La cotta (The Crush, Italy, 1967

Over 70 entries - ranging from fiction, documentaries and animation - from Mauritania, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Croatia and Germany, along with several other European countries and a substantial Italian representative, were selected to compete in the third edition of the Ermanno Olmi Award, an event aiming to promote short films by young directors.

Flores del precipicio by Andrea Gatopoulos (Spain, Italy, Brazil, 2022), Garfield Coquillage by Paul Marques Duarte (France, 2022), Sonnenstube by Davide Palella (Italy, 2022) and La Vera Storia della Partita di Nascondino Più Grande del Mondo (The True Story of the World's Greatest Hide-and-Seek Game) by Paolo Bonfadini, Irene Cotroneo and Davide Morando (Italy, 2021) are the four finalist films to which, on Tuesday, December 6, the jury consisting of Filippo Ticozzi (director), Diana Cardani (head of Animated Film and Kino Club Bergamo Film Meeting sections), Donatella Palermo (film producer), Andrea Zambelli (director, screenwriter and director of photography) and Erika Ponti (film producer) will assign the Ermanno Olmi Award. A special mention will also be awarded to the most significant work concerning "The religion of small things", a recurring motif in Olmi's production and a testimony of his spiritual quest that expresses itself in human relationships, in the relationship with nature and in the ability to grasp the poetry of everyday life.

The event (taking place at the Auditorium at Piazza della Libertà in Bergamo at 8.30 pm with free admission) will include a screening of the four finalist films and a tribute to Ermanno Olmi with a screening of La cotta (The Crush, Italy, 1967), an episode written and directed by the director for the television programme "Racconti di giovani amori", shot in striking black and white and set in Milan during the Italian economic boom.

Promoted by the City of Bergamo, with the support of Lab 80 film in collaboration with Bergamo Film Meeting Onlus, the award is open to filmmakers under 30 years of age and consists of 3 cash prizes (€1,200, €500, €300) - made available by Bergamo Film Meeting Onlus - and a special mention.

In accordance with the Minimum Environmental Criteria - parameters of environmental sustainability for cultural events - signed by the Municipality of Bergamo, the Prize takes part in the European Green Fest project: a commitment to both environment and culture, and a fitting tribute to Ermanno Olmi who, through his works, was always a keen supporter of environmental preservation.