Edition 2025

From August 7th to the 12th the 13th edition of La Guarimba International Film Festival took place in Amantea (CS), Southern Italy. 

Throughout the festival we screened 193 short films from 67 countries including 100 shorts for La Grotta Dei Piccoli. 

This year the festival was hosted in Il Terrenito, an open-air cultural space that is managed by La Guarimba Cultural Association for the third year. Previously, the films were screened at the La Grotta Park but after the park’s closure, the film festival adapted and saw this as an opportunity to find a space of our own, that is open to the public and where we could diversify the events we host. 

La Guarimba was born out of the need for more cultural spaces for the public and was a direct response to the negligence of local politicians.

Last year we opened La Piccola Biblioteca di Amantea, a small library with study spaces, a music studio and a conference room. Here we have hosted information technology courses for migrants, creative workshops for children, and of course the screenings of short films during La Grotta dei Piccoli.

193 short films,67 nations represented, 60 international guests, 15 illustrators’ work exhibited, 2 conferences, 2 concerts and 350 spectators each evening: each year the festival brings international cinema to Amantea and its inhabitants, creating a cultural hub for the town. 

The 13th edition of La Guarimba International Film festival was made possible thanks to the support of the Calabria Film Foundation, the European Union, the Ministry of Culture, the Italian Republic, the Region of Calabria as well as the collaboration of Hungarian Academy Rome, the Embassy of the Czech Republic, the Czech Center in Rome. 

The festival will take place under the Camões Institute of Cooperation and Language, the Slovakian Institute in Rome, the Austrian Forum of Culture, Direzione Generale Cinema, the High Patronage of the European Parliament, the Representation Award of the Chamber of Deputies, the Patronage of the Senate of the Republic, and the Italian Touring Club.

Partners include UNICEF Italy, Moleskine Foundation, Caribe Atómico Film Festival, MyAirBridge, Amarelli, Fichi Marano, Caffè Guglielmo, and Orchestra Fiati Mediterranea.

This year, the building that we share our office with changed ownership, and they agreed to reconstruct the side of the building so it would be suitable for our outdoor screenings. This means we had a larger space to project the films on and could change the orientation of the screening, increasing the seating capacity for our spectators. On the wall that we had previously used for projection, we invited artist La Fille Bertha to paint a large mural. La Fille Berthe had previously created murals for our space in Il Terrenito, helping to make our outdoor area into one cohesive and beautiful space. 

THE PROGRAMME OF THE 13TH EDITION

At La Guarimba our aim is to create a film festival that is accessible to everyone, that we challenge our audience with films that shock and disturb them, that spark discussion. We want our audiences to be moved, to make them laugh, to provoke and stir emotion within them. 

The selection of short films that is curated each year reflects and represents the values of La Guarimba. As a cultural institution we stand for the people and against injustice, feeling that it is our duty to make our political and ideological values clear, even when this can jeopardise funding or make us unpopular with the public. We program films which reflect these values and announce them to our audience. 

We stand with the people of Palestine and Gaza, for there can be no justice under an apartheid regime. We side with Ukraine and South Sudan, and against their aggressors. None of us are free until we are all free, where there is no justice, there can be no peace. We aim to create a safe space for all, where people under oppression can find solace, knowing they have community and support. We encourage and empower people to use their voice for good, using it to speak out against colonial and oppressive powers, so that we may one day live in a world without war.

Our programmers have selected films that reflect the values of La Guarimba International Film Festival, without forgetting our values: we made space to talk about the people of Gaza as well as those in Ukraine, we gave voice to the Venezuelan crisis, to the emancipation of women’s bodies, to experimental cinema, to dance, to music videos, and we hosted a large selection of animation, including La Grotta dei Piccoli, the program of 100 shorts for children in collaboration with UNICEF Italia.

OUR PROGRAMMERS

The Official Selection of this edition was made by our programmers Oscar Peña, Mikel Murillo, Marta Miquel, Francheska Rodríguez, Maria Francesca Cianciaruso, Valeria Weerasinghe, and Giulio Vita. They worked to curate a selection of films that represent the complexity and richness of cultures, traditions and languages from all throughout the world. During the festival we screened films in more than 20 languages. 

THE FILMS IN THE COMPETITION

This year we received 1.044 films and our programming team watched and debated each one and of these selected 67 films  from 40 different countries were chosen for The Official Selection. The Categories in Competition are Fiction, Animation, Documentary, Music Video and Insomnia, an experimental film category.

