Yesterday night the eighth edition of Magma – mostra di cinema breve came to an end with the awarding of the winners of the short film International Competition.

“For being an example where poetry, together with a plot built on a powerful metaphor, is able to touch deep chords of the human soul and let the natural limits of any work become non influential”: this is the reason given by the jury of Magma 2009, presided over by the director Alessandra Pescetta and made up of the actor Giovanni Calcagno and the documentary film director Giuseppe Tumino, for awarding the Lorenzo Vecchio Prize to Paseo, a short film by the Spanish director Arturo Ruiz Serrano.

The jury also awarded four special mentions, one for each section of the competition. Lost Paradise, by the Israeli Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnum, was awarded the special mention as best narrative short film. “For the delicate photography, able to enlighten the naked bodies, then tragically covered by clothes which convey presumed differences.

Face, by Ferenc Cakó (Hungary) was awarded the special mention as best animated short film “for the great technical mastery in the service of a simple and timeless story”.

The experimental section was won ex aequo by the Finnish Evolution by Jani Ruscica (“for being conceived in a laboratory environment where the personal contribution of teenagers has enriched the deep question the film is based on, as well as providing contents expressed by the author through a simple, clear and metaphorically powerful language”) and by the Belgian Orgesticulanismus by Mathieu Labaye (“for the ability to evoke, behind the barriers of their own handicap, the chance of paying more attention to themselves, through an original synthesis of language techniques.”)

The mention as best documentary short film went ex aequo to the English Listening to the silences by Pedro Flores (“for being able to explore a state of malaise without producing banal or preconceived answers, putting itself into the position of narrating – through a language that privileges the emotional aspect – the manifold natures of the interior landscape of men”) and the Italian Un’altra volta by Piero Messina, which the jury described as “an exercise where the short production time has not prevented the author from giving ear to the flowing of the events to show, so as to witness a genuine attention for life through a new feeling”.

The eighth edition of Magma – international short film festival is coming soon. The festival, which has been renewed in its form, will happen in Acireale (CT), in August 7, 8 and 9 2009 in the beautiful open air scenario of the Chiostro ex Liceo Gulli e Pennisi.
The three evenings will be dedicated exclusively to short movies, and we will show a selection of the best shorts we received (more than 500).
It will be a different festival from the previous editions, an anti-crisis Magma focused on excellent movies quality and produced with a low budget.
The entry will be free.

29 short movies, coming from 14 countries, have been selected for the competitive section of the eight edition of Magma – international short film festival.

Here you find the titles of the selected movies.

Documentaries

Lipari, by Frank van den Engel – The Netherlands, 10’
Listening to the silences, by Pedro Flores – U.K., 11’
Harraga, by Eva Patricia Fernández & Mario de la Torre – Spain, 20’
Un’altra volta, by Piero Messina – Italy, 8’
Zora Zorita Zora, by Amparo Mejías – Germany, 13’

Fictions

Welgϋnzêr, by Bradford Schmidt – USA, 15’
Jade, by Daniel Elliott – U.K., 16’
Paseo, by Arturo Ruiz Serrano – Spain, 12’
Le rescapè de l’hippocampe, by Julien Lecat – France, 13’
Sofia, by Carlo Sironi – Italy, 20’
Pim Pam Pum, by Asier Urbieta e Andoni De Carlos – Spain, 3’
Silba perfidia, by César Esteban Alenda – Spain, 16’
Recycle diary, by Efe Conker – Turkey, 5’
Lost paradise, by Mihal Brezis & Oded Binnun – Israel, 10’
Chang Juan, by Claudine Natkin – France, 14’

Experimentals

In the name of Art, by Mardo El Noor – New Zealand, 12’
Orgesticulanismus, by Mathieu Labaye – Belgium, 10’
Evolution, by Jani Ruscica – Finland, 19’
J, by Virgilio Villoresi – Italy, 5’
Silence, by Ava Lanche – Germany\Iceland, 4’
Dog Video 200810 Edit 1, by Samuli Alapuranen – Finland, 10′
Muto, by Blu – Italy, 7’

Animations

Face, by Ferenc Cakó – Hungary, 8’
Fϋr Mathilde, by Alla Churikova – Germany, 7’
Structures, by Jasper Kuipers – The Netherlands, 5’
Camilla, by Yulia Aronova – Russia, 20’
L’anima Mavì, by Julia Gromskaya – Italy, 4’
Felures, by Nicolas Pawlowski & Alexis Ducord – France, 10’
Malban, by Elodie Bouédec – France, 8’

The deadline for submissions to Magma – mostra di cinema breve 2009 has expired. 504 short films from 49 countries are taking part to the preselection for the official program of our festival. The results of selection will be published before the end of july.

Take a look at the map of incoming short films from each country