THE FIVE FINALISTS OF THE SECOND EDITION

Veronica Chirra
Title: ASSO PIGLIA TUTTO
Genre: Comedy
Assigned Editor: Giovanni Busellato

Statement. Rome, 2023. A seagull flutters through the sky. On a hot summer morning, the inciting incident of what will become an all-out war between the colorful residents of a building begins: little Dolly the dog has swallowed a chicken bone thrown from a window by an anonymous, inconsiderate hand. Saved at the last minute, her owner cannot let this “attempted murder” slide and forces her husband to email all tenants to attend a condominium meeting that very evening. The culprit will not get off easy. Several people attend, each trying to build an alibi. As the night drags on, tensions rise, votes are cast, a pregnant woman is close to giving birth, and everyone hopes the meeting will end soon… until a winning scratch card falls out of a trash bag.
Skill in creating comedic situations and characters with realistic, neighborly traits that shift into the grotesque without losing credibility, as the situation escalates. A precise and delightful comic flair enhanced by great imagination. The subject stands out for its inventive joy and smooth narration, reminiscent of a Feydeau farce, though the whirlwind ending brings to mind not theatre but a Buster Keaton gag or a sitcom where everything happens in one night.

Anna Francesca Leccia
Federica Baggio (co-author)
Title: ALMA
Genre: Drama
Assigned Editor: Eleonora Giugliano

Statement. Alma, a petite woman with “one meter and forty-nine of explosive energy,” has worked in Rome as a caregiver for ten years, navigating daily obstacles. When the elderly woman she cares for dies, Alma is faced with hardship, blackmail, and humiliation. Her life mirrors thousands of others, part of the invisible mosaic of people who toil daily in the anonymity of a big city. A Peruvian woman so used to being invisible she doesn’t flinch when called “the Filipina”; her inner strength and natural optimism keep her going.
The author’s sharp lens brings Alma to life, revealing her pride and gentleness as a fighter, interacting with colorful characters brought to the page with humorous touches (the trans friend courted by an ice cream vendor, the uptight ex-military general treating Alma like a soldier, Angel the whiny, unfaithful husband…). The narrative is supported by a smooth and lively style, skillfully shifting from serious drama to social comedy. This tonal balance is what made the subject stand out.

Valentina Ghetti
Giulia Pagnacco (co-author)
Title: FRANZ
Genre: Coming-of-age, Historical
Assigned Editor: Michel Buraggi

Statement. The opening and closing scenes take place in a sports club in 1846 Milan, where an elegant lady and a man in a habit watch a fencing match. The main plot unfolds against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars at the turn of the 19th century. Francesca’s story is written into her stubborn, rebellious nature, which drives her to escape the fate typically assigned to women (children, home, marriage) and instead join the Austrian army disguised as a man, fighting the French under the name ‘Franz’. Her valor earns her the rank of Lieutenant, but after a tumultuous life, Francesca-Franz continues to fight with other, gentler weapons.
A bold historical drama that stands out for tackling gender identity and roles in a distant historical setting with clear present-day relevance. While some narrative threads are underdeveloped and the plot occasionally meanders, the story is compelling. Ghetti doesn’t shy from twists, resolved with a circular ending, and the flashbacks are well-placed and effective. Short yet meaningful dialogues are balanced with vivid scenes reminiscent of beloved swashbuckling novels.

Annalaura Greco
Title: CRASH!!
Genre: Coming-of-age, Dramedy
Assigned Editor: Greta Scicchitano

Statement. Lara, 30, returns to her parents’ home in Piedmont after being hit by an SUV and falling into a coma. Her creative spark as a graphic novel author has faded since her editor Adam left her — professionally and romantically. To recover, she follows her friend Elena’s advice and starts teaching drawing to local youth.
At first glance, this may seem like yet another portrait of a young woman stuck in emotional and professional limbo. And yet, Lara has an ace up her sleeve: Jolanda, an imaginary but very real friend, an alter ego on paper — or a kind of guardian angel — urging her to piece her identity back together.
Greco brings originality to Lara’s inner monologue, with a writing style that is as light as paper and as powerful as life:
“‘Promise me you’ll draw me,’ Jolanda says, wiping away my tears. As she does, the paper she’s made of softens, the lines blur and the ink starts to run. The more she tries to dry my tears, the more I cry. What’s left of her is just a mush of pulp.”
Passages like this won us over.

Ambra Principato
Lucio Besana (co-author)
Title: IL CANTO DELLA REGINA
Genre: Horror
Assigned Editor: Gloria Puppi

Statement. A Tuscan villa, 1910. Giacinta Bardi, a widow with four daughters, hires entomologist Maso to investigate why her bees have stopped producing honey — the medicinal extract that built the Bardi family empire. During his investigation, stirred by an air of mystery and an esoteric text, Maso uncovers macabre secrets from the past and gradually realizes — through revelatory flashbacks — that he has been chosen as the next victim of the so-called ‘mellification’.
Structured in three acts and an epilogue, like a classical tragedy, this dark fairy tale gives symbolic meaning to every character and action — beginning with the clever parallel between insect hierarchy and the family dynamic ruled by a queen mother and her daughters, who, like worker bees, are expected to leave the hive. In this female-dominated universe — where ‘workers’ refers to both bees and the villa’s servants — the few men are either eliminated, subdued, or stripped of power.
The submitted scene powerfully captures the syrupy atmosphere that envelops Maso upon arriving at the villa: the honey-sweetened tea, the golden liquid in the vial, Rosa’s blonde hair and sweet smile.
A scene seen through an amber pendant, tinted in yellow.