3MWh by Marie-Magdalena Kochová (Czech Republic) is the winner of the International Competition of Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival 2025.
The Brazilian animation The Worst Kind of Pain by Ana Clara Miranda Lucena receives the “National Cinema Museum” special mention, for the work that provides the best contribution to cinema as an art, and the award for Best Animation, given by Venezia Comics.
Two awards also go to South Africa's Punter by Jason Adam Maselle, that wins the special mention for the Best Screenplay and the Social Commitment Award of New Generations.
The Polish film Here For You receives the award for Best Photography and the Swiss animation Dragfox wins the award for Best Soundtrack.
The Iranian film Son receives the “WeShort” special mention, while the Lebanese film Match is awarded with the mention for Multiculturalism.
Side competitions:
Cobra by Russian director Anastasia Romanovna Yaroshenko triumphs at the Music Video Competition.
Foundation by Jack Hinz (Australia) wins the High School Competition.
---
Venice, March 23rd, 2025. The short film 3MWh by Marie-Magdalena Kochová (Czech Republic, FAMU, 12’) is the winner of the International Competition at the fifteenth edition of the Ca' Foscari Short Film Festival, the first film festival in Europe entirely managed and organized by university students with the coordination of industry professionals. This year, the festival takes place across various locations in Venice, with screenings at the Auditorium Santa Margherita – Emanuele Severino and other partner venues, including cultural associations and museums. The Festival is held in collaboration with Fondazione di Venezia and supported by partners Avani Rio Novo Venice Hotel, WeShort and UGO comunicazione. The awards are organized thanks to the contribution of the National Cinema Museum of Turin, CINIT - Cineforum Italiano, the Municipality of Venice – Murano – Burano, the "Arrigo Pedrollo" Conservatory of Music in Vicenza, Venezia Comics, and in partnership with two other festivals: the Giornate della Luce of Spilimbergo and the Religion Today Film Festival.
Along with the awards, this year’s closing ceremony was enriched by a musical performance by Musicafoscari, the musical project of Ca' Foscari active since 2010 and directed by Daniele Goldoni. He, as well as an ensemble of young musicians, provided a live score for the classic silent short Cops (1922) by Buster Keaton.
The International Jury, consisting of Italian producer Alessandra Infascelli, French director Malou Lévêque and British art director Barbara Biddulph, awarded the main prizes of the International Competition, made of prestigious Murano glass by master glassmakers from the Consorzio Promovetro Murano, manager of the Veneto Region’s Vetro Artistico ® Murano trademark, a historic consortium that brings together some of the most important glassworks in Murano and Venice.
The Grand Prix for Best Short Film was awarded by juror Alessandra Infascelli to young director Marie-Magdalena Kochová, a student at FAMU, the historical film school in Prague, who triumphed with her film 3MWh for the following reasons: A story that, in a short time, successfully captures the viewer’s attention, building a sense of anxiety in the audience. It takes the audience by the hand and leads them on a journey into the protagonist’s mind. At its core, it explores a crucial theme for our times: energy and its consumption, as well as the often-reckless ways we use it. For its originality, simplicity, and beauty of the visual and sound language chosen by the director.
The debate on sustainability, renewable energy, and the uncontrolled exploitation of nature by humans are central issues of our time and will continue to be. For director Marie-Magdalena Kochová, everything is interlinked, and in 3MWh she decided to merge seemingly distant worlds: science and philosophy, rationality and spirituality. The work presents a symbolic rejection of anthropocentrism and a reconciliation with one’s mortality and limits, even if purely illusory, as the first law of thermodynamics, frequently quoted in the work, states: “energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it only transforms, passing from one form to another…”
The Jury also assigned the “WeShort” special mention for the film that offers the best experimentation in cinematic language to Son by Iranian director Saman Hosseinpour. The award, presented by jury member Malou Lévêque, was given for the following reasons: A brave story with a strong social message. The silence and texture of the images are timeless and illustrate this contemporary story along with fear and melancholy, emotions wonderfully expressed in this short film. The director made the important choice to bring this particularly difficult story to the screen, given the context in which it was born, and the jury wanted to dedicate it a special mention.
