44 Movies Evaluated at the Fourth Life Beyond Life Film Festival
Six Feature films, six documentaries, sixteen short movies, six documentary shorts, and ten art Movies were in competition for awards of the Life Beyond Life Film Festival, this year in its fourth year (https://
www.lifebeyondlife.net/). The festival was organized by the Università Popolare ArtInMovimento (https://www.unipopaim.it/), in cooperation with the SystemOut Cultural Association (http://www.systemout.org/), the Afterlife Research and Education Institute (https://afterlifeinstitute.org/), and the Religion Today Film Festival. The festival is being held In connection with two international conferences: “Andare Oltre. Uniti nella Luce” and “Oltre L’Oltre.”
The Life Beyond Life Film Festival focuses on eschatological themes primarily linked to the life after this life. It welcomes cinematographic products from around the World dealing with death, the concept of destiny, and the experiences of mediums, channelers, and spiritual researchers.
Five hundred seventy-one films were submitted through two platforms: Filmfreeway (560) and Festhome (11). The films were evaluated by a judging commission. From this meticulous work emerged the lineup of eight percent of the submitted films. The 44 selected films come from 22 countries: Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bhutan, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States.
You can support this effort to give people the truth about the reality of the afterlife with your $6 contribution.
There are five sections with international juries. Among the distinguished jurors is Massinissa Askeur, winner of the “Leone d’Oro Award” for his visual arts last year in Venezia.
This year there will be a four days of Live programming beginning at the CineTeatro Baretti on Sunday, May 12, at Torino City. The festival will continue from May 13 through May 15 at the Pino Torinese Auditorium, supported by the patronage of the city. Entrance will be free. The five winner movies will be screened again on June 5 at the CineTeatro Baretti, Torino City, with a minimal cost for the entire slot.
Andrea Morghen and Matteo Valier are founders of the event. Others involved in the event are Riccardo Cristiani, Giacomo Tinti, Fabrizio Salvati, Odette Spigolon, Antonello Schioppa,Edmondo Riccardo Annoni, Piero Loredan, Evelyn Meuren, Samuele Maritan, Leonardo Moiso, Andrea Sorrentino, Fabrizio Odetto, Francesco Romeo and Francesca Lucà.
The presidents of the five sections of jurors are the American director Ronni Thomas (Feature Films), the Singaporean director Derrick Lui (Short Films), the Algerian artist Massinissa Askeur (Documentaries), the German musician Sebastian F. Schwarz, director artistic from 2021 of the Festival della Valle d’Itria (Short Documentaries), the German artist and advertiser Jürgen Ziewe (Art Movie); Patrizia Tarantino and Damiana Periotto, respectively head teachers of IPS Albe Steiner School /IIS Bodoni-Paravia, schools, collaborating with us in this festival.
Many thanks to the Councilor Elisa Pagliasso and the entire council of the municipality of Pino Torinese, and last but not least thank you to the Genovese artist Corrado Leoni, whose work the poster of the fourth LBLFF was built on”, concluding Annunziato Gentiluomo. The event is sponsored by the Municipality of Pino Torinese, by Bimed – Biennial of Mediterranean Arts and Sciences – the ASI Holistic and Oriental Arts Sector, by the Foundation for Salutogenesi Onlus and CNUPI.
The cultural partners are the Ghost Hunters Association, Collateral 102 , Koqix and Psiche 2 Edizioni. Main media partner is ArtInMovimento Magazine (http://artinmovimento.com/) with its web radio (https:// www.spreaker.com/user/artinmovimento), supported by Arte Settima, CameraLook, KarmaNews.it, Fotogrammi , Psicofilm, Mondo Nuovo News, Tv Alvorada Espirita, ArtApp, Métis News and PoliticamenteCorretto. ArtInMovimento Press Office will take care of the relations with the Social Media.
Winners of the Fourth Life Beyond Life Film Festival
These are the awards at the conclusion of the Fourth Life Beyond Life Film Festival (https://www.lifebeyondlife.net/), proposed by the Università Popolare ArtInMovimento (https://www.unipopaim.it/), synergising with the Cultural Association SystemOut (http://www.systemout.org/), with AREI (The Afterlife Research and Education Institute) and the Religion Today Film Festival, while being in connection with the two International Conferences “Andare Oltre! Uniti nella Luce!” and “Oltre L’oltre!” As always, a hard work for the International Juries, producing highly careful and truly
impeccable evaluations, enriched of authentic and well-articulated motivations.