In addition, La Grotta Dei Piccoli is made up of 100 short animated films for children and youth. This program is made possible with the Collaboration of UNICEF Italy.

SPECIAL PROGRAMMES

The film festival began with a concert by Orchestra di Fiati Mediterranea (OFM) – Città di Amantea, as a way to kick off the festival and to celebrate 20 years of OFM. This orchestra is one of the most innovative wind ensembles in Southern Italy. Founded in 2005 by a group of young musicians under the direction of Maestro Angelo De Paola, OFM quickly distinguished itself by promoting original compositions and arrangements written specifically for wind instruments, enhancing their expressive potential.

OFM has been part of La Guarimba since the very beginning, opening the festival with their unmistakable sound and strong connection to the community. Their presence has become a symbol of continuity, local pride, and artistic excellence. This year, almost 300 people came to the opening night of the film festival.

In addition to the Official Selection and La Grotta dei Piccoli we had a special category of Dance films, curated by Francheska Rodríguez. The Dance selection highlights the profound ability of the body to communicate through movement. Each work demonstrates how dance, beyond its physical beauty, serves as a language capable of telling stories, conveying symbolism, and expressing deep emotions. 

This category was screened before the ESTÁJEVI party with DJ Cannet and DJ Coromotto where 90 people attended this special screening. 

Caribe Atómico is a film festival in Caracas, Venezuela and is the sister festival to La Guarimba. It is dedicated to Caribbean and Latin American short films. This year we presented “Audio y el Caimán” by Andrés I. Estrada (2024),  the film that won the second edition of Caribe Atómico that was held in December 2024.

Within La Grotta Dei Piccoli program we held a special program called Sunday Cinema/Films of Resistance. For this curation, we showcased a light and moving collection of short films that showcased the everyday adventures, challenges and dreams of children living in Gaza. These films were made by Haneen Koraz, a stop-motion educator, and her team Nour A-Jawad and Shorook Darwish. 

These films are the product of a workshop done with displaced children in Gaza. Their drawings, voices and creative visions guided Haneen’s films. Through humor, honesty and resilience, each film reflects the boundless imagination and spirit of young storytellers. 

To support Haneen’s animation workshops Go to GoFundMe, donate and share.

GoFundMe (One-time donations): https://gofund.me/9d503779 

Patreon (Monthly support for Haneen & the team): https://www.patreon.com/c/animationstories/membership 

The final special program is by the Italian collective ‘Serato Animato’ which explores the repulsive, the grotesque and the viscerally unsettling. Through a mixture of textures, movements and disturbing imagery, the films explore the boundaries of discomfort and fascination. Serato Animato curated a program of 15 films that were screened on the final day of the festival to an audience of 161.

LA GROTTA DEI PICCOLI

La Grotta Dei Piccoli, in collaboration with UNICEF Italy, is a festival for children and the youth curated by Italo-Sri Lankan animator and illustrator Valeria Weerasinghe. This program has become a safe space for children to unleash their creativity, find their voice along the way and to meet artists from around the world. Like previous years, this year’s collection of short films includes a special category: Cambur. These are eight short films focussing on environmental issues, introducing the children to environmental awareness. Each evening there was an average of 67 participants and spectators at the screenings.

LA PICCOLA BIBLIOTECA DI AMANTEA

On August 6^th 2024, la Piccola Biblioteca di Amantea was born, a multifunctional space dedicated to art, culture, education and creativity. After a very successful year of workshops and laboratories, monthly film screenings, book clubs and slowly building up our collection of books to 706. On August 5th 2025, we celebrated the one year anniversary of the library.

Located in the heart of Amantea’s town centre, La Piccola Biblioteca di Amantea is intended to be a space for students and readers of all ages  who live in the area, where they can meet and exchange ideas, grow culturally without having to face unaffordable costs or having to emigrate to large centres.

The area has three main rooms: a library and study area, equipped with internet and computers with free access, a music recording studio and a projection and conference room, making La Piccola Biblioteca di Amantea the perfect place to host La Grotta Dei Piccoli screenings and workshops.

The first, fifth and last day were dedicated to the Doodle Space workshops, a free drawing space open to all, where all creative materials are provided to be shared amongst the participants. With large canvases, pencils and felt-tip pens, La Grotta dei Piccoli was transformed into a white board where new friends could be made and freedom could be expressed. Children, illustrators and animators hosted by the festival participated together, having fun creating through drawing.

