of everyday life show how coexistence was possible and can still be so. The hope and wish is thus that the conflict will end and that times of harmony and socialisation between the different ethnic groups will return. The straightforward and simple narrative leaves time for the viewer to think and reflect, and despite being weighed down by the inclusion of some amateur footage, portrays a dramatic situation with evocative images of the Arctic landscape. The award is intended above all to emphasize the social aspects of global conflicts rendered silent but not absent by the vastness of the Arctic.

DOLOMITES WORLD HERITAGE AWARD


Established by the Fondazione Dolomiti UNESCO and SAT Società Alpinisti Tridentini - For the best film documenting the awareness within communities of the exceptional universal values recognised by UNESCO and the ability to carry out active conservation of the area.

1000€

The jury, made up of da Mauro Pascolini (Jury President), Massimiliano Corradini, Cinzia Fedrizzi, Annibale Salsa, has decided to award the prize to the film:

Muyeres

Marta Lallana

Spain / 2023 / 77' / Italian premiere

In the mountains of Austurias, thanks to old recordings collected by a musicologist, a number of elderly women relive their life in a rural community, revealing the value of singing. The film, masterfully shot in black and white, with moments of extraordinary lyrical force, is also a journey into the past and present lives of the protagonists, who become custodians of a unique intangible heritage to be defended and handed down.

The jury for the prize has also decided to award a special mention to the film:

MISIÓN KIPI

Sonaly Tuesta

Peru / 2024 / 80' / Italian premiere

Motivation – The film is a testimony to the ethical value of an educational project put into effect in remote Andean villages by a teacher at the time of the pandemic, with a robot made from recycled materials. During the adventurous encounters with schoolchildren, the transmission of traditional knowledge represents an innovative proposal for the use of artificial intelligence to overcome isolation and foster the social inclusion of communities.

STUDENTS’ AWARD - UNIVERSITIES OF TRENTO, BOLZANO AND INNSBRUCK


Established by the Universities of Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck - For a work of particular cultural value made by a director under the age of 33.

1500€

The international jury for the prize, made up of Alessia Marzocca, Davide Coniglio, Catherine Sogra Hansye (UniTn), Letizia Nicolini, Alice Collareta, Carmine Auricchio (UniBz), Nitz Thaler Elija, Alina Rundl, Lisa Anesi (Innsbruck) has decided to award the 2025 special prize offered by these institutions to:

Conigli al Cimitero

Filippo Maria Pontiggia

Italy / 2024 / 28' / Italian premiere

The film stands out for its ability to tackle a topical issue with stratified sensitivity, offering the audience multiple levels of interpretation. This short work is striking thanks to the elegant choices in terms of direction choices, framing and editing. The strength of the film also lies in its close connection with the local area. Pontiggia shows concrete and consistent commitment in the implementation of a project combining aesthetics, content and context.

The jury has also decided to award two special mentions to

O JARDIM EM MOVIMENTO

Inês Lima

Portogallo / 2024 / 18'

Motivazione

and

MUYERES

Marta Lallana

Spagna / 2023 / 77'

ANTHROPOCENE MUSE AWARD

Established by MUSE, Trento Science Museum - It is assigned to the work that best recounts the relationship between nature and mankind in the Anthropocene epoch.

1000€

The jury, made up of Stefano Bruno Galli (Jury President), Massimo Bernardi, Elisabetta Filosi, Christian Casarotto, Davide Dalpiaz, Fabio Pupin, Luca Scoz, has unanimously decided to award the prize to the film:

Apple Cider Vinegar

Sofie Benoot

Belgium / 2024 / 80'

The film approaches the subject of the Anthropocene from a different perspective. Full of humour and melancholy, it reflects on our relationship with nature through rocks and minerals, a world we consider to be an inert substratum and nothing more, and which is instead shown to be alive, dynamic and inextricably linked to our existence. A film that is in its turn stratified and complex: the diary of a quest, an existential investigation and a reflection at global level.

PREMIO MUSEO ETNOGRAFICO TRENTINO SAN MICHELE

Established by the Museo etnografico trentino San Michele - For the film best documenting the traditions and customs of mountain people with ethno-anthropological documentary accuracy.

1500€

The jury, made up of Ezio Amistadi (Jury President), Luca Faoro and Armando Tomasi, has awarded the prize to the film:

How to Lease a Cow

Livni Holtz, Sebastian Reinicke, Nicolas Seiler

Switzerland / 2024 / 27' / Italian premiere

Constructed around the narrative keystone of the “Tagwanne” system, a way of measuring community work that was once a symbol of the agricultural/woodland/pasture economy, the documentary stands out for its skilful use of photography and intelligent alternation of evocative interviews and picturesque panoramas, taking us on a journey through the past and the present and inviting us to reflect on extremely topical issues, such as the fragility of the mountains, and climate and economic changes.

CINEMA FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD

The Prize is a joint initiative of the Fondazione Campana dei Caduti and the Forum Trentino per la Pace e i Diritti Umani – For the work that best communicates the underlying values of the two institutions and that raises public awareness about issues related to human rights, peace, sustainability, and awareness and dialogue between peoples and cultures.

