UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites Special Award at the most important festivals centred on the mountains

In 2017, the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation established a Special Award dedicated to the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites in the context of important cultural festivals across the area.

Ph. Andreas Tamanini

Since 2017, the Foundation has strengthened collaborations in the context of important initiatives across the area, aiming to establish the Special Award dedicated to the Dolomites World Heritage Site within one festival for each of the administrative areas that share the Property, and therefore the Province of Belluno, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, the Autonomous Province of Trento and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. This demonstrates the increasingly active participation of the Foundation, which reinforces links between administrative areas and fosters the dissemination of the values of the World Heritage Site at a national and international level.

The UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites Special Award can be given to individuals, associations and public and private entities whose work contributes to spreading the values that have made UNESCO World Heritage status possible: geological, landscape, natural and cultural aspects, also beyond the Dolomites.

The UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites Special Award features in important festivals centred on the mountains: from the Trento Film Festival to Pelmo d’Oro, Leggimontagna, the Bolzano Film Festival and Pordenonelegge.

Bolzano Film Festival Bozen

The Bolzano Film Festival Bozen offers audiences the chance to enjoy works of cinema that are not always available at most venues, and to discover emerging directors and actors from Austria, Switzerland and Germany, all with a special focus on local productions. For this reason too, there are always new artistic offerings focused on the relationship between man and environment, the richness and difficulties arising from linguistic and cultural diversity, and the representation of unique and complex environments such as mountain areas. This is the story behind the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites Special Award.

Leggimontagna

The Leggimontagna prize awarded in Tolmezzo interprets the essence of the Alpine spirit through a number of different media, each with the ability to rekindle memories or spark our imagination: this is the spirit of Leggimontagna. The UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites Special Award celebrates works promoting the area that received World Heritage status in 2009.

Pelmo d’Oro

Set up in 1997 by the Province of Belluno, the “Pelmo d’Oro” prize pays tribute to people, public and private organisations and associations involved in mountaineering, Alpine solidarity, protection and promotion of the environment and mountain resources, and knowledge and promotion of the culture, history and traditions of communities living in the Belluno Dolomites. The UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites Special Award is awarded to people (sometimes posthumously), associations and public and private organisations for specific themes and aims to raise awareness of UNESCO status, promoting culture, tourism, and the geological, landscape and natural importance and environmental quality of the Dolomites.

Pordenonelegge

Pordenonelegge is a literary festival involving authors from north-east Italy and boasts important partnerships with other festivals and international events, playing an interesting role in the presentation of famous authors and emerging writers. The UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites Special Award is given to writers that distinguish themselves through their approach to representation not only of the Dolomites, but also more generally of UNESCO values.

Trento Film Festival

Since 2017, alongside the “Golden and Silver Gentians” prizes, there has also been a UNESCO Dolomites Foundation Special Award in collaboration with the Tridentine Alpinists Society (SAT), for the Trento Film Festival. This important recognition goes to documentaries submitted for the categories: local area, environment, sustainable tourism, culture, geology, sport, landscape and UNESCO assets. In each edition, since 2017, the film is selected that best underlines the process of raising awareness amongst communities of the exceptional universal value of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites and capacity for active conservation across the area.

This activity is part of the project “Promotion of the region through integrated management and communication actions of the UNESCO Dolomites WHS”, established with the support of Fondo Comuni Confinanti.