Today, at the Mandanici Theater the Award Ceremony of the 12th Ciak Scuola FilmFest

Thousands of Sicilian students ready for the school cinema Oscar. The new edition has already started with 217 schools and 12 thousand members from all over Italy. The competition, included in the National Cinema Plan at the Mibac – Miur school, is sponsored by the Regional Tourism Department – Sicily Film Commission.

Over 12,000 students from 217 Italian schools, from Trentino to Sicily, registered for the 13th Ciak Scuola FilmFest, the Oscar of school cinema, underway for the year 2022-2023; meanwhile, today Monday 19 December the award ceremony of the previous edition will be held which will see a thousand Sicilian students gathered at the Teatro Mandanici in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (ME). The competition, sponsored by the Regional Department of Tourism, Sport and Entertainment – Sicily Film Commission, involves schools of all levels, public and private, teachers, families, institutions in the cinema sector, and has been included in the National Cinema Plan School of the Mibac and Miur ministries. An appointment, starting at 10.30, hosted by the Barcelona Municipality and strongly desired by the mayor Giuseppe Calabro and by the councilor for urban planning Salvatore Coppolino, an occasion to also celebrate the first ten years of Ciak Scuola. “Young people are the souls of the Festival – explains the president and artistic director Sergio Bonomo, who conceived the initiative in 2010, transform themselves into workers on the set, become actors, directors, screenwriters, editors, camera operators, directors of photography, special effects experts; they breathe the air of cinema and are passionate about this fascinating language to tell their life, adolescence, hardships and needs, visions and uncertainties, ideals and dreams, reflect on the present and the future”. The project has met with approval even outside Sicily: in particular the Lazio and Sardinia Regions have gladly welcomed the organization which is preparing to become increasingly national, also as regards the events and not only for joining the competition, thanks to the creation of educational opportunities that pass from the creation of short videos, commercials and above all progress advertising on various topics such as bullying, forms of violence, lifestyles and other topical topics. On Monday, in addition to the delivery of the “Oscar statuettes”, anticipated by the nomination and foreseen in the various categories (best video, screenplay, storyboard, direction, actor, actress, special effects, back stage, photography, music, etc.), they will be awarded seven schools selected in the contest that will compete for the title “The Magnificent 7”; a special prize reserved for local schools: Guttuso and Da Vinci of Milazzo, Verona Trento- Marconi, Maurolico – Galilei, IC D’Acquisto, Nautico Duilio of Messina and IC Saponara – Spadafora. The prize will be awarded to celebrate ten years of the Festival (2010-2020, taking into account the forced break due to covid); finally, two awards, one in memory of Graziella Campagna, in the presence of the brothers Piero and Pasquale and another, out of competition, at the CIRS professional training school for the creation of a video on Sicilian identity.

Ciak Scuola FilmFest (www.scuolafilmfest) is promoted by the Educa Association, in collaboration with USP Messina, Regional Tourism Department, Sicily Film Commission, Barcelona City Council, CSC National Film School in Sicily, Agiscuola Sicily, Apollo Multiplex, Academy of Cinema of Catania Ciak si gira, Provincial Councilor of Equality Sicily, Rome Film Academy, Rome Sound Design, Taormina Arte Foundation, Taormina FilmFest and other institutions. This year Ciak Scuola is Eureka Prize (eurekaoffice.it). The audiovisual method favors the analysis of problems and becomes not only a training moment, but also an opportunity for social cohesion and integration, especially after the pandemic when schoolchildren were forced into DAD, sometimes losing their sense of reality and sociality. A creative challenge with the aim of communicating important messages, using an effective and direct language both to peers and adults, which lasts all year round: in the first phase of the work, the children confront each other, dialogue to try to write a plot in which you can reflect yourself. Then, as authors they become an integral part of the cast on stage. In recent days they have taken part in some collateral events such as “The magnificent set” to get to know the locations of famous films shot in Italy; “Ciak si gira in cucina”, a sort of show cooking to tell the food and wine story through cinematography; activities and meetings in the Ciak si gira Academy of Cinema, at the Ciminiere in Catania, founded by the actor couple Antonio Catania and Rosaria Russo who they held interesting masterclasses together with the director Daniele Gangemi and with “Mr. Etnacomics” Antonio Mannino; the visit of the Museums dedicated to Cinema, to the ancient writing instruments and to the landing in Sicily; the film make-up laboratory and the matinee screenings at the Apollo Multiplex in Messina. Monday’s ceremony will also be a remembrance of past editions, a story witnessed by teachers, school administrators, personalities, students with specific insights on issues such as legality, early school leaving and others; the event will be enriched by moments of show and entertainment with performances by some institutes.