The 22nd Gran Paradiso Film Festival International Competition awarded Anne and Erik Lapied’s “Aigle et Gypaète, les Maître du Ciel” with the Stambecco d’Oro Trophy, the main prize of the Festival having a worth of 5,000 euros. French directors film also received by the technical Jury the prize Ente Progetto Natura awarded by CAI (1,500 euros), with the following motivation: “Anne and Erik Lapied do not tell stories: they are directors, observers of the events that occurred in front of their cameras. Those incredible animals, co-protagonists of the film belong to 18 different species. Anne’s voice is warm and effective. ”
Anna Lapied said about this double winning: “I’m really excited for these two awards! I enjoy this happiness and I thank the audience of the festival and the technical jury for the awards given to our small production dedicated to high mountain nature film. ”
Stambecco d’Oro Junior Trophy, awarded by the children jury, was assigned to: “Age of the big cats – The origin” of Martin Dohrn and “Blue planet II – The ocean” of Jonathan Smith, James Honeyborn, Mark Brownlow
CortoNatura prize (€ 1,000) was given to “A strange process”of the Swiss director Marcel Barelli.
Special mentions of the technical jury were assigned to: “In the realm of the spider – tailed viper” by Fathollah Amiri (WWF prize) because: “In the film it is hard for the researchers to find who saw this viper in the wild. The farmer Mahmoud became first a guide and then a skilled and lucky cameraman. The story is the chronicle of his staying nearby the rock that hides and repairs the reptile. The great success of the research lies in documenting the act of predation. The animal is unknown to most with its morphology and the consequent curious and fascinating hunting technique. A reptile that “preys” like a fly fisherman. A film that even with limited resources is able to introduce us to an impressive nature”; Lipu Prize was given to Jan Haft’s “Magic island – Life on the largest volcanic island in the world” because “In Magical Island everything is moving: clouds, landscapes, earth shaking and boiling, streams that flow towards the sea, the sun at midnight over the sea. There are suggestive images, such as “the icebergs … in periods of minimal water flow accumulate, waiting for the higher water to break the blocks and an army of ice sculptures in the black beach, so called, “Diamond Beach”. In Iceland everything seems desert and mineral. ”
Gran Paradiso National Park awarded by Valle d’Aosta Community Foundation (euro1.500) was awarded to “Queen without land” by Asgeir Helgestad: “A story of how you can get in touch with an animal as dangerous as the polar bear, only by looking at it through powerful lenses, because one could feel its lack when it disappears in that all-white world that is always the same. The core theme of the film is planet degradation that shows us dramatically in that very cold places: three walruses resting on a small ice raft are the expression of this environmental disaster. A film that also inspires a sense of regret and desperation: perhaps pretty soon another ice raft, even a small one, would not be there anymore. ”
Two special mentions awarded by the Gran Paradiso National Park were assigned to “My Congo” by Doug Hope and to the short film “L’envol” by Aurelien Prudor.
An intense week that registered an absolute record of attendances, with +25% of people compared to the last edition. The closing ceremony started with the climber Hervé Barmasse who shared with the public an important moment of mountain culture.
The Festival will continue in August in the other municipalities of the Gran Paradiso: first two events will be in Rhemes Nôtre Dame (Aug. 2) and Aymavilles (Aug. 3). All scheduled events are free of costs. Program: www.26.gpff.it. Reservations are recommended :info@grand-paradis.it.
The Gran Paradiso Film Festival is organized by Fondation Grand Paradis within the Project PACTA – Promouvoir the Action Culturelle en Territoire Alpin (Interreg VA Italy-France ALCOTRA 2014-2020) and the Project SONO – Svelare Occasioni Nutrire Opportunità (Interreg VA Italy Switzerland 2014-2020), with the support of: Assessorato al Turismo, Sport, Commercio, Agricoltura e Beni culturali della Regione autonoma Valle d’Aosta, Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBAC) – General Direction of Cinema, Gran Paradiso National Park, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, Comune di Cogne, Federparchi, Bacino Imbrifero Montano, Fondazione Comunitaria della Valle d’Aosta, Club Alpino Italiano, in collaboration with: Assessorato all’Ambiente, Risorse naturali e Corpo forestale della Regione autonoma Valle d’Aosta, under the patronage of Ente Progetto Natura, technical partner: Montura, official media partner: Netweek.