27th GPFF CORTONATURA COMPETITION
XIAOHUI AND HIS COWS
Xinying Lao - China and United States | 2023 | 15’
Xiaohui is a child who lives with his grandfather in a village in southwestern China. His parents work far from home. Grandpa wants to sell the calf to make a profit. To stop him, Xiaohui tries hard to hide the cows in the mountains.
CRAB
Piotr Chmielewski - Poland | 2022 | 9’
In this film we explore the perspective of a crab: through its eyes and ears we discover the worlds in which it lives. Animals are our silent companions; they have witnessed humanity’s greatest achievements and most tremendous failures. They live their lives in parallel with ours: they become food, practical tools, or, at best, we don’t even notice them. What if we tried to see the world through their eyes?
EFFERVESCENCE
Cécile Gillaerts - France | 2023 | 5’
In Valle d’Aosta, in the heart of a majestic alpine valley, snow complicates the lives of the chamois, who have to struggle to find food. During the mating season, the males engage in frenzied pursuits, fuelled by the hope of perpetuating the species. The chamois, however, are not the only protagonists in this struggle for survival. In this wild scenario, a wolf, realising that a chamois has been injured in a fight, takes advantage of the situation…
RISE OF THE WHITE IBIS
Zygmunt Bannock - United Kingdom | 2024 | 17’
The Australian white ibis, due to drought and the disappearance of its habitat, has sought refuge in the streets of Brisbane. He managed to rebuild his life, sleeping in parks and feeding on rubbish. His success has attracted attention: local residents have grown attached to him, even giving him a new nickname: dumpster chicken. Will the ibis be able to handle the fame and shine as the next Olympic mascot?
BLUE
Reza Zareh Javan - Iran | 2024 | 2’
A child draws a boat, but there is no water in the river.
THERE WAS A CEDAR FOREST
Arthur Cech - France | 2023 | 3’
I am 14 years old and I will still be here to witness the suffering of our planet when you are gone, so please listen to me. In 2022, I visited a cedar forest in Morocco. According to our guidebook published in 2010, it was supposed to be magnificent; we found only immense dead cedars: a result of overconsumption in the world. I invite you to reflect on what you can renounce. Do it to allow the planet to survive.
AU 8ÈME JOUR
Agathe Sénéchal, Alicia Massez, Elise Debruyne, Flavie Carin, Théo Duhautois - France | 2023 | 8’
It took seven days to create the world, it only took one to upset the balance.
COULEURS
Dominique Mertens - Belgium | 2023 | 5’
Dominique is a professional illustrator. The colours on his palette change with the seasons. Today, however, he discovers complementary colours, using the camera as a brush.
VINCENT
Noemi Pisano and Francesco Rey - Italy | 2023 | 14’
Vincent Quendoz is a young farmer from Valle d’Aosta who tells his story on social media. Caught between modernity and tradition, in a life he had not foreseen, he finds himself playing the role of someone else, taking charge of the family business. A journey filled with challenges, in which life and death are constantly intertwined. It is the story of broken dreams that give way to new opportunities, a man struggling to conquer his place in the world.
ROOTS WILL REMAIN
Garath Whyte - United Kingdom | 2022 | 2’
Inspired by the tragically ongoing events in Ukraine, this film tells the story of a stubborn sunflower on its journey towards the light. The film takes its cue from nature, which always finds a way to fight and survive. It fully captures the strength, determination and resilience of the Ukrainian people, whose national flower is the sunflower, which has become a symbol of the country’s resistance against invading Russian forces.
LAND TALK: ALPINE FRANCE
Laura Mahler - France | 2023 | 10'
Meet Danièle and her 91-year-old mother Juliette. Both born and raised in the small village of La Fornet, near France’s first protected area, the Vanoise National Park, today they are witnesses to the challenges the park faces beyond what borders can defend.
TAHLEQUAH THE WHALE: A DANCE OF GRIEF
Daniel Kreizberg - Lithuania and United States | 2023 | 15’
In the aftermath of the cub’s sudden death, Tahlequah, the mother killer whale, carries her daughter’s body across the Salish Sea: an incredible true story that has captivated the world.
THE DINGO FENCE
Kate Church - United Kingdom | 2024 | 17’
In the heart of Australia, the continent is bisected by the world’s longest fence, built to protect livestock from dingoes. For the past 150 years, this species has divided the nation. Now that new studies are emerging, is it time to change course?
AQUAVERSE
Justine Rauby - France | 2023 | 13’
The aesthetic value of the Mediterranean’s underwater landscapes is still unrecognised. This film, halfway between documentary and fiction, through the story of a ghost net abandoned at a depth of over 85 metres off the coast of La Ciotat, aims not only to show the inaccessible in order to stimulate the instinct to preserve it, but also to raise public awareness on the ravages of a real problem: pollution.
