From September 23 to 28, the Franco Solinas International Prize returned, as it does every year, to the island of La Maddalena, transforming it into a creative laboratory where emerging screenwriters, producers, directors, and critics had the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas.
At the heart of the event was the conference “Writing in the Storm: Do Stories Still Have the Power to Strike the Heart?”, which brought together over 160 industry professionals and 70 jury members. The aim of the Prize is to support the role of writers, emphasizing their central place in the creative process, and to highlight the importance and power of storytelling.
In addition to high-level training workshops and a unique pitching session held aboard a boat sailing toward the island of Spargi, this edition also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Prize with a special program that included the screening of three representative films: One Man Up by Paolo Sorrentino, One Hundred Steps by Claudio Fava, Monica Zapelli and Marco Tullio Giordana, Vito and the Others by Antonio Capuano, and The Shepherds’ Dream by Tomaso Mannoni.
The award ceremony, preceded by the screening of Andrea’s Island by Antonio Capuano – set to be released in theaters on October 2 – saw the Franco Solinas Prize for Best Subject (€2,000) awarded to Daniela Mitta and Vittorio Antonacci for Bambolina (original title: Itaca), while special mentions were given to The Master (original title: Padrone Padrone) by Antonio Abbate and Michele Stefanile, and Shadows (original title: Duhu) by Marco Panichella.
The Solinas Prize for Documentary for Cinema, in collaboration with Apollo 11, awarded the €4,000 prize to Interrupted Life (Suspended Time) by Lorenzo Spinelli; the Valentina Pedicini Development Grant (€2,000) was awarded to Blue Girl (original title: Margherita) by Marta Pasqualini, while Home Sweet Home (original title: A casa) by Cécile Khindria and Vittorio Moroni received a special mention.
The winner of the Solinas Experimenta Series Prize 2025 was Partners in Crime (original title: Partner in Crime) by Marta Sanseverino, Diletta Dan, and Elisa Carriero, while Super Naughty, Size Doesn’t Matter (original title: Mignòn) by Giorgia Conigliaro, Giallorenzo Di Matteo, and Edoardo Melchioretto received a special mention.
The Solinas Prize is supported by the Region of Sardinia, MIC – Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual, the Municipality of La Maddalena, the National Park Authority of the La Maddalena Archipelago, and the Lazio Region.
Photo Credits: Pexels