For the first day of the festival, Louca Francesco and Valeria Weerasinghe curated a creative laboratory for all the children of Amantea. The children were given the prompt to imagine their dream space, and on a large shared paper, they drew their collective utopian space. Together they dreamed and imagined thanks to their creativity. The second Doodle Space was organised by Louca, where he gave a workshop on making zines and notebooks. Here the particiapnts learned to craft their own books out of scrap paper and inside designed images or made collages. This multi-media project was simple and demonstrated to the participants how to get crafty by using materials they already have around them to create something new.

The second day was a Double Exposure Photography Lab organised by photographer Maria Degtiarenko, who curated a ‘menu’ of photos for the children to take. Maria wanted to introduce the children to photography beyond a digital camera or mobile phone camera, thus this idea of creating double exposure photos with a polaroid camera was born. 

The children chose from three options, the King/Queen of Hearts, Double You and Flower Silhouettes. This was a great way to demonstrate how photography works, how playing with light and exposure can affect the final photo.

On August 9th we organised a workshop in celebration of Carlo Rambaldi’s 100th birthday anniversary by creating animations of our beloved E.T.  His granddaughter, Cristina Rambaldi, came to celebrate the anniversary and participated in the workshop. The participants each coloured one frame which was then animated into a loop and screened on the final day of the festival.

In a workshop hosted by 2D animator Rullampo, he asked the central question: How can we reflect on the concerns of nature and express the rights of non-human beings? How can we give a voice to those who have none? With this idea in mind, he asked each participant to choose a creature, real or fictional, and create a character, a story and give them a personality. The goal of this workshop was to challenge the idea of who or what can be a character with agency.

FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES

Throughout the six days of the festival, we planned many activities to help foster community and connection, not just amongst the guests but also amongst the team. From labs and workshops, conferences, shared meals to a beach clean up, we hope to create an environment of learning, creativity and connection for all involved in the festival.

FESTIVAL WORKSHOPS

Chew, Draw, Barf curated by Serato Animato was an experimental animation workshop that invited participants to create using unusual and unexpected materials, encouraging spontaneity, mess, and boundless creativity. Through hands-on exploration, participants were pushed to go beyond the limits of traditional animation, embracing imperfection and unpredictability in their work.

This workshop was attended by 17 people, both team and guests.

Our second workshop, The Poetry of Rhythm was led by Venezuelan musician José Ignacio Benítez Dotti on the 10th of August. In this hands-on workshop, participants discovered that rhythm isn’t just something to be heard – but that it is also something that can be seen, touched and imagined. With the guidance of José, participant were encouraged to find music and rhythm in all sorts of mediums, from songs, poems, sounds and movement. This was a joyful and creative experience, attended by almost 50 people, full of surprises — perfect for awakening artistic sensitivity and enjoying time together as a community.

CONFERENCES

On the third day of the festival we began the day with two conferences at Lido Azzuro: Word by Word, Frame by Frame: The Art of Subtitling for an International Film Festival and Le Supercazzole: Taking the Game Seriously with Museo Tam, Serato Animato and ESTÁJEVI. 

The first conference was given by subtitler Marta Miquel Iriarte and translator Daniele Zuccalà. Marta discussed the research based intricacies of subtitling; from synchronizing subtitles with scene changes, the effect that duration of subtitles has on pace of the film to font size and color, all of these aspects and more affect our perception and experience of the film. In order to make each and every film as accessible as possible, Daniele translates all the dialogue into English and Italian so that we can cater to the local Italian and international audiences here at La Guarimba.

Le Supercazzole, roughly translated to ‘fooling about’, was a conference hosted by Giulio Vita. During this discussion with the guests, Mauro Acito from Museo Tam, Valeria Weerasinghe and Nespy5Euro from Serato Animato and DJs Cannet and Coromotto discussed how each of their projects came to be. The common theme being that they felt there was a lack of safe and inclusive cultural spaces in their regions and to explore and push their artistic boundaries. Each guest agreed on the need to take risks and explore the Cortázar-style idea of play, focussing on process rather than product and seeing what happens. 

Following these stimulating conferences, the speakers and guests alike gathered at the beach for panini from Salumiera da Valentino. This lunch was a chance to mingle, discuss ideas and enjoy the beauty of the Calabrian beaches. 

THE TOUR OF AMANTEA

Each year we take the filmmakers on a beautiful tour of the historical center of Amantea to help them discover our town and community. On the  8th of  August we took 35 of our guests through the old town, retracing the history of our town. 

