The film ICEFALL by Swiss director Joseph Areddy won first prize in the second edition of the International Visual Art Competition, curated by PI Domenico Chiesa Foundation and included in the 40th International FICTS Festival, held in the city of Milan, thanks to the generous collaboration given by Prof. Franco Ascani, President of the Federation Internationale Cinema Television Sportifs and member of the IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Heritage.
The Milan festival is the Final Phase of the "World FICTS Challenge", the World Championship of Cinema, Television and Sports Culture, which takes place annually at the conclusion of the Phases consisting of the Festivals held in 20 countries of the 130 associated countries. Today marks also the tenth anniversary of Panathlon International's participation in the Beijing Festival in which the PANASPORTGAME video game was presented and later obtained an 'Honorable Mention' in Milan.
The eighth section of Festival 2022, reserved to PI Domenico Chiesa Foundation and dedicated to short films - maximum 4 minutes - saw the participation of works from 6 countries: Australia, China, Italy, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.
- The first prize went to ICEFALL by Joseph Areddy from Switzerland, a gripping film of a climb up an icefall. In addition to the €3,000 prize and the plaque, it also won the "Panathlon Club Award" as the most voted by the Referents.
- Second place (2000 euros) to ROCK & SNOW by Michele Benericetti (Italy).
- Third place went to the Chinese JUNRU AND KEVIN by Wang Junru (1000 euros).
The "Special Audience Award" went to Umberto Mingolla and Mario Falotico for the video THE VALUE OF THE MOUNTAIN AND THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT as the movie with more views on the web. The audience has also received a brochure - in Italian and English – with the presentation of Panathlon International and the Foundation.
The Foundation also awarded a special mention plaque to the film submitted by the Organizing Committee of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games, entitled A DATE OF ICE AND SNOW. A summary of the Olympic Torch relay run for those events, with the motivation of intending to "pay tribute to the Committee in appreciation of the artistic contribution made".
The Vice-President of the Foundation, Enrico Prandi, has represented the International President Pierre Zappelli, unable to participate because on his way back from Bolivia, where the XIV Pan American Congress of Panathlon International took place. During his intervention, at the prize-giving ceremony, he officially announced that the Foundation will take part with its International Visual Competition also in the 2023 edition. The competition announcement will be published soon on Panathlon International website.