- The Butanese “Pig at a Crossing”
- The Danish “Cartwheels & Headaches – A Children’s Hospice from the Inside”
- The French “On my father’s grave”
- The Iraqi “The Land Of Buried Women” and the German “Liminal Space: Diving Within”
Feature Film
For the Feature Film section, the Jury headed by the American director Ronni Thomas, awarded the Best Film Award to “Pig at a Crossing” (Bhutan, directed by Khyentse Norbu), “for its profound exploration of the Buddhist symbolism of the Bard, the intermediate state between Death and Rebirth. The film blamelessly narrates the
expressive and dynamic path of the inward transformation: From the experience of remorse to the desire for redemption, from material attachment to spiritual detachment.”
Prized as Best Director goes to Khyentse Norbu (“Pig at a Crossing”) “for the refined technical language at the service of the narrative, the long sequences and the brilliant colors that allow the story to breathe and develop in complete communion with the liveliness and the mysticism of Bhutan. And yet for employing the creativity of many
young local talents: the next generation of Bhutanese filmmakers.”
Awarded as the Best Actress Jessica Hossam (“The Goat”), “due to the maturity and intensity which she played a complex role with, giving it authenticity and depth. With her talent she represented the pain and cruelty of gender violence, and involving us in an allegorical journey, where Life and Death are merging in a very delicate spiritual encounter.”
The Award for the Best Actor goes to Kuenzang Norbu (“Pig at a Crossing”) “because of his ability to impersonate, with sensitivity and rigor, the conflict of a confused and tormented conscience. The convincing interpretation reinforces the narrative structure of the product, guiding us on the path of awareness and acceptance that precedes rebirth, fueling our reflection on the nature of a Life after the Life.”
The prize for the Best Screenplay in the Feature Film Section was awarded to Ilaria Borrelli (“The Goat”), “what with her extraordinary balance in dealing with complicated and current themes such as traditional culture, gender conflict and the exploitation of resources, linking them in an original way to transcendental themes. The result is a decisive and unanimous invitation to criticize inequalities.”
The Feature Film Jury even awarded a Special Mention to the movie The Goat, directed by Ilaria Borrelli. ” With the emblematic and poetic representation of the relationship between the little girl and her deceased mother, an evocative and moving find materializes the bond between Alive and Dead without debasing supernatural and intimate components, ultimately transmitting a message of Comfort and Hope.”
Documentary
The International Jury, chaired by the Algerian artist Massinissa Askeur, Leone D’Oro Arwardee last year in Venezia, due to the Visual
Arts 2023, was aarded Best Documentary for the Danish movie “Cartwheels & Headaches – A Children’s Hospice from the Inside” by Oskar Enemark Sørensen and Karina Mølgaard Rasmussenfrom “for their courage, scientific approach, and emotional perspective, narrated with authenticity, capable of making the film to an instrument of
transformation both for the protagonists and the audience.”
The Award for Best Documentary Director goes to Simon Chambers (“Much Ado About Dying” – Ireland -) “on the back of the narrative solutions, allowing so to let emerge the complexity of the protagonist’s personality by highlighting in this way the different nuances, in a progressive discovery of the character, culminating in a
surprising finale.”
Finally, the Jury awarded a Special Mention to the American movie “Life With Ghosts” by Stephen Berkley, “thanks to its open-mindedness, supported by a highly critical reasoning on scientific perception, while always maintaining that real attention to a cinematographic composition.”
Short Film
In the Short Film Section, the International Jury, headed by the Singaporean director Derrick Lui, assigns the Best Short Film Award to the French movie “On my father’s grave” (“Sur la tombe de mon père”), directed by Jawahine Zentar, as it is “a compelling narrative, interweaving elements of a real family drama, traditionally burial and prejudice against women.” The well-developed characters and the lead actress, a young girl, deliver a top-notch performance, with layers of emotional depth that add richness to the narrative, exploring burial themes. A cinematic masterpiece, where photography, editing and sound are dancing in tandem with great effect, making us feel the pain, the trauma of the protagonist, from the beginning till to the end.”
The Prize for the Best Director goes to Lewis Rose (“Pops” – United Kingdon -) “due to that simplicity and delicacy, which the theme of last wishes and burial is addressed with. Two brothers, two diametrically opposed views on Life, an aesthetically perfect product, capable of narrating an ancestral conflict. The actors, showing a state of grace convey in every nuance of the human soul, while the careful and essential direction was building a strong and universal story, capable of surprising till to the the final conclusion.”
The award for acting skills, the Jury decided to award as the Best Actress Award Yasmine Kéfil (“On My Father’s Grave”), “for the intensity, truthfulness and maturity of her interpretation, which we can experience the restlessness and struggle of a young woman faced with material, cultural and generational barriers through.”
Finally the jury prized three Special Mentions. The first went to “Casting of a father” by Giulia Goy (Switzerland) “within with the irony and intelligence which the theme of lack and loss is narrated with. A simple, but effective direction which, through the language of the mockumentary, guiding us into that strange idea of a daughter, looking
for an actor to return to speak, one last time, with her father.”
