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€

Polaris

Ainara Vera Esparza

France, Greenland / 2022 / 78'

For the powerful use of cinematic language in telling with empathy the story of two women navigating their own destiny.

Golden Gentian CAI - Italian Alpine Club

For the best film on mountaineering, mountain people and life in the mountains.

3000€

An Accidental Life

Henna Taylor

United States / 2022 / 86' / Italian premiere

For the intense honesty that the viewer perceives from both the director and the protagonist, and for making the film both an expression and depiction of the power of friendship.

SPECIAL MENTION FOR THE CLUB ALPINO ITALIANO PRIZE

Plai. A Mountain Path

by Eva Dzhyshyashvili (Ukraine/2022/75’)

Motivation
For the empathetic depiction of a rural family for whom the war is both a distant echo and a challenging physical reality.

Golden Gentian City of Bolzano-Bozen

For the best exploration or adventure movie.

3000€

The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft

Werner Herzog

United Kingdom, Switzerland, United States, France / 2022 / 84'

For the heartfelt tribute to two very special lives of insatiable and visionary explorers and for magnifying their work as filmmakers.

Silver Gentian

For the best artistic-technical contribution.

1500€

Ice Merchants

João Gonzalez

Portugal, France, United Kingdom / 2022 / 14'

For creating an extremely poetic aesthetic universe and for the deeply original look at climate change.

Silver Gentian

For the best short film.

1500€

Churchill, Polar Bear Town

Annabelle Amoros

France / 2021 / 37'

For the sharp ironic take on the difficult and at times surreal cohabitation of human and animals at the frontier of the climate crisis.

Jury Prize

2000€

Forêts

Simon Plouffe

Canada / 2022 / 17' / Italian premiere

For the consistency of vision and for creating an immersive and hypnotic cinematic experience.

Quarta Parete Award

Quarta Parete Award for content creators and open to works produced for YouTube channels, inspired by Serendipity, where the beauty of the highlands is described through wonder and the unexpected, can be submitted.

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.

L'ultima via di Riccardo Bee

Emanuele Confortin

Italy / 2023 / 90' / World premiere

Audience Award - Best full-length film 
DAO

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

Wild Life

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin

United States / 2023 / 93' / Italian premiere

Amelia de Eccher Award - For women active in Film and Mountains

In memory of Amelia de Eccher, for women on both sides of the camera.

1000€

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

Bitterbrush

Emelie Mahdavian

United States / 2021 / 91' / Italian premiere

Two women face hard work in north American wilderness. They do the job in harmony and strength, showing a disarming normality. A new way to show a western movie as a documentary, clean from vain heroism or patriarchy. A story of a friendship lived on a horse in breathtaking landscape with a sound track that is all but obvious and that transports you to new horizon both as a narrative or as life.

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 Zecchi, Massimo Bernardi, Alice Labor, Davide Dalpiaz, Fabio Pupin, Michele Lanzinger and Luca Scoz, has unanimously decided to award the prize to the film:

L'ombra del fuoco

Enrico Pau

Italy / 2023 / 64' / World premiere

L’ombra del fuoco emphasises humanity's strong bond with the earth and the other living beings that inhabit it. The feelings that emerge come not only from those who care for the land, but also from the animals and plants experiencing the tragedy of the fire. The end of a specific local landscape, transformed by fire, recalls the end of the world, in the sense of the end of the known and familiar existence, as happened globally in the Anthropocene.

Cassa di Trento Solidarity Award

Established by the Cassa di Trento for the work that best interprets situations of poverty, injustice, social marginalisation and isolation that can be resolved through solidarity and mutual help, as occurred at the beginning of the cooperative movement in the valleys and mountains of Trentino.

1000€

Cinema for Human Rights Award

The "Cinema for Human Rights Prize" is a joint initiative of the Fondazione Campana dei Caduti and the Forum Trentino per la Pace e i Diritti Umani, with the scope of promoting 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 Marco Marsilli, Katia Malatesta, Morena Berti and Riccardo Santoni, has decided to award the prize to the film

Let The River Flow

Ole Giæver

Norway / 2023 / 118' / Italian premiere

For an intense coming-of-age story that follows the progressive and painful acquisition of awareness by a young Sámi woman, in the context of a historic battle for the emancipation of indigenous peoples, effectively portraying on screen the persistence of denial and assimilation mechanisms until her full empowerment, leading her to become a leader and defender of community rights, interweaving the theme of discrimination with a very topical call for water protection.

CinemAMoRe Award

Established jointly by the International Archaeological Film Festival of Rovereto, Trento Film Festival and Religion Today Filmfestival, the award goes to the best work/film/documentary featuring filmmakers, productions, stories and protagonists from Trentino Alto-Adige.

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

Ritratti di lingue

Benno Steinegger

Italy / 2023 / 26' / World premiere

An innovative and sensitive composition recounting the search for identity in the language and culture of minority language communities, making geographical fragmentation into a universal issue. The personal and independent character of the production is the starting point for a narrative that allows us, little by little, to understand the "face" and poetry of words.

