2025

RUNNER-UP

/

Narrative Short

The Wailing Trees

Gianpiero Mendini

Gaia is a sound recordist by trade and by passion – whenever she gets a break from her job in the city, she runs off to the mountains to record the sounds of the woods.But when she accidentally captures a pained scream that might be a cry for help, she has to make a choice: bury her head in the sand, or leave everything behind to try and rescue the wild nature she loves.

Director Biography

Born and raised in Trento (a small town in north Italy) Gianpiero was a cinema enthusiast since childhood. After an intensive course in digital editing, he decided to pursue a professional career in videography. Since 2012 he’s the founder of Origami Videography: a video communications and storytelling company. Among other things, he has produced and directed the