On Thursday, October 16, at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, the winner of the second edition of Food and Future was announced. The video art contest – promoted and organized by Pensiero Mediterraneo – is open to students from Italy’s Fine Arts Academies in Naples, Bari, and Lecce.
Twelve short films by these talented students – four from each academy – explored, through diverse styles and sensibilities, the relationship between food, sustainability, and Mediterranean culture. Their works emphasized collective responsibility in managing food resources and the need to rethink the planet’s future, starting from the table.
The jury, composed of Claudio Pagliara, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of New York; Stefano Prior, co-founder and administrator of Pensiero Mediterraneo (representing also co-founder Luigi Capone, who played a key role in organizing and promoting the initiative); Jacqueline Greaves, food journalist and jury chair; Flavia Pankiewicz, journalist, writer, and creator of the project; Antonella Marino, art critic, professor at the Bari Fine Arts Academy, and artistic director of the initiative; Sabbia Auriti, U.S. importer of Italian food products; Angelo Filomeno, artist; and Antonio Pio Saracino, architect, designer, and artist – praised the technical skill and conceptual depth of the works presented, highlighting the young creators’ ability to merge visual art with civic engagement.
The 12 finalist shorts, each three minutes long, were selected by a panel of distinguished professors: Luigi Barletta for Naples, Raffaele Fiorella and Francesco Raganato for Bari, and Ivan Corbucci and Patrizia Dalmaso for Lecce.
Representing Naples:
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Salsa all’italiana by Alessandro Cicalese, Lorena Montella, and Imma Tizzano
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Le Tradizioni by Emanuele Fiadone and Carmen Franco
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Ballarò by Chiara Lotti
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Avanzi by Marco Troncone
Representing Bari:
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Sempre Lui by Carmine A. Brizio and Davide Busco
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Rifugi by Domenica Colaiemma
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Orecchiette of Love by Maria Rita Giordano and Alessia Pasquino
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Tavola by Francesco Zaza
Representing Lecce:
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La Pasta: Respiro della Terra, Memoria e Futuro by Federica Centonze
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Soil by Melissa Mazzotta
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Seta by Margherita Pesce
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Do You Really Know What You’re Eating? by Francesco Silvaggi
The Food and Future Award 2025 went to Francesco Silvaggi, a student at the Lecce Fine Arts Academy, for his video Do You Really Know What You’re Eating? – a striking animation with a minimalist aesthetic and a sharp rhythm that prompts viewers to question the origins and quality of the food we consume every day. Using evocative imagery and a masterful sound design, the piece blends irony and introspection to expose our lack of awareness about what we eat, denouncing the effects of industrial food production. Ingredients are replaced by toxic materials – a powerful metaphor for the contamination and artificiality of today’s food systems – emphasizing that understanding what’s on our plates is the first step toward healthy, conscious, and sustainable eating.
The Jury’s Honorable Mention went to Salsa all’italiana, created by students Alessandro Cicalese, Irena Montella, and Imma Tizzano from the Naples Fine Arts Academy. Their short film offers a witty, elegant take on the stereotypes of Italian cuisine – playing with the imagery of sauce, dance, and seasoning as symbols of popular culture and creativity.
The Audience Award, based on the votes of attendees, was given to Sempre Lui by Carmine A. Brizio and Davide Busco of the Bari Fine Arts Academy – a poetic and emotional work centered on olive oil as an element of identity and affection.
Promoted by Pensiero Mediterraneo srls, a company created to showcase Italian culture and excellence worldwide through contests, events, and awards, Food and Future is more than a competition: it’s a laboratory of ideas where food becomes both an artistic language and a tool for civic education. The initiative’s goal is to give young Italian artists international visibility, encouraging them to explore the connections between art, science, ecology, and food culture.
The official award ceremony will take place in November in Italy, at the winner’s academy, continuing the conversation between artistic creation and collective responsibility – a theme that concerns not only the present, but also, and above all, the future.
