Another inspiring and creative heritage exploration has reached its peak on Monday  in Strasbourg, as the jury announced the winner of the short film competition. The first edition of "Proud of Our Heritage, Open to the World" gathered around 60 film narratives from 19 countries. The short films portrayed authors’ ideas on the most significant aspects of their national heritage, intertwined in global culture and values.

Starting in the Year of Cultural Heritage and ending in the year dedicated to Arts and Entertainment, the project symbolically connects the two themes in one uniting idea of sharing heritage through artistic expression. Aside from providing cinematic amateurs and film enthusiasts with a chance of an artistic outlet, the competition allows for interesting heritage activism and exploration within national and international scope.

The Main Ideas behind the Competition

Organised by the EU Delegation to the Council of Europe with the support of the Council of Europe, the objective was created with an aim to give voice to the groups and individuals all over Europe who want their artistic vision to be shared, seen and talked about across the continent. The competition also creates a unique opportunity for discovery and learning about heritage of different European countries, and encourages interaction and dialogue between different generations and nations.

Participants over 18 years of age, amateurs or semi-professionals, were able to submit a short film about a heritage that inspires their storytelling talent. Essays, fiction pieces, documentaries, clip or art performances with a total duration of one to three minutes were used to capture and describe heritage in all of its forms.

Cultural Heritage as a Homogenous Whole of Personal and Collective Meanings

The ceremony on 4 March announced the winner in the main category.

The Jury consisting of officials from the European Union and the Council of Europe, and a filmmaking professional, narrowed down the selection to the ten best submissions, and awarded Domenico Pisani from Italy with a “Jury Prize”. Domenico received the highest praise for his film A Homogenous Whole – a three-minute depiction of personal and collective perception of heritage as a nearly impalpable feeling encompassing all elements of tangible and intangible heritage in one, universally understood homogenous whole, which increases through sharing. The author won the main prize – a set including a camera and a stabilizer.

The two remaining awards are still waiting for their winners. “The People's Choice Prize” will be awarded to the film earning the highest number on public votes across social media channels. The author earning the majority of public votes will receive a set of a video projector and a portable projector screen.

Finally, the most successful film critic will be awarded with a Photography Drone for posting the most insightful short film review on social media.

Marking the end of the European Year of Cultural Heritage and the beginning of the European Heritage Days celebration of Arts and Entertainment, the first edition of the short film competition reached its goal of bringing together film fans all over Europe around the idea of sharing cultural heritage between nations.