The second award was to the French “Delivery to hell” by Michael Drain ”based on the brilliant irony which the theme of the afterlife is narrated with. A skillful and shrewd work of screenplay, donating the spectator a dialogue from a “Theatre of the Absurd” ridiculing so all those, who live in indecision and existential anonymity on a daily base. A comedy screaming desire for Life, desire for Affirmation, desire to be in Existence.”
The third is assigned to the Italian movie “Au revoir, Melograno” by Giacomo Pedrotti “for an artistically bold film, which stood out for its strong direction and vision, telling a lost love story connecting with that intense parallelism of the World of plants. Being abstract in imagery, powerful in concept and unique in editing, the juxtaposition of powerful scenes simply impressed the jury.”
Short Documentaries
The International Jury of Short Documentaries, chaired by the musician and artistic director of the Itria Valley Festival Sebastian Schwarz, enthusiastically awards for Best Short Documentary the Iraqi film “The Land Of Buried Women” by Rekawt Hama Tofiq “with the his poetic sensitivity and delicate, powerful exploration of complex themes. With simple acts, but rich in symbolism, the director delves into posthumous care and dignity, giving voice to anonymous women, silent victims of archaic morality and oppressive laws. Through wise sound editing choices and a narrative that avoids difficult complexity while remaining profound, the film captures not only the attention but also the empathy of the viewer. In particular, we would like praise that simplicity
and humility, which the film restores dignity with to these women, showing how, even beyond life, a form of universal justice can be found. “The Land Of Buried Women” not only lays the foundations for a potentially different future, but invites us to reflect on a cultural context that is too often ignored or simply judged in superficial manner”.
The International Jury of the Art Movie Section, chaired by the German artist and advertiser Jürgen Ziewe, prized as the Best Art Movie Award the German product “Liminal Space: Diving Within”, directed by Anahita Safarnejad Choobary, “as it gives its viewers strange chills, delving in an everlasting wave of emotions: between comfort and discomfort you find yourself crying like statues. We witness a story that is not ours, but which seems so easy to understand, as though the form of the film would be a currently flowing river of consciousness.”
Anahita Safarnejad Choobary was awarded as Best Director (“Liminal Space: Diving Within”), “for how the vision of the afterlife is represented, which is something that few people witness and even fewer are able to explain. Anahita Safarnejad Choobary, however, finds in cinema a perfect vehicle to communicate her ideas, her feelings and
her experiences.”
The Jury assigned its Special Mention to the Portuguese “Kafka’s Doll”, directed by Bruno Simões “ thanks to the variety of animation techniques and its compelling narrative, a powerful trait d’union between the film and the main theme of the LBLFF”. The artist Corrado Leoni gives the Best Visual Emotion Impact Award to “Liminal space – diving within” by Anahita Safarnejad Choobary “for his extraordinary visual impact. That surreal and dystopian environment, which the protagonist is floating in, immersed in the memory of her father and imprisoned within her soul, moving the viewer by accentuating the grief of separation from her loved one. The sinister lake landscape, wrapped in its particular light, thanks to the perfect definition of the images, is the symbol of a lucid and real present, which contrasts with the old amateur shots of Anahita as a child. However, a voice, a memory of an evanescent past, is enough to transform the Universe, which we are living in, and to interact with it. A past that never dies and which we need to immerse in ourselves, despite having the appearance of an amorphous, suffocating and hostile mask.”
The five technical selection commitees have been supported by two youngster juries made of students from two Secondary schools at Torino. In fact, the Jury of the IPS “Albe Steiner” Institute, coordinated by the teacher Enrico Le Pera, awarded his prize to the Colombian short film “Un Caballo En La Alcoba” (“A Horse In The Bedroom”) by Darío Vargas “within with that great originality of the narrative, the intense deepness of the characters, and the relevance to the Festival theme. In particular, both the direction and photography were able to narrating, while
entertaining, thanks to an excellent use of colors and effective shots”.
The Student Jury of the IPS Albe Steiner Institute has given a special mention to “Malakout” by Farnoosh Abedi “thanks to its marked originality and high directorial and photographic quality. The ability to entertain, leaving the viewer free to interpret the meaning of the story, was also highly appreciated”.
The students of the IIS Bodoni-Paravia Institute/Torino, coordinated by the teacher Mauro Minozzi, awarded the Italian short film “Prova d’amore” by Denis Nazzari “for its originality and the narrative structure, which resolves itself in an unexpected ending, leaving the spectator to an excellent, final hypothesis. Thanks to the intimate and welcoming atmosphere, from the first frames, we are able to enter into the daily routine of the protagonist, sharing his small actions with a growing and rapid emotional progression”.
These same students give a Special Mention to the Portuguese Short “Kafka’s Doll” by Bruno Simões, “ as it is an animated story, containing a simple and pleasantly readable contents, that create an excellent narration for a touching story. The message arrives convincingly, enhanced by clear and bright scenes with natural editing, and manages to touch the emotional hearts of us young people”.