Son tells the process through which a mother comes to accept her daughter's gender identity. To do this, it focuses on the emotions of the characters, minimizing dialogue and producing a non-verbal communication through silence, glances, and gestures. The protagonist’s constantly lowered gaze expresses a resignation that is dissolved in the emotional embrace of the final scene, where the Iranian director gives the audience a glimpse of hope and acceptance for the future.
The “National Cinema Museum” special mention for the work that provides the best contribution to cinema as an art form went to the animated short The Worst Kind of Pain by Ana Clara Miranda Lucena from the Universidade de Brasília. The award was presented by jury member Barbara Biddulph with the following reason: The story of a complicated and difficult journey, yet presented with simplicity and a tenderness, which is deeply moving. It highlights the vulnerability of women when society ostracizes them. The use of imagery is excellent and successfully engages the audience in telling a difficult story, one that reflects the experience of too many women around the world: the story of being isolated, misunderstood, almost violated during such a difficult time.
The animated short The Worst Kind of Pain gives voice to a pain that is often unknown or silenced, transforming it into powerful and symbolic imagery. The technique used by Lucena combines traditional stop-motion animation with digital animation, creating an endless thread, a drawing that blends with real frames in a powerful and immersive mixture. This approach conveys, with simplicity and great awareness, a theme still often ignored today: the physical and psychological violence that can unfold within delivery rooms.
The short film made by the young Brazilian director also won the “Venezia Comics” special mention for the Best Animation in the Competition, awarded by the association Venezia Comics – represented on stage by its president Dario Ardossi – with the following reason: For the artistic and cultural worth, which goes beyond an apparently simple yet impressive animation, adding great value to a relevant theme that in Italy deserves greater focus.
The award for the best screenplay, on the other hand, was assigned by a specific jury, composed of Piergiorgio Paladin, Eduardo Varela and Giovanna Cordova. They decided to award the Special Mention “Ugo Comunicazione” to the short film Punter by South African Jason Adam Maselle, produced by the Tisch School of the Arts of NYU. The motivation of the prize, awarded by Piergiorgio Paladin, is the following: A screenplay that offers a solid rhythm to the narrative and an unexpected ending, while expressing the concept of gambling and betting on three different levels. The first is that of the father, the gambler; the second is the son, who bets on his father by buying a cake he knows will melt if not eaten quickly; and finally, the perspective of the audience, who bets on the son and his role of potential moral example. In the end, he steals the win with a hug.
Punter also won the Special Mention “Religion Today Film Festival” for spiritual immersion and social engagement in new generations, awarded by a jury composed of Andrea Morghen, Lisa Martelli and Giovanna Rech. Lisa Martelli awarded the prize with the following motivation: For its ability to transform a dramatic social issue into a powerful and immersive cinematic experience, with direction that intertwines realism and emotional tension, the short film explores the theme of gambling as a vortex that engulfs individuals and families. The intense performance of the young protagonist lends authenticity and depths to the narration. This short film does not limit itself to telling a story, but it also leaves a mark, shaking and disrupting the audience.
Brett’s effort to reconnect with his father, a heavily indebted gambler, is the core theme in Punter, a work that reflects on moral and ethical limits people are ready to overcome for the people we love. The director does not try to judge the behavior of the characters, but to understand them and show the audience the consequences of a complicated familial relationship, one that is full of contrasts. The syncopated rhythm of the narration keeps the viewer in a continuous state of tension and leads to a bittersweet ending, making us wonder about our position as sons and daughters: to break the cycle or to become like our parents?
The Special Mention “Conservatorio di Vicenza” for the best soundtrack, awarded by a designated jury composed of Davide Tiso, Stefano Lorenzetti, Andrea Carli and Riccardo Tamai, went to animated stop-motion short film Dragfox by Swiss director Lisa Ott. The prize, awarded by composer and multimedia designer Davide Tiso, was given with the following motivation: This soundtrack stands out for the sensitivity and care with which it was crafted, accompanying the narrative path with grace and depth. A refined integration of music and sound design highlights the significant moments, emphasizing emotions and the overall significance of the short film. A complete and moving work, made even more so by the expressive strength of sound.