1000€

The jury, made up of Katia Malatesta (Jury President), Marco Marsilli, Morena Berti, Lorenzo Saiani and Riccardo Santoni, has decided to award the prize to the film:

All The Mountains Give

Arash Rakhsha

Iran / 2023 / 90' / Italian premiere

Through the perspective of the director and cameraman, deeply involved having experienced at first hand the conditions for Kurdish communities forced to work as Kolbari along the Iranian border, the film exploits all the possibilities of documentary cinema, portraying the totally precarious life of people without rights or a homeland with stylistic excellence. In the everyday details of the protagonists’ lives, the author captures the close link between poverty, labour exploitation and loss of freedom of choice, but also a courageous capacity for resilience rooted in the dignity of relationships.

GREEN FILM AWARD

Set up by the Agenzia Provinciale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente and Trentino Film Commission - The prize is awarded to the film that most effectively expresses environmental protection and sustainability values and practices, with particular attention for the mountain environment and climate change.

1500€

The jury, made up of Marco Niro (Jury President), Lavinia Laiti and Linnea Marzagora has awarded the prize to the film:

The Wolves Always Come at Night

Gabrielle Brady

Australia, Mongolia, Germany / 2024 / 97' / Italian premiere

A delicate, powerful and symbolic film recounting the effects of climate change on a family of shepherds, a community and a whole world that is disappearing, touching on the often forgotten but crucial issue of climate migrants.

A special mention goes to:

À QUI LE MONDE

Marina Russo Villani, Victor Missud

Francia, Benin / 2024 / 45'

Motivation – A film that tells a story of adaptation in a lyrical way, with touches of magical realism, striking a chord and leaving the viewer with hope, entrusted to the resilience of those who have tried to turn the invasion of an alien species into a resource.

AMELIA DE ECCHER AWARD - FOR WOMEN ACTIVE IN FILM AND MOUNTAINS

Established by Riccarda de Eccher - In memory of Amelia de Eccher, for women on both sides of the camera.

1000€

The jury, made up of Elena Goatelli (Jury President), Ingrid Runggaldier and Linda Cottino, has awarded the prize to the film:

Trog

Ella Hochleitner

Austria / 2024 / 120' / Italian premiere

The director allows us to enter the house, which for many years has hosted a family and its stories, with slowness and a sense of inevitability. The viewer witnesses the re-emergence of terrible memories that intertwine with each other, until they compose a collective portrait of the matriarch, a strong woman marked by tragedy. The director manages, with great delicacy, to bring to the surface what is normally hidden and voluntarily removed, thus redeeming a female story destined for oblivion.

"CITY OF IMOLA” AWARD

Established by C.A.I. Imola branch and Municipality of Imola - Assigned to the fiction or documentary film work that stands out from the others in terms of its artistic and technical quality, emphasis on the underlying values of CAI, and the originality of the issues dealt with and/or the story recounted.

1000€

The jury, made up of Tamara Lunger (Jury President), Mauro Bartoli, Carlo Machirelli, Nicoletta Favaron, Giacomo Gambi and Giuseppe Savini, has decided to award the prize to the film:

Altrove

Gabriele Canu

Italy / 2025 / 50' / Italian premiere

It is an intimate and silent direction that draws us into the journey of Alessandro, Alberto, Armando and Matteo, four climbers who find themselves in an undefined place, almost suspended in time. An unexplored “elsewhere”, where pure mountaineering performance leaves space for adventure, irony, the authenticity of bonds and the desire to find one's own personal equilibrium, far from superfluous needs and the standards of modern society. A struggle against fear, in which the relationship between man and nature aligns with the values of Club alpino italiano.

EUSALP AWARD. WHAT KEEPS ME HERE

Established by Autonomous Province of Trento - The EUSALP Prize is awarded to the work that has best grasped the spirit underlying the alpine macroregion, namely issues such as sustainability and inclusion, with particular reference to regions encouraging people to choose the alpine environment as a place to live and work.

1500€

The jury, made up of Simone Marchiori (Jury President), Alessandra Cordiano, Alessandro Gretter, Paola Raia, Laura Ravanelli, Elisabetta Sovilla, has awarded the prize to the film:

Le Capre di Margone

Misheck Shikabeta

Italy / 2024 / 16' / Italian premiere

The values and spirit underpinning the Alpine macro-region, namely sustainability, inclusion and promotion of the Alpine area as a place to live and work, are impeccably interpreted in this documentary. Even the almost amateur nature of the film does not obscure the originality and freshness of the message, succeeding in fully highlighting the process of the circular economy alongside the tenacity of the lifestyle promoted by young entrepreneurs linked to the culture of the local area. The resistance and permanence of agricultural/woodland/pasture activities through recovery of ancient farming methods are an emblem for mountain communities struggling to remain alive and appealing. The documentary is therefore an authentic interpretation of the EUSALP Award theme ‘What keeps me here’.

The jury also wishes to award a special mention to

MOUNTAIN ROOTS

Carrie McCarthy, Mark Pedri

Stati Uniti, Italia / 2025 / 28'

Motivation – For the intense interpretation of the passage and bond between generations. A story of lucky, necessary and courageous emigration to unknown places that are as magnificent as the mountains drawing the viewer to this compelling story. The excitement of discovery transmitted with naturalness and astonishment through the protagonist's eyes in the ritual ‘return to one’s roots’ and the respect for the mountains conveyed in artistic, at times poetic and moving ways, a value transcending the distance between countries and different landscapes, are particularly worthy of note.

CINCANTA

Paolo Vinati

Italia / 2024 / 22'

MOTIVATION – In a cultural context representing the idea of community and its preservation along with its traditions, Cincanta is an example of integrity. The church and care for the church through the ritual of prayer represent the heart of emotional and tenacious attachment to one's religious culture, without in any way disturbing the availability and universality of the message implied. The ritual of praying in the village chapel is open to everyone and invites reflection, in an almost secular manner. The sense of community and cross-over between different age groups becomes a symbol and defence of the identity and traditions of a community that does not surrender to a changing world.

CinemAMoRe AWARD

Established jointly by Rovereto International Archaeological Film Festival, Trento Film Festival and Religion Today Film Festival - For the best work/movie/documentary in the Near Horizons section featuring directors, productions, stories and protagonists from Trentino Alto Adige.

The jury, made up of Andrea Morghen, Claudia Beretta and Augusto Marsigliante, has unanimously decided to award the prize for the “Near Horizons” section, to the film:

Svalbard: Silent Games

Francesco Biscaglia

Italy / 2025 / 52' / Italian premiere

In the tragic context of a war that divides peoples and communities, the film recounts a humanity that does not surrender and tries to overcome divisions, even in a remote area such as Svalbard. In the jury's opinion, the young director's work best embodies the spirit of the three festivals (RAM, RT and TFF), linking them with an imaginary common thread: it reconstructs memories with archive footage and investigates the religious-symbolic aspect through significant images, without neglecting exploration of the place.

The jury for the prize has also decided to award a special mention to the film:

CONIGLI AL CIMITERO

Filippo Maria Pontiggia

Italia / 2024 / 28'

Motivazione – At a time when bears and wolves are at the centre of debate in Trentino, with dry wit and sensitivity as regards the local community, the film recalls the unusual invasion of Trento cemetery by rabbits a few years ago, here taking on tragicomic and “legendary” characteristics. An original story, enriched by archive research and lively interviews, with the use of music that supports the narration with surreal creativity.

RITTER SPORT AWARD - THE THRILL OF THE MOUNTAINS

Established by Ritter Sport, the award wishes to celebrate the “the thrill and joy of experiences in the mountains, in the midst of nature - To the work that best succeeds in transmitting these feelings, which only the mountain environment can provide, combining adventure, discovery and the spirit of sharing”.

500€

The jury, made up of Fabio Pasini, Marika Ciaccia, Marzia Bortolameotti, Silvia e Davide di @bagaglioleggero, Elena Marinoni, Silvestro Serra, Andrea Greci, Leonardo Bizzaro and a team of Ritter Sport Italy has assigned the award to the film:

Painting the Mountains

Pierre Cadot

Chile, Argentina / 2024 / 59' / Italian premiere

This film showcases the extraordinary vision of a group of skiers (Aurélien Lardy, Vivian Bruchez and Jules Socié) engaged in a fascinating but extreme exploration of Monte Fitz Roy, in Argentine Patagonia. It is all immortalised through the gaze of Matthew Tuft, an admirer of El Chalten, village at the foot of the massif, populated by a community that allows visitors to experience a truly immersive adventure, embracing nature and local culture at the same time. Painting the Mountains is a work that goes beyond a simple sports documentary. It is a poetic exploration of the relationship between man and the mountains, art and adventure. For those who love the mountains, ski mountaineering and stories about passion and dedication, this film offers a unique and inspiring perspective.

GRUPPO DOLOMITI ENERGIA AWARD – SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

Established by Gruppo Dolomiti Energia, the award is intended to celebrate the force of water, wind and the sun, which becomes a symbol of positive and lasting synergy between people and nature through transformation into energy for life - To the work that best interprets this relationship, by expressing the concept of energy in a natural context.

500€

The jury, made up of Silvia Arlanch, Francesca Bolognesi, Silvia Conotter, Clara Mazzi has awarded the prize to the film:

The Wolves Always Come at Night

Gabrielle Brady

Australia, Mongolia, Germany / 2024 / 97' / Italian premiere

For the artistic quality, intensity of narration and direction together with the protagonists and joint screenwriters. For the way in which it recounts the ancestral bond between human beings and the force of nature, vital and at the same time regenerative. A hybrid film, falling somewhere between fiction and documentary, in which the power of personal tragedy becomes a universal metaphor for the effects of climate change.