La giuria del premio ha deciso inoltre di assegnare una menzione speciale al film

Dear Odesa

by Kyrylo Naumko (Italy/2022/52’)

Motivation
A luminous and delicate homage to the city of Odessa, animated by figures poised between a past laden with memories and a present threatened by the arrival of war. A common feeling of nostalgia and melancholy emerges in the unhurried and ordinary pace of their lives, accompanied by a desire not to lose their roots in a city that is inevitably changing.

"City of Imola" Award

The "City of Imola" award is 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, Mauro Bartoli, Carlo Machirelli, Nicoletta Favron, Giacomo Gambi and Giuseppe Favini, has decided to award the prize to the film

AltaVia 4000

Luca Matassoni, Marco Tonolli

Italy / 2023 / 37' / World premiere

It is the thin air of the "four-thousanders" in the Alps that brings together the dreams of two young mountain guides in an authentic and highly complex adventure. The spontaneity of the narration, lively editing and attractive images of mysterious peaks and ancient glaciers communicate a pure and empassioned idea of mountaineering, highlighting indispensable values such as respect, sharing and a sense of responsibility, which are also fundamental for the City of Imola and the CAI association.

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 Annibale Salsa, Mauro Pascolini, Maria Carla Failo and Massimiliano Corradini, has decided to award the prize to the film:

Custodi

Marco Rossitti

Italy / 2023 / 74' / World premiere

The film «Custodi» presents a range of experiences in different locations with a strong local identity (Val Resia in Friuli, the Reggio Emilia Apennines, fishing lagoons, Val Venosta, the Magredi area, Brenta Dolomites, Feltre Dolomites, and Lessini mountains). They are brief portraits underlining the importance of taking care of the local area, the value of traditions revitalised while respecting the historic memory (heritage), and the balance between man and nature: messages conveyed by the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation. The soundtrack accompanies the images without overpowering the silence of the places.

EUSALP Award. What keeps me here

The EUSALP macroregional strategy for the Alpine Space aims to ensure that the Alpine Space remains an attractive, innovative, competitive and green region in the heart of Europe. Attention is focused on economic growth and innovation, mobility and connectivity, along with environmental protection and energy. Employment policy in the alpine area directed at combating the abandonment of these areas by young people and the promotion of pastoralism, for which the alpine area is particularly suitable, are also issues dear to the Macroregion. In its annual programme, the Autonomous Province of Trento has focused considerably on the relationship between towns and peripheral areas in the alpine region, investing heavily in the involvement of young people. In line with the provisions of the 2023 film registration regulations, the EUSALP Prize is to be awarded to the work that has best grasped the spirit underlying the alpine Macroregion, namely issues relating to sustainability, inclusion and green technology, with particular reference to job opportunities in the alpine environment.

1500€

The jury, made up of Mirko Bisesti, Elisabetta Montagni, Marzia Bortolameotti, Giuliana Cristoforetti and Katia Bernardi, has awarded the prize to the film:

Innesti

Sandro Bozzolo

Italy / 2022 / 80'

The chestnut tree is the axis mundi, the axis of the universe, a tree supporting an agricultural microcosm whose legendary past is evoked by the memories of those who have not abandoned this world and who instead struggle to safeguard the heritage of ancient culture and knowledge on a daily basis. Thus it is a cosmic tree, with villages born beneath its branches, its fruit representing the "bread" of farmers, a source of sustenance; a tree that is also a manifestation of the sacred, since men glimpse something else within it, something that belongs to the sacred world. Territorial cohesion, with the younger generation, migrants and cooperation representing tools to revive a local area and bring production into the contemporary era.

The jury also wishes to award a special mention to:

Karma Clima

by Michele Piazza (Italy/2023/61')

Motivation
Because in this film, the cultural element, together with the concept of environmental sustainability, understood as a prerequisite for development that can meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to achieve their own goals, becomes a fundamental aspect in social redevelopment of mountain communities in the Cuneo area, at risk of depopulation.

Green Film Award

Set up in 2021 by the Agenzia Provinciale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente and Trentino Film Commission, which since 2016 have worked together on the "Green Film" project, awarding an environmental quality label to audiovisual products demonstrating they have reduced their environmental impact (www.green.film), 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, Maria Ravelli, Linnea Marzagora, Lavinia Laiti and Elisa Pieratti has awarded the prize to the film

The North Drift

Steffen Krones

Germany / 2022 / 92' / Italian premiere

An adventurous journey through the sea of plastic waste that accumulates in the Arctic, capable of providing information about one of the major problems afflicting the environment today, in a scientific and rigorous, yet engaging, purposeful and empathetic way; a powerful call for the viewer to take action.

A special mention goes to

Wild Life

by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (USA/2023/93')

Motivation
It shows what can happen when an entrepreneur abandons the traditional perception of business and understands the need to truly change the model, shifting the focus from profit to sustainability, and from mankind to the environment.

Another mention is also assigned to

Let the River Flow

by Ole Giæver (Norway/2023/118')

Motivation
Harsh, intense and tragic, it tells an exemplary story, in which the Sámi minority in Norway recalls today's climate activists, so often reviled and unheard, showing how in extreme cases, civil disobedience is the only viable way to defend environmental and human rights.