Sam is a child in search of his identity. He is being led by Gingersnap, a mysterious singing fox, in a fantastic journey. Dragfox tackles the theme of gender identity and the experience of queer growth with great sensitivity. The result is engaging, also due to masterful stop-motion technique. The soundtrack plays a fundamental role, both for the construction of the atmosphere and for the emotivity of the narration, using sparkling cabaret-like tones and the musical accompaniment of London Gay Big Band.
The Special Mention “Le Giornate della Luce” for best photography was awarded by a designated jury composed of Donato Guerra, Silvia Moras and Luca Pacilio. The Special Mention was Awarded to Mikołaj Piekarski, director of photography of the short film Here For You by Cezary Orłowski. The prize was awarded by Donato Guerra directly to the director, with the following motivation: For the intense work on color schemes and the balance of light and shadow in the shift from interiors to exteriors, the careful composition of the shots and the vibrant handheld camera work, all elements that contribute to the creation of images naturally aligned with the gentleness of the story.
Here for you explores love in two different forms, one full of life, the other suffocated by death, through the story of Bartek, a young man living with Down syndrome, and his mother, who is on the last days of her life and is terrified of the idea of abandoning her son. The scenes with the mother are claustrophobic and lit by cold blue light, and are contrasted by those of Bartek and his new girlfriend, which are airy and immersed in a warm orange light.
Lebanese director Maria Sayegh recieved the Pateh Sabally award for multiculturality with her short Match. The award, offered by the Municipality of Venice, Murano and Burano is dedicated to a young man from Gambia who sadly died in the waters of the Grand Canal in 2017. It was awarded by the President of the Municipality Marco Borghi with the following motivation: This short film tackles the tragedy of illegal human organs trafficking, a true plague of poverty. In only 15 minutes, it draws us into this issue through the interaction of common people with dramatic and powerful images.
Through an apparent reflection on Lebanese daily life, marked by the rhythm of metropolitan traffic, Match hides a critique of a culture oppressed by the desire for wealth. With a story that unfolds along two parallel paths, almost as if in a continuous cycle, the director condemns human depravity through the indifference with which the characters discuss organ trafficking, contrasting it with the struggle for survival experienced by the protagonist after the operation.
Moving on to the side competitions, the winner of the ninth edition of the CINIT Music Video Competition was announced. This competition is dedicated to music videos created by students from film schools or universities around the world. Triumphing among the ten finalists was Cobra by Russian filmmaker Anastasia Romanovna Yaroshenko, a student at VGIK. The jury, composed of producer and director Giovanni Bedeschi, journalist Martina Buran, and Giordano Giordani, a member of the CINIT board, awarded the prize with the following motivation:
This animated short stands out for its technical and artistic qualities: the distinctive illustration is original and immerses the audience in a vortex of sounds and colors. The perfect synchronization between the musical theme and the animated images, along with surprising creative solutions coherently aligned with the atmosphere suggested by the track, strikes continuously both the ears and the eyes.
Next, the winner of the twelfth edition of the High School Competition was announced. This award is dedicated to the best short film made by high school students from around the world. A jury composed of Ca’ Foscari students selected Foundation by young Australian director Jack Hinz as the winner among the ten finalist works. The film tells the story of a lawyer who, tired of his life, becomes a cattle rancher at what is considered the largest “sanctuary” for cows in Australia. The jury provided the following motivation:
For having brilliantly combined a stylistic pursuit which highlights the realistic efficacy of cinematic imagery within the context of a pressing contemporary theme, still often overlooked today.
Artistic and Operative Direction
Maria Roberta Novielli
Dorsoduro 3484/D – 30123 Venezia
Telephone: 041 234 6244 | Email: cafoscarishort@unive.it
Media Relations
Studio Morabito
Telefono: 0657300825 | Email: info@mimmomorabito.it
in collaboration with: Eugenio De Angelis
and Press Relations Group CA' FOSCARI SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 15
Telefono: 041 234 6244 | Email: cafoscarishort@unive.it
Communications and Institutional Promotion Office
Media Relations Branch
Dorsoduro 3246 - 30123 Venezia
Federica Ferrarin: Tel 041 2348118
Enrico Costa: Tel. 041 2348004
Paola Vescovi: Tel. 041 2348005
Email: comunica@unive.it
