Salve Maria by Mar Coll (Spain, 2024) has won the Efebo d’Oro Award for Best Film Adapted from a Literary Work at the 46th edition of the Efebo d’Oro Film Festival.
The €1.000 award was presented by the jury comprising Marco Alessi (producer), Laura Busetta (film and media lecturer at the University of Messina), and Clarissa Cappellani (director of photography).
The jury explained its decision as follows: «Based on the novel Las madres no by Katixa Agirre, Salve Maria tackles a complex, little-explored and universal subject: the darker side of motherhood. It goes beyond postpartum depression to address the rejection of parental responsibility. Moving between reality and imagination, the film, shot on 35mm, consciously engages with a range of cinematic genres, from thriller to horror. The intense performance by actress Laura Weissmahr takes us into the mind of Maria, a writer torn between the demands of everyday life and creative ambition, pushing herself beyond her own limits and fears».
Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others by Farshad Hashemi (Iran, 2024) has received the Efebo Prospettive Award for a first or second film, worth €1-000. The jury comprised Chiara Agnello (casting director and filmmaker), Giuseppe Carleo (director and screenwriter), Constanze Ruhm (filmmaker, director and artist), and Giuseppe Schillaci (director).
The jury explained its choice as follows: «We award the Best Film prize to Maryam, the Children and 26 Others for its ability to combine, through elegant comedy and poetic lightness, political engagement, the complexities of everyday life, and a reflection on the very essence of cinema itself».
The same jury awarded a Special Mention to Bagger Drama by Piet Baumgartner (Switzerland, 2024), with the following motivation: «We wish to express our appreciation for this intense and delicate debut feature, in which the mechanical dance of the excavators (the “Bagger” of the title) represents the last fetish of a family torn apart in an attempt to survive grief. Sharp writing and never-obvious direction surprise the viewer with a continuous shift in focus among the characters, portrayed with great refinement by the cast, revealing them as fragile and alone in their search for love».
Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others also received the Michele Mancini Award, given to the best first or second feature among the films in the “Efebo Prospettive” section. The award was decided by a jury made up of students from the film courses at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo and the Sicily branch of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
The jury explained its decision as follows: «The invasion of private life becomes an occasion for pleasure and pain, remaining suspended in the ambiguity of solitude. For addressing themes such as the bond with places and objects and the concept of family, and for effectively positioning itself within the tradition of Iranian metacinema».
The same jury awarded a Special Mention to Joqtau by Aruan Anartay (Kazakhstan, 2024), which, «through the protagonist’s journey, leads us to discover the theme of grief as a reconnection with one’s origins, with sensitivity and delicacy».
Salve Maria also received the A.N.D.E. Award (Associazione Nazionale Donne Elettrici) «for its extraordinary ability to address with courage and depth a complex and often overlooked subject: the shadows of motherhood. Through the protagonist, the film explores the boundary between guilt, personal fears and social pressure, offering an authentic and unconventional perspective on female identity. The director skilfully weaves powerful imagery and narrative into a work that stimulates collective reflection and challenges prejudices, giving voice to realities too often silenced, where the risk is a solitude that gives birth to monsters».
Finally, Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others was also the film chosen by the audience at this year’s Efebo d’Oro Film Festival.