The first stop on the tour was Sicoli Arena and the Via Noto car park, the screening locations of the first and ninth editions of La Guarimba. We continued up to the historic center, passing through the oldest alleys, from the Mother Church, admiring the ruins of the Byzantine Church of San Francesco and continuing up to the Angevin mastia tower. 

To end the tour and cool off from the heat, we went to Bar Sicoli for gelato, where participants tried their famous pistachio gelato and other typical Amantean treats. For us it is essential that we introduce Calabrian culture to our guests, as it is an integral part of our identity as a film festival.

BEACH CLEAN-UP

On the 11th of August, our team and guests came to the beach near Lido Azzurro where we cleaned the beach. Part of our goal  here at La Guarimba is for guests to really immerse and interact with the local culture and people of Amantea and this act of community service is a tangible way for them to do so, by taking care of the environment they are guests in. It also helps foster a sense of community and a sense of responsibility for our environment. This year 30 people came to clean the beach and leave it better than they found it.

LUNCHES AT LA GUARIMBA 

For this year we organised three lunches during the festival programming. On the 8th of August we had a typical Calabrian meal of Friselle with fresh Belmonte tomatoes, mozzarella, tuna, onions from Tropea and oregano. The idea behind this meal is for each person to make thier own friselle, really taking care to enjoy and make note of the process that goes into making this simple yet delicious traditional food.

The second lunch was the following day on the 9th of August. We ordered panini from Salumiera da Valentino and gathered at the beach. This lunch was a chance to mingle, discuss ideas and enjoy the beauty of the Calabrian beaches. 

The final lunch on the 11th of August was an Arepada. Arepas are a typical Venezuelan dish made of corn flour and that can be filled with various foods. We prepared about 200 arepas filled with mortadella, cheese and tomato. All the guests were won over by the new flavours and got to know a small part of Latin American cuisine.

Each lunch was attended by more than 60 people.

GUARIMBA PARTY!

On the fifth evening, the festival program moved from il Terrenito to the beach of the Amantea seafront, for a Guarimba party made up of special short films and live music. With the sea as a backdrop, we screened the special program Dance Films! in front of 90 people including guests of the festival, the public who followed us to the secret location and people of Amantea who, intrigued by lights and sounds, joined the party.

The evening continued with the ESTÁJEVI at La Guarimba with DJ Cannet and DJ Coromotto. ESTÁJEVI is a party that was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and now the DJs are bringing their Caribbean  energy to Amantea.

Coming from different backgrounds, the two DJs bonded over their passion and desire to create a safe space, made vibrant by its diversity. They are known for their combination of electronic, latin and caribbean rhythms.

BEYOND THE FESTIVAL

ARTISTS FOR LA GUARIMBA

Artists for La Guarimba is an annual online and offline illustration exhibition during La Guarimba International Film Festival. Throughout the year, the festival scouts artists and illustrators and selects fifteen to take part in this exhibition. The works of these amazing illustrations are exhibited online on our webpage and on our Tumblr (where past illustrations are also archived). During the festival, all the illustrations are on display in Il Terrenito. 

This year, the artists selected are: Mikel Murillo (Spain), Barbora Kmecova (Slovakia), Johnny Ryan (USA), Karol Carassai (Italy), Rocío Quillahuaman (Peru/Spain), Dania Bucko (Venezuela), Laura Jayne (England), Audrey d’Erneville (Senegal), Assala Chouk (Tunisia), Resi (Indonesia), Yiling Changues (Tahiti), Bijijoo (USA), Lika Kvitsiani (Georgia), Mari Kinovych (Ukraine), Marcelo Clapp (Portugal).

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCY

Each year, we host artists during La Guarimba to conduct a creative project for our artistic residency program. We believe that the festival is a great time to foster creativity, explore new techniques and play around with each artist’s respective medium. Amantea provides the perfect backdrop for these projects, where the artists can find inspiration in this town’s unique personality. This year we invited two Venezuelan artists: photographer Felipe “Hawk” Aznar and musician Fran Rousset.

Throughout the festival you could see Felipe in the background observing, always taking candid photos of the team and guests. Through this observation he created the idea of beach portraits using a drone to depict his subjects relaxed on their beach towels and an object that they always carry with them. 

Under his artist name Froussio, Fran is producing his second EP called El perro en la iglesia. This new album consists of eight songs that constantly flow between the edges of post-pop, experimental minimalism and dream ambient music.