Lizard Award - Travel and Adventure

Established by Lizard, the award goes to the film that most effectively expresses the concept of travel as a moment of contact with nature, cultures, customs and traditions; an adventure that makes it possible to discover and explore “new worlds” with curiosity and responsibility.

500€

The jury, made up of Claudio Pelizzeni, Vinicio Stefanello and members of Team Scott, has awarded the prize to the film

Churchill, Polar Bear Town

Annabelle Amoros

France / 2021 / 37'

Churchill, Polar Bear Town paints a genuine, ironic and disorientating picture of how estranged man is from the nature surrounding him. The film takes a lucid and merciless look at this inability to relate to the world and to feel a part of a whole, apparently condemning us not to see and understand what is already a predictable tragedy.

Mario Bello Award CCC - CAI

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

1500€

The jury, made up of Michele Ambrogi, Giovanni Pivetti, Monica Brenga and Carlo Ancona, has decided to assign the "Mario Bello" Award to the film

Pasang: in the Shadow of Everest

Nancy Svendsen

United States / 2022 / 71' / Italian premiere

In 1993 a Nepali woman tries to climb Everest, driven by ambition, determination and courage, aware that there are causes for which it is worth putting one's everyday life on hold, accepting sacrifice, hardship, and danger to focus on a greater achievement. The impressive attendance at her funeral partially repays her sacrifice and makes the message even more moving.

Museo etnografico trentino San Michele Award

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

500€

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

Movimento fermo

Silvy Boccaletti

Italy / 2023 / 74' / World premiere

In Movimento fermo, the paths of Sandro, Maria and Giacomo intertwine, to create an image of the mountains without illusions, as a place with complex, sometimes harsh characteristics, where tradition and innovation, both local and global, combine to stake a claim as an original cultural, social and economic dimension that offers the opportunity not to surrender to standardisation or resign oneself to loneliness devoid of prospects.

RAI Trento Award

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

750€

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

Lupo Uno

Ivan Mazzon, Bruno Boz

Italy / 2023 / 88' / World premiere

The film comes at a very particular moment in the history of coexistence between wild animals, predators and humans, especially in relation to the bear, but also the wolf, which is still to be feared, although it causes fewer problems for man. It is commonly believed, the documentary makers argue, that man and animals must coexist, and to do so, actions targeted at appropriate and safe coexistence must first of all be reinforced or supported: man must get to know the animal, in this case the wolf. For over a year, commissioned by the Veneto Region, researchers from the University of Sassari have been monitoring wolves on Monte Grappa. The scope is to encourage proactive management, with a preventive and constructive approach to managing a family of wolves in the Alps. Using evocative and fascinating images, the documentary introduces us to the world of this animal, which has always accompanied man in fables, legends and real life. The message is to learn about the wolf, to respect it and facilitate coexistence.

Ritter Sport Award - The Thrill of the Mountains

Established by Ritter Sport in 2023, the award wishes to celebrate the “the thrill and joy of experiences in the mountains, in the midst of nature. The award is given 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 Leonardo Bizzaro, Fabio Pasini, Marika Caccia, Marco Camandona, Luca Pettarelli, Elena Marinoni and a team of Ritter Sport Italy has assigned the award to the film

Ephemeral

Alastair Lee

United Kingdom / 2022 / 53' / Italian premiere

The Ritter Sport Prize goes to Ephemeral, which succeeds in capturing the passion and the spirit of adventure and sharing guiding Guy Robertson and Greg Boswell in their quest for new winter routes lines in the harsh environment of Scotland. The stunning setting and fabulous shots combine to create an effective and gripping narrative.

Universities of Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck Students’ Award

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 Federica Debernardis, Giulia Gonnella, Valerio Benigni, Ilaria Faudi Taddei, Dora Musola, Maria Mine, Riccardo Serra and Martina Magagnoli, has decided to award the 2023 special prize offered by these institutions to:

El día que volaron la montaña

Alba Bresolí

Spain / 2022 / 28' / Italian premiere

For the evocative use of photography in portraying a story about the delicate dynamics of the relationship between man and his surroundings, silent but of unquestionable impact, we have decided to give the award to "El dia che volaron la montaña".

T4Future Award

An award established in 2022; the jury is made up of pupils at secondary schools in Trentino, evaluating the works in the T4Future film section.

The jury , made up of Giulia Facchinelli, Federico Valentini and Beatrice Pancheri, has awarded the prize to:

Flores de la llanura

Mariana X. Rivera

Mexico / 2021 / 19'

A documentary recounted using poetic and touching language, in which the images are characterised by an intimate and unsettled atmosphere, resulting in a fluidly immersive experience. A painful moment of grief following a feminicide is commemorated by a minority community of Mexican women weavers, who see a powerful metaphor for the alternation of life and death in the vivid interweaving floral patterns of their textiles.

The jury has also decided to award a special mention to:

The Dream of a Horse

by Marjan Khosravi (Iran/2022/25')