The NABA Cinema Awards 2023 returned student short films to the big screen, transforming a year of work into a public event shared between Milan and Rome. On 22 March, the theatres of Anteo Palazzo del Cinema and Cinema Intrastevere hosted the second edition of the award, dedicated to the best audiovisual and cinematic projects created by students from the Media Design and New Technologies and Set Design Areas.
A day conceived as a moment of culmination and exchange: screenings, awards and audience participation marked the conclusion of a shared journey, giving shape to a collective experience in which the projects were seen and recognised within a real cinematic context. A unique opportunity for our students to engage with the dynamics and leading professionals of the audiovisual sector.
The second edition of the NABA Cinema Awards took place on Wednesday 22 March 2023, simultaneously in Milan and Rome, strengthening the dialogue between the two campuses. In Milan, the event was held at Anteo Palazzo del Cinema (Excelsior Hall), while in Rome it took place at Cinema Intrastevere (Hall 2), with the two theatres connected via live streaming and experienced as a single shared space.
Before the award ceremonies, there was an opportunity to preview the students' projects: on the afternoons of 21 and 22 March, Anteo hosted screenings of all the finalist short films; on the afternoon of 22 March, at Cinema Intrastevere, the works created by students from the Rome campus, together with the out-of-competition short films, were presented. Both award evenings concluded with screenings of the winning projects, allowing the audience to appreciate and relive the entire creative journey of NABA students on the big screen.
The winning projects of the second edition of the NABA Cinema Awards were selected by an external jury composed of professionals from the film and audiovisual sector, who awarded the prizes in the categories Best Short Film, Best Short Film – Rome, Best Extra-Short Animation, Best Direction, and the Jury Special Prize. The external jury consisted of Alfio Bastiancich (Vice-President of Cartoon Italia – National Association of Animation Producers), Amina Grenci (Story Editor at Indiana Production), Federica Fracassi (actress), Chiara Leonardi (NABA Alumna, Project Development – Matteo Garrone at Archimede Srl) and Francesco Zippel (director and producer).
Alongside the external jury, an internal NABA jury awarded the Best VFX and Best Set Design prizes — introduced in the 2023 edition — together with the Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Editing awards. The internal jury consisted of Course Leaders Alessandro Bertante (BA in Cinema and Animation – Milan) and Andrea Maggiolo (BA in Creative Technologies), Course Advisor Leader Fabio Capalbo (BA in Cinema and Animation – Rome), and NABA lecturers Enrico Brocchetta, Igor Muroni, Andrea Pestarino, Maresa Lippolis and Denise Carnini.
To strengthen the link between education and industry, the 2023 edition involved Prem1ere Film, which awarded the winner of Best Short Film with festival distribution services. In addition, La Feltrinelli – Maremosso, Wacom and Moovie dedicated special prizes to winners in selected categories.
NABA Cinema Awards 2023: The Winning Projects
Below are the awarded projects, the students who created them and the respective categories:
- Best Short Film: "Il Cortile" by Riccardo Stabilini;
- Best Short Film – Rome: "Voluptas" by Costanza Lusini;
- Best Extra-Short Animation: "Una bella giornata" by Angela Li, Alessia Lionetti, Chiara Mallus and Sarah Marinoni de Athayde;
- Best Direction: "Il pesce della libertà" by Linna Shi;
- Jury Special Prize: "Condominio N°IMX172" by Gaia Longobardi;
- Best Cinematography: ex aequo "Absinthe" by Leonardo Bosatra and "Condominio N°IMX172" by Gaia Longobardi;
- Best Editing: "Terá" by Stefano Camera and Riccardo Vormstein;
- Best Sound: ex aequo "Lacrime di Terra" by Manuele Granelli, Ettore Rinaldi and Francesca Venzano, and "L'inusuale proposta di vivere" by Alex Ciuffardi;
- Best Screenplay: "Una bella giornata" by Angela Li, Alessia Lionetti, Chiara Mallus and Sarah Marinoni de Athayde;
- Best VFX: "The future in the end" by Mattia Raffellini;
- Best Set Design: "Il peccato di Anna" by Isabel Zanato and Francesco Zara.
The 2023 NABA Cinema Awards were covered on the Academy's Twitch channel within the CaFFeLuNGo format, hosted by faculty member Igor Muroni, who explored the second edition of the award across four insight-rich episodes. The sessions featured the selected students in a true "Road to NABA Cinema Awards", allowing audiences to explore the Academy's audiovisual universe, with a narrative thread that concluded on the day of the event.
As stated by Vincenzo Cuccia (Media Design and New Technologies and Set Design Area Leader): "The NABA Cinema Awards are intended as a celebration, a small film festival for the student community of the Media Design and New Technologies and Set Design Areas, recognising education, commitment and the desire to tell stories and express oneself in ways and through content that do not necessarily correspond to those required by the audiovisual market."
The event's visual identity was created from an illustration developed by students Alice Chiofalo and Alice Guerrini under the supervision of NABA lecturer Jacopo Martinoni.
Faculty and Students
Vincenzo Cuccia, Igor Muroni, Alessandro Bertante, Andrea Maggiolo, Fabio Capalbo, Enrico Brocchetta, Andrea Pestarino, Maresa Lippolis, Denise Carnini, Jacopo Martinoni
Riccardo Stabilini, Costanza Lusini, Angela Li, Alessia Lionetti, Chiara Mallus, Sarah Marinoni de Athayde, Linna Shi, Gaia Longobardi, Leonardo Bosatra, Stefano Camera, Riccardo Vormstein, Manuele Granelli, Ettore Rinaldi, Francesca Venzano, Alex Ciuffardi, Mattia Raffellini, Isabel Zanato, Francesco Zara, Alice Chiofalo, Alice Guerrini