Artistic Direction
The artistic direction of the Life Beyond Life Film Festival awards some specific recognitions. The Best Creative Editing Award goes to the French “Dead Dreams Falling” by Craig Murray “due to the kaleidoscopic reworking on the theme of the soul, declined as an accompaniment to the Death, in interconnection and synchronicity. Images coloured
intensely, with highly symbolic and evocative value, followed one another urgently, in a continuous rhythm, capable of keeping the viewer locked in the chair, rocked by an hypnotic and immersive music.”
It is decreed that the Best Performance Award goes to Mehdi Rahim-SilvioliKe (“Delivery to Hell”), in the role of “Thomas Bernardi”, for his impressive facial expressions, for the naturalness, which he conveys with that disbelief, bewilderment, indecision and disenchantment.
Paired with Barbara Carlotti (“Esther”) he manages to room the scene, bringing that smile and making us reflect on a possible scenario”.
Best Afterlife Research Award
Finally, the Best Afterlife Research Award goes to the Documentary “Life With Ghosts” by Stephen Berkley “thanks to the balance between scientific and esoteric researching around the themes of the Death and the Life after the life, using high-level witnesses and good aesthetics quality”.
Music Commission Award
The Music Commission, composed of Carmelo Spoto, Vixia Maggini and André Luiz Ruiz, awards as Best Soundtrack Nicola Piovani (“Prova d’amore”) “for how he marks the time of the narrative, for how he enhances the ability of the protagonists to tell one’s story and convey messages even without the aid of words, and for the emotions the
music conveys, remainng inside beyond the credits”.
Staff of the International Conference
The staff of the International Conference “Andare Oltre! Uniti nella Luce!” prizes the Andare Oltre Award to the movie “Un Caballo En La Alcoba” by Darío Vargas “for that delicacy, which it deals with the theme of Death, introducing the figure of the psychopomp, the horse, leaving the ending open by allowing the public to rebuild it. On their own. Due to that magnific author’s photography and through powerfully valid works, the film matched it to present itself as a quality product by offering interesting ideas and innumeral visions on the nature of the Soul and the Life after a life”.
“We are highly satisfied, pleased and grateful with what we could achieve. Despite the difficulties we managed it to organise the Fourth Life Beyond Life Film Festival, enlarging it even from three to a five- days Live event, thanks to the patronage of the Municipality of Pino Torinese, providing us with the Auditorium. This edition established a great cohesion of our team, and its weight in the creation of a choral
festival, being rich in nuances and quality, the result of the sensitivity of each individual present! The International Juries, whom I sincerely would like to thank, acted with enormous professionalism and the matinee at the IPS Albe Steiner with Andrea Morghen together with the two directors Darío Vargas and Denis Nazzarin has given a nourishing and highly cultural moment. I am feeling obliged for what we are carrying
forward, in an absolutely self-financed way.
“We all believe in the value of this festival, and above all in the fact, that we must move forward”, declaring highly motivated the artistic director Annunziato Gentiluomo. “We worked a lot, but the result arrived clearly! We reached the goal! Therefore we have even planned another meeting to take stock of what happened, and this date will be before the last day, June 5, at the CineTeatro Baretti/ Torino City, where the five winner movies will be screened. Furthermore we would like to name and thank the godmother of this Fourth Edition, Lorenza Aimone Querio, the Genovese artist Corrado Leoni and the three directors, who so generously joined us during our Live event: Denis Nazzari, Michele Ciardulli and the Colombian Darío Vargas”, concluding the Programming Director Andrea Morghen. “Working in team with wonderful friends like Nunzio and Andrea is truly Motivating. Everything was decided in democracy, seeking consensus and valuing everyone’s point of view. The Councilors Elisa Pagliaasso and Davide Boniforti welcomed our initiative with care, confirming their availability for next year too”, emphazising the Director of Organisation and Logistics Matteo Valier.
The event is sponsored by the Municipality of Pino Torinese, by Bimed – Biennial of Mediterranean Arts and Sciences – the ASI Holistic and Oriental Arts Sector, by the Foundation for Salutogenesi Onlus and CNUPI, and finally boasting among its cultural partners the Ghost Hunters Association, Collateral 102 , Koqix and Psiche 2 Edizioni.
Main media partner is ArtInMovimento Magazine (http://artinmovimento.com/) with its web radio (https://www.spreaker.com/user/artinmovimento), supported by Arte Settima, CameraLook, KarmaNews.it, Fotogrammi , Psicofilm, Mondo Nuovo News, Tv Alvorada Espirita, ArtApp, Métis News and PoliticamenteCorretto. ArtInMovimento Press Office will take care of the relations with the Social Media.
