The awards ceremony took place on Saturday 1° August at the Maison de la Grivola in Cogne and was attended by Pippa Ehrlich, Oscar-winning director of My Octopus Teacher, who, interviewed by Luisa Vuillermoz, the festival’s artistic director, told the audience about the creative, professional, and human journey that accompanies the making of her films.
“I have chosen to tell “small stories” capable of representing bigger issues, because I believe this is the best way to reach people’s hearts. Science has shown that much of our decisions are determined by emotions and instincts rather than rational thought. The fate of our world is determined by the set of individual actions. My hope is that the thought and emotions these “little stories” evoke can extend to how we face the enormous and terrifying challenges of our time”, said Pippa Ehrlich.
The director was awarded the 2026 Gran Paradiso Film Festival Legacy Award for her ability to combine artistic excellence, narrative innovation, and profound civic commitment, transforming naturalistic cinema into a tool for awareness, inspiration, and change. With his sensitive and visionary gaze, he has helped strengthen the bond between human beings and the natural world, promoting a culture of protecting the planet and transmitting to new generations a more responsible, empathetic, and profound vision of our inhabiting the Earth.
Luisa Vuillermoz, Artistic Director of the Gran Paradiso Film Festival, said: “Cinema can do something that media debate can no longer do: excite without simplifying. The image of a pangolin returning to the wild, shot by Pippa Ehrlich, remains on you for days, it does not pass in the time of a reel. Documentary cinema has the patience of long time — the same time as nature. I don’t think it solves the big problems of human-wildlife coexistence, but it can rebuild the emotional ground on which decisions are then made. Agendas change when the collective imagination changes. For this reason, at a time when environmental issues have been marginalized by public discourse, the role of festivals like ours becomes even more necessary.“
The President of Fondation Grand Paradis, Michel Martinet, expressed great satisfaction with this edition of the festival: “The results of this first week of the 29th° Gran Paradiso Film Festival testify to the solidity and growing attractiveness of the event. The 35% increase in attendance compared to the same period last year represents a particularly significant figure, which rewards the work of Fondation Grand Paradis and all the partners involved. It is a choral result, which confirms the Festival as a cultural event deeply rooted in the territory and, at the same time, capable of attracting an ever-widening audience around the great themes of cinema, nature and contemporaneity”.
A caratterizzare il Gran Paradiso Film Festival è, ancora una volta, il ruolo centrale del pubblico, chiamato ad assegnare i principali riconoscimenti della manifestazione. Gli spettatori, attraverso il proprio voto, hanno decretato il vincitore del premio Stambecco d’Oro e dello Stambecco d’Oro junior, entrambi assegnati a “Pangolin: Kulu’s journey” di Pippa Ehrlich. La giuria del pubblico ha infine assegnato il premio CortoNatura a “For deer life” della giovane regista austriaca Yaz Ellis.
The Technical Jury also awarded six prizes to works distinguished by artistic, narrative and scientific quality. The Best Short Film Award was given to “Elephant in the Room” by Jura Bakx; the Orestiadi Foundation Award by Gibellina to “Pelagos, voyage au large de la Méditerranée” by Frédéric Larrey and Thomas Roger; and Special Mention to “2000 jours au Paradis” by Véronique, Anne, and Erik Lapied. The Best Picture Award went to “Le Chant des forêts” by Vincent Munier; the Best Scientific Look Award went to “Orchids: Darwin’s Conundrum” by Thomas Cassar; while the Best Screenplay Award went to “Escargot, le grand voyage du petit-gris” by Lucas Allain and Basile Gerbaud.
The Festival will continue online from August 2nd to 7th and in the Gran Paradiso valleys with events in Valsavarenche, Villeneuve, Rhêmes-Saint-Georges and Aymavilles, confirming its nature as a cultural event linked to the Gran Paradiso communities.
The Gran Paradiso Film Festival is a project conceived by Fondation Grand Paradis in collaboration with the Department of Public Works, Territory, and Environment of the Autonomous Region of Valle d’Aosta; with the contribution of the Department of Tourism, Sport, and Commerce of the Autonomous Region of Valle d’Aosta, the Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Cogne, the Gran Paradiso National Park, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, and the Compagnia Valdostana delle Acque; with the support of the municipalities of Introd, Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, Rhêmes-Saint-Georges, and Villeneuve; with the patronage of the Aosta Valley Regional Council, the municipalities of Aymavilles and Valsavarenche, and the Nature Project Authority. Technical Partner Montura, Hospitality Partner Bellevue Hotel & Spa.
All events are free by reservation. Information and calendar at www.gpff.it.
Fondation Grand Paradis Press Office
Tel. 0165-75301
info@grand-paradis.it – www.grand-paradis.it
