Ermanno Olmi Prize – 2nd Edition

The Ermanno Olmi Prize is back in Bergamo. Established to promote short films by young Italian and international directors, the award was also created to honour the late filmmaker from Bergamo. An extraordinary visual poet, consecrated with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 65th Venice International Film Festival.

In the course of his long career he received noteworthy awards including the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival in 1978 for L’albero degli zoccoli (The Tree of Wooden Clogs), the Silver Lion in 1987 for Lunga vita alla signora! (Long Live the Lady!) , the Golden Lion in 1988 for La leggenda del santo bevitore (The Legend of the Holy Drinker) and the appointment as Grand Officer of the Italian Republic in 2001.

The Award is created to promote and support short films by young directors, the award is aimed at filmmakers of all nationalities and not older than 30, and consists of 3 money prizes (€1,200, €500, €300) and a special mention awarded to the most significant entry concerning the relationship between Humankind and Nature, with a particular focus on the valorisation of ancient crafts and traditions that have fallen into disuse.
The deadline for submissions (fiction, documentary or animation produced in 2019 and 2020), which must not exceed 15 minutes of length, is October 30, 2020.

The winners’ announcement and award ceremony will be held on December 10, 2020, at the Auditorium in Piazza della Libertà, Bergamo (or another suitable venue). Should there be still, on the appointed date, containment measures due to the Covid-19 emergency, the award ceremony and the screening of the finalist films will be broadcast online, on a dedicated streaming platform.

«The second edition of the Ermanno Olmi Prize is underway and, for us, it is a significant symbol of the role of culture in the recovery of our territory, bringing to the forefront issues that are ever so relevant during these times. First of all, the centrality of young people: the opportunity to offer them a stage to showcase their creativity, after a terrible lockdown that has inevitably crushed all the opportunities for visibility. The special mention for short films portraying ancient crafts that have fallen into disuse is introduced first time this year, with the aim of investigating that relationship between Humankind and Nature that has been the focus of many a reflection these days and hoping to be able to shed light on the most innovative and appropriate ways of human interaction with landscape and environment. We like to believe that Olmi would have particularly appreciated this award. Finally, the Prize is an international event, which brings to Bergamo visions from many parts of the world, in the hope of soon being able to return to visit those places and see them with our own eyes».

Nadia Ghisalberti, Councilor for Culture of the Municipality of Bergamo