Winners of Caffè Letterario and Fuori Fuoco Moak 2019 edition were awarded.
Books, photos and knowledge are powerful weapons, which are able to raise awareness and overcome the fear of “diversity”. This is the message Moak wanted to pass on to the audience of the 18th prize-giving evening dedicated to the Moak contests, held on October 5th. Winners of the 18th edition of Caffè Letterario (literature prize) as well as the 6th edition of Fuori Fuoco (international photography contest) were announced in the heart of the coffee factory.
Winners of Caffè Letterario Moak 2019
The jury of Caffè Letterario – presided over by Piero Dorfles (journalist and literary critic) – conferred the first prize to Marco Pulejo (engineer from Carrara) and his short story “La casa Americana” (The American house).
Reason: a play of visible and invisible, construction and collapse, dead and alive, fate of places and individual choices, in which the author tells the story of a scam linked to a haunted house, which may be inhabited by ghosts. The echo of Edgar Allan Poe’s Gothic tradition arises with cynicism and irony in this disenchanted and dreamlike tale, revealing all the conflicts that leave a mark in our lives.
Second place for Vanes Ferlini with her unpublished work “El Golosito”.
Reason: a story that digs deep into the ambiguities of the past, with the aim of investigating the human soul dragged by the violence of history. In the wake of the renewed attention of the Nazi hierarchs’ escape to South America, the author shows how impossible it is to cover up one’s identity.
Third place went to Davide Lugli from Modena with his short story “Caffè Matto” (Mad Coffee). He also received the Belgiorno award, as he was the youngest finalist.
Reason: Caffè Matto reminds us of an important moment in the history of Italy. Using references to important cinematographic quotations, the author has the courage to face the ridge between madness and normality, and the way in which the perception of it changed in 1978. The characters’ stories mesh with the months of such great transformation, which is told in a concise and harsh style.
The fifteen unpublished works selected by the panel of judges will be all published in the anthology “I racconti sul caffè” (Stories about coffee).
Winners of Fuori Fuoco 2019
The jury of the 6th Fuori Fuoco Moak edition – presided over by Denis Curti (photography critic) – awarded the first prize to Cristina Fontana (photographer from Verona) and her photo report “Ri_Nascita” (Re_Birth).
Second place went to Samuele Pepe, from Rome, and his three-snapshot work “Tostatura 120 BPM” (Roasting 120 BPM).
Mario Scimieri (photographer from Lecce) ranked third with his “La storia di un caffè, in un caffè… (A coffee story within a coffee…) (See picture below).
Matteo Capone with his “Qahwa” triptych was awarded the “Student category” price. A workshop by Il Fotografo, one of the most renowned Italian specialist periodicals.
Leading names of the Italian art scene participated in the prize-giving evening (Nadia Terranova, Antonio Pascale, Mohamed Ba, who have addressed the issue of human rights. According to facts, they told and explained how, in the particular historical moment we are experiencing, words and images can become powerful weapons that everyone can use to try, in order to send a message of tolerance towards your neighbour and towards who is different, without prejudice.
Special guest was the band Musica da ripostiglio, entertaining the audience with a repertoire midway between irony and active involvement, including unreleased songs and covers.
Partners of the evening were Fuji and the editorial group Sprea, in addition to Sicilian businesses that share Moak’s same values: Birrificio Tarì, Cantine Marilina and Spiriti in fermento, Arùci and Libreria Mondadori Modica.
