The desire to see the world of cinema increasingly populated by female voices is the impetus that led the Società Umanitaria to dedicate two awards for screenwriting to women: an art traditionally the preserve of men. The initiative is an invitation to rethink and reflect on the theme, to give reality, through cinema, an original, personal and innovative reading of reality.
The Humanitarian Society Award
The “Presidente Società Umanitaria” award is dedicated to the best female-driven screenplay for Italian films distributed in 2021, not necessarily written by a woman, but featuring the narration or representation of a female subject.
In February 2022, the official website of the contest will publish the eligible films and the reasons for the award. The announcement of the winning film and the presentation of the 5,000 euro prize (gross of all taxes and any social security charges) will take place in Milan, in the Salone degli Affreschi of the Società Umanitaria, in via Daverio 7, on 30 September 2022, at 19.
The Ilaria Branca Romanico Award
The “Ilaria Branca di Romanico” prize is reserved for women scriptwriters. The initiative aims to be the first step in creating a network of meetings, debates, enhancement and training of female professionals, starting from the heart of every cinematic creation: the screenplay.
The ambition is to offer female screenwriters the opportunity to meet potential clients and present their ideas effectively, thanks in part to the high-level training course reserved for the finalists.
The prize, in promoting the enhancement of women’s talent in the writing of film scripts, aims to give greater prominence to the role of storytellers, capable of overcoming the gender stereotypes often found in stories produced by an exclusively male gaze.
The jury and the prize winners
Thanks to an initial jury of readers, which will be composed of the founding committee and actresses/actors belonging to UNITA (National Union of Theatre and Audiovisual Performers) on the recommendation of the same association, the authors will have the opportunity to be read by professionals of the performing arts (film and theatre actors), thus opening up new opportunities for collaboration.
The 5 finalists will have access to a high-level training course with an editor (or professional scriptwriter), who will follow them to complete the writing of the proposed script. The prize is awarded in two stages and by two separate juries.
The awarding of the prize, worth €5,000 (gross of all taxes and duties and any social security charges) will take place in Milan, in the Salone degli Affreschi of the Società Umanitaria, in via Daverio 7, on 30 September 2022, at 7 pm.
The technical jury is composed of: Donatella Finocchiaro (actress), Alina Marazzi (director), Virginia Valsecchi (film producer), Luca Bigazzi (director of photography), Francesca Marciano (screenwriter), Consuelo Catucci (editor), Paola Bizzarri (set designer), Fabio Ferzetti (film critic), Emanuele Trevi (literary critic).
For more information write to premicinema@umanitaria.it.
