Natural world: the bat man of Mexico wins the 19° edition of the Gran Paradiso Film Festival
Tom Mustill's Natural world: the bat man of Mexico (United Kingdom, 2014) is the winner of the nineteenth edition of the Gran Paradiso Film Festival.
A crowded Maison de la Grivola welcomed the proclamation during the award ceremony.
Natural world: the bat man of Mexico obtained a great result in the different screening venues and it scored the first place in Cogne, thus winning the 19th Stambecco d'Oro Trophy - Fondazione CRT Award, worth 5000 euros, assigned by the jury of the audience of Cogne, Ceresole Reale, Champorcher, Rhêmes-Saint-Georges and Villeneuve.
Second position for Arab sands by Brando Quilici (Italy, 2014), followed by Alexandre, fils de berger by Anne, Erik and Véronique Lapied (France, 2014).
Kids voted Life on the reef – episode 1 by Nick Robinson (Australia, 2014) as their favourite, assigning the Stambecco d’Oro Junior Trophy.
The best short-film of the section CortoNatura was Maly Cousteau by Jakub Kouril (Czech Republic, 2014), an emotional story about a little boy who longs for deep-sea adventures in a snow-covered city.
The technical jury, composed by Danilo Mainardi, Bruno Bassano, Marco Albino Ferrari, Ezio Torta and Paolo Lazzarin assigned the following prizes:
- Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso Award (worth 1.500 euro): Natural world: the bat man of Mexico by Tom Mustill (United Kingdom, 2014);
- Progetto Natura Award (worth 1.500 euro): Planet der Spatzen by Kurt Mayer (Austria, 2013);
- Lipu – Mario Pastore Award: Planet der Spatzen by Kurt Mayer (Austria, 2013);
- WWF Italia Award: Walking under water by Eliza Kubarska (Poland, Germany, United Kingdom, 2014).
The final evening of the Festival was centred on the path of Milena Bethaz, ranger of the Gran Paradiso National Park, who told the story of her "life out of the common": struck by a thunder at 3000 above sea level, Milena proved an extraordinary character and determination.
The afternoon brought the cycle of events De Rerum Natura to its conclusion with Flavio Caroli, critic and art historian, who took the audience by the hand on a journey through the history of this subject.
Special guest of thel 19° Gran Paradiso Film Festival, Caroli arouse affection and enthusiasm in Cogne audience.
«The Festival has grown in different ways and in many directions: geographically, in its programme, in the quality of films and events, in the number of partners, members of the jury and spectators. This nineteenth edition spread from the valleys of Gran Paradiso to Mont Avic natural Park, proposed new sections, gathered illustrious guests and 15 partners, who believed in this event. The audience response to the screenings and to all the scheduled events was very warm. 10.000 presences and the crowded screening venues prove the appreciation of the public of the heterogeneous programme» declared Luisa Vuillermoz, Artistic Director of the Festival, adding: «We wanted a Festival where the contamination of ideas could lead to creativity and to answer to curiosity, to that urge to search and know which is our nature, our instinct, that sets us on our path».
The Festival has been organised by Fondation Grand Paradis in partnership with Valle d'Aosta Autonomous Region - Department of Tourism, Sport, Commerce and Transport; Giroparchi Project – PAR FAS Valle d’Aosta 2007/2013; Compagnia di San Paolo; Fondazione CRT; Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities; Gran Paradiso National Park; Municipality of Cogne; Federparchi; Office Régional du Tourisme; Municipality of Ceresole Reale; Municipality of Champorcher; Municipality of Rhêmes-Saint-Georges; Municipality of Villeneuve; Alpine Convention and Montura.