This film, through images full of colors, joy and beauty, tells a theme whose outcome in reality can be heavy, gloomy and dramatically Shakespearean. Through this narrative the taboo of multi-cultural and religious unions is demolished which, in many social contexts, is still insurmountable. This is a radical break with traditional habits, showing that women can self-determine and choose their future unlike what happens with arranged marriages. This message is revolutionary because, by spreading it in an environment such as that present in Singapore, it can reach and constructively influence thousands of people

In Rudhira the theme of superstition anchored on ancient traditions emerges that generation after generation, unchanged, are handed down, breaking down with injustice on the fragile lives of women. From this narration, the thorny question of the clash between the old and the new advancing also peeps out, a struggle that seeks to break down prejudices through the strength of culture and education.

Walking Corpse, from Nigeria, is a shrill cry of pain for all child brides who, with brutal violence, are forced to marry adult men, devoid of humanity and scruple. This short film presents images that strike deeply in the heart, arousing in the soul an infinite sense of injustice as it makes us understand that these girls, devoid of any form of hope and trust, cannot see any way out except that of cease to exist. And it is precisely for these reasons that there must never, in any way, be silent on their cause and fate!

A journey that becomes a meeting of ethnicities, cultures, traditions, hopes, stories and memories. A common destination that becomes the opportunity to overcome borders, fences and perhaps even prejudices. The Pilgrimage to Magdalena brings to the screen the varied world that shares the journey to Magdalena, a Mexican city that is just a few kilometres from the USA border and where Father Kino brought Saint Francis Saverio's statue. It is a symbol which has given life to a movement of people for three centuries, and that involves not only those who walk, but also the people who assist the pilgrims, welcome them and support them along the way. The different voices allow us to understand not only the social and historical meaning of this pilgrimage, but also the real sense, the value, the emotions and the memories of men and women who walk to Magdalena. All this shapes a picture that looks timeless and strongly recalls a distant past, which is - at the same time - fully rooted in the present, in that “religion of the desert”, which in the Saint’s name seems to cancel differences and distances.

Shambala is a film that narrates the history of a little boy and his faith in the myth of Mother Deer. It’s a very moving film about the relationship between man and nature. The soundtrack masterfully introduces us in this relationship and makes us feel the great spirituality which characterizes the whole story. The music helps us follow the magical and ecstatic moments of love and respect towards nature, and it’s also capable of giving power to the most intense and significative scenes. This result is achieved through the use of music, songs and instruments that belong to the Kyrgyz popular repertoire.

The decision has been weighted according to various parameters, the main ones are reported below. The first one concerns the inherence of the festival's themes. While remaining structured in a single geographical context, namely that of Calabria, the film manages to bring a reflection on another type of nomadism. The jury interpreted the film in the light of a nomadism, understood as the migration from one passage of age to another, not a geographical transition but an internal one, which also passes through the evaporation of a father figure and the consequent separation of the protagonist from the latter. This detachment is due to the discrepancy between what the protagonist feels as affection for the parent, from which she departs, and her own moral values, where she's heading for shipwreck. A second parameter concerns the technical packaging. As for this, the elaboration of the choice of landscapes, frames, colors, settings, and the use of lights was judged excellent. The sum of such choices was considered perfect for the cinematic restitution of an atmosphere coherent with the theme and plot full of suspence.

The jury wants to award an honourable mention to the short “Time to eat”, by Seongsik Lee. Although it doesn’t have a theme inherent to the festival, the jury judged it worthy the point of view of the aesthetic packaging, for the choice of language, audio and use of lights and settings. The main theme was also judged to be of great relevance for its modernity and, finally, capable of igniting the sensitivity, and consequently the reflective spirit of the spectator.

“Starting from a very particular and little known historical event, the film tells the cultural change of a Peruvian indigenous community, and their relationship with the new spiritual demands brought by the Christian missionaries. Both then and now, local populations find themselves in dialogue with something that is not part of their millenary culture, and they learn to absorb it into their daily life. The other narrative pole is represented by the sisters of the Congregation, constantly seeking a dialogue with the community in which they operate. Despite its brevity, the film manages to draw a rich and varied portrait of the two realities (the Peruvian community and members of the Congregation), thanks also to the particular attention paid by the director to faces and details (in particular the hands, and the gestures that operate). Valuable photography, interesting the alternation of panoramic views and close-ups, which add a good sense of visual rhythm to the story”

The documentary narrates the cultural and religious pluralism that has redesigned the Italian Alpine societies in the last two decades. An unprecedented intertwining of life between natives and migrants, between faiths and cultures near and far, reveals the multiple changes generated by globalization. With a sociological gaze, the author thus describes the 'interreligious renewal' that the spirituality of our mountains is going through. In this scenario, (not really) unexpectedly the ancient knowledge of the earth emerges as a meeting point between many different souls.