THE IMPACT OF THE FESTIVAL ON THE TOWN

What comes from the encounter between an international creative community and a Calabrian village full of history and beauty is unique, an exchange through which both communities find human wealth, social value and cultural diversity.

La Guarimba is proud to work in synergy with the intentions of the Calabria Film Commission in order to deconstruct stereotypes about the region and make it a real center of cultural attraction and artistic liveliness, capable of attracting sponsors and funding of various kinds. Our total budget for this edition was €150.000. The festival has no cost for the city of Amantea, but is financed with funds raised through regional, national and international calls, sponsors, embassies, donations and the sale of gadgets. The Guarimba has been self-financing since the first edition and brings to the territory an indirect economic spin-off, including all consumption for hospitality and catering by visitors to the festival, as well as those of our guests.

The visibility and positive publicity that the festival brings to the city of Amantea is evident: the name of our country is mentioned in the Calabria Film Commission‘s “Bella Come il Cinema” project, in the international Short Film Conference circuits, in the reports of embassies and partner organizations, as well as in the press review that this year involved important newspapers such as Repubblica,  Sky Arte, ANSA, Gazzetta del Sud, the Regional TG and the National TG. We  have entered into a media partnership with MyMovies, streaming a selection of 2 short films made during our artistic residency programs and more from the festival, on the MyMoviesONE platform.

Our communication style is careful to share step by step all the formal and informal moments of the festival. Every day, we create stories, photo albums and video reports on social media, which help increase the engagement of the audience that follows us.

THE COMMUNITY OF LA GUARIMBA

The 13th edition of La Guarimba International Film Festival hosted 60 people including directors, producers, festival organizers, institutional representatives and cultural workers, relying on 9 hotels in Amantea for their stay. The guests came from 18 different countries: Belgium, Colombia, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Spain, Hungary, England, Scotland, the USA, Argentina, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Lebanon and Venezuela. For many of them it was the first time in Calabria, for some the first time in Italy. The idea of the festival has always been to create a community that lives a shared multicultural experience together. For this reason, the activities taking place during the week are designed to encourage guests to get to know each other and be together, discovering together the Calabrian culture and the Calabro-Venezuelan identity characteristic of the festival.

THE AWARDS

The jury that awarded the prizes of the categories in competition was composed of Matisse González Jordán, a Bolivian filmmaker and animator and Nicolas Khabbaz, the artistic and program director of Beirut Shorts and Batroun Mediterranean Film Festival. Sara G. Cortijo was meant to be the third jury member but had to pull out last minute due to personal circumstances. She is a journalist, actress and filmmaker from Málaga. 

THE AWARDED FILMS

BEST FICTION: A Son and A Father by Andrés Ramírez Pulido

BEST ANIMATION: The Golden Donkey by Anne Verbeure

BEST DOCUMENTARY: Shadows by Rand Beiruty

BEST MUSIC VIDEO: Sexual Misery by Ingrid Heiderscheidt

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM “INSOMNIA”: Beyond the Façade by Eyup Kus

“LA GROTTA DEI PICCOLI” AWARD (awarded by the Children’s Jury): Amen by Orphee Courtier, Bettina Demarty, Kimie Maingonnat, Laurène Perego, Louise Poulain, Avril Zunde

GUARIMBEROS AWARD (awarded by the festival’s programmers): Children of the Bird by Julia Tudisco

NONNA SAVERIA AWARD: Filippo Vita

In starting a new tradition after the passing of Nonna Saveria, we have decided to give the Nonnina Award to a local member of the community who gives their time and energy towards helping La Guarimba be what it is each year.

This year the award was given to Filippo Vita, the father of Giulio Vita for all his support.

THE “VITALIANO CAMARCA” AUDIENCE AWARD

For the fifth consecutive year, we have awarded the “Vitaliano Camarca” Audience Award, established to carry on the testimony on the figure of the great Amantean cultural programmer and cultivate the collective memory of the country.

Through a digital form, we collected 350 votes from the public who were able to express their preference and award the Camarca Trophy.

The film most voted by the public was The Leader Will Come by  Michiel Geluykens and Manuel Janssens in the Fiction category. This film tells the story of the inhabitants of a Flemish town of Broekem that gather in the local parish hall to celebrate an important event.

The director was present at the festival and was able to personally receive the award on stage.

GUARIMBA BONUS

The animations of the E.T. and Chew Draw Barf workshops can be found here.

Last but not least, our sound tchnician Carlos García created a lovely playlist to for everyone to enjoy before the screenings, after and during the breaks. The spotify link can be found here: