MEDEF – PRESS RELEASE:
Mediterranean Experiences Festival
IX International Journalism & Arts Award “Gino Votano”
(Reggio Calabria, 20-22 maggio 2011)
The festival was born from long tours around Europe festivals; from Lisbon, to Cork, from Ghent to Berlin, from Paris to Vienna, to Barcelona and combines Mediterranean values in the light of new sensory research tactile, tasteful experiences, visual, sound to share to explore and deepen new formal structures and new aesthetic and historical visions. The festival, to be held in Reggio Calabria, for three days, The Mediterranean Experience Festival this year presents from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd May, 2011, nearly 60 works, including happening, films, documentaries concerts, pieces, and conventions with authors of 18 countries, in completion, 22 films, the award for the best documentary of the Mediterranean Experiences Festival, organized by the Theater Association inside the Gino Votano prize, also include two important sessions, one on the Mezzogorno, with the project “Flowers and Respect of Calabrian Cuntruvadori”, with documentaries on the South, including a cameo dedicated to Nicola Zipiri, atypical Meridional, inspirer of “Quaderno Calabresi”.
THE FESTIVAL:
The four prizes awarded; one to Tunisia, one to Nigeria, and two to Italy. After the victory of the Egyptian Maghi El Madhi, last year with “Salaam Viterbo” – This year the cyclamens’ year, the best film award went to Tunisia, made by Fouad Ben Ali with “The Galeb of Gkelili”. The jury awarded it to him for the extraordinary naturalistic proposal of a project of immense culture value and for the fascinating scenery of the oasis cities in the Sahara desert. “A film that has in itself all the scents of cyclamen of the revolts of North Africa that are redesigning the political geography of the Mediterranean.
Award for the best Sitcom to Nigeria, director Ben Oduwole for “J.J. is searching for a house”, a television revelation for the humourous deep humor of a sitcom that gathers with it, optimism and freshness all the issues of multiethnic society, written and shot with an extraordinary sense of lightness, very bright photography and funny dialogues”
Award for the best actor to Italy with Luciano Bruno, interpreter of “Librino” directed by Orazio Condorelli, the jury awarded him the prize for “Intensity, naturalness and viscerally with which he plays strong stamp dramatic in schizophrenia of metropolitan suburbs. “The most applauded show.
Finally the grand jury award, awarded by the students of classical Campanula high school and Pirie Institute. Twenty-two films in competition were viewed on the festival website by students, who have given the victory to Mimmo Raffa of Italy, for a work of extraordinary social interest.
Ben Oduwole – Producer & film director.)
Director, writer, screenwriter and actor. As an actor he has made 25 films for cinema and television, including “La nuova Squadra”, “La vita è un cosa Mevigliosa”, “Rossella.” and ‘Christ the Lord – Out of Egypt’ He wrote, produced and directed the film “An African Wedding in Rome”, He wrote and published a collection of African stories for children and adolescents, “The Flying Tortoise.” He graduated in Photography at the School of Arts & Design at Barnfield College, Luton, and attended the London Television Center, London.
J. J. IS HOUSE HUNTING – A prize winner (Best Sitcomedy): written, produced, and directed by Ben Oduwole
STORY: After a difficult and long search, J. J. an African boy, finally finds an apartment to rent, in a building on the outskirts, but important zone of Rome. The apartment has two rooms, kitchen and a bathroom but the rent is very high for his pocket, so……
