- All The Lovers, international feature film competition
The jury chaired by Brian Robinson – programmer of BFI Flare, LGBTQIA+ Film Festival in London – and composed of students of DAMS awarded the prize of 1,000 euros to:
LE PARADIS by Zeno Graton (Belgium/France, 2023, 83′)
With the following motivation:
An authentic and touching drama that with great poetic intensity carries us into the lives of two boys, hovering between freedom and desire. Within an oppressive space, the protagonists are supported by a strong group of young actors. A powerful story told with great passion.
- Real Lovers, international documentary competition
The jury chaired by Bohdan Zhuk, who works at the Kyiv International Film Festival Molodist, the most important Ukrainian film festival, for which he also takes care of the selection of Sunny Bunny, the LGBTQI+ themed program of the event, and composed of students of DAMS awarded the prize of 500 euros to:
LABOR by Tove Pils (Sweden, 2023, 95′)
With the following motivation:
For the pictorial materiality of the images, wisely used to build or reconstruct the complex and changing identities of the characters over the years. To allow anyone to experience firsthand the stories and emotions told without defining a visual identity in a static way, representing and doing justice to the Queer community.
- Future Lovers, international short film competition
The jury chaired by Tiina Teras, responsible for programming Festheart, the first Estonian LGBTQI+ themed festival, and composed of students of DAMS, awarded the prize of 500 euros to:
NONO PIANO A DESTRA by Andrea Romano (France, 2022, 16′)
With the following motivation:
For the way prejudice and acceptance are portrayed, thanks to an unexpected and original dialogue with the public.
Special mention: NUIT BLONDE by Gabrielle Demers (Canada, 2022, 15′)
With the following motivation:
For the ability to address the topic of self-acceptance and the acceptance of others, a story of self-determination that is accomplished through human contact.
- Torino Pride Award
For the fourth year, the Torino Pride prize is awarded to the film judged most effective in expressing the passage of meaning between different generations, ready to welcome the new identity demands.
The Torino Pride Coordination, together with the Associazione Amiche e Amici della cultura e del festival del cinema LGBT, assigns the prize of 800 euros to:
LE PARADIS by Zeno Graton (Belgium/France, 2023, 83′)
With the following motivation:
The film describes in a context of isolation and loneliness the difficulties of two young people to be themselves but also the strength to try and build, in place of an absent family, new chosen bonds.
- Giò Stajano Award
The Festival, from an idea of Willy Vaira and Claudio Carossa, dedicates an award to the memory of Giò Stajano, one of the most important and significant figures of Italian LGBTQI+ culture. The prize consists in 500 euros, which will be awarded to the film, chosen among all the sections of the program, identified by the selection committee of the Festival and Willy Vaira.
The prize of 500 euros is awarded to:
SOFT by Joseph Amenta (Canada, 2022, 87′)
With the following motivation:
For telling with rare virtuosity the complex Queer realities of teenagers Julien, Tony and Otis as they intertwine, helping each other grow to build a soft, better and more welcoming world, to which every teenager in every corner of the world aspires and deserves.
It is our responsibility, commitment and support to ensure that all of this happens in the most “soft” and joyful way possible.
Special mention: ASTRO by Nicky Lisa Lapierre (Belgio, 2022, 80’)
With the following motivation:
For the astonishing expressive modernity with which the director tells through a phantasmagorical queer road trip, the intense, profound – at times distressing and raw – love story between Baby and Charlie, which will radically change their lives. Thanks to the voice-over, the director abandons all certainties to find himself and get lost in nostalgic memories of a love that was as great as it was unbearable, giving us a reflection on his own intimate and courageous identity.
- Young Lovers Award – Matthew Shepard
The jury chaired by Walter Revello assigns the prize “An empty space” (“An empty space” / “חלל ריק”) by the Israeli artist Yizhack Levi Cohen produced on commission by Libere Gabbie and the Nesta EcoMuseum of Turin) to:
ARRÊTE AVEC TES MENSONGES by Olivier Peyon (France, 2022, 98′)
With the following motivation:
For having poetically told the story of the power of teenage love and its uncontrollable urgency and, at the same time, explored the emotional complexity that this love left in the lives of those who experienced it, directly or indirectly; a kaleidoscopic journey into the intimacies of the protagonists, permeated with sweetness and torment, which affects and moves people, creating a precious empathy with the audience.
Finally, the Riflessi nel buio prize of 500 euros assigned to the film made in a country where the homosexual condition is a danger and a risk sometimes for life was awarded to the Iranian film:
IT’S A GRAY, GRAY WORLD by Seyed Mohsen Pourmohseni Shakib (Iran, 2022, 6′)
Director Vladimir Luxuria’s comment:
“I am very happy about this edition of the Lovers Film Festival that has been organized thanks to the National Museum of Cinema and thanks to the commitment of all those who contribute to the birth every year of this festival of cinema, rights and culture. I am also pleased that the Riflessi nel Buio Award, realized under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was given to a film made in one of the most difficult countries: Iran. To a cartoon that communicates a message of hope so that a gray world can become colored. I trust that the Government’s current restrictive policy towards people persecuted in their country of origin because of sexual orientation or gender identity can be changed by not denying special protection to those who otherwise risk imprisonment, torture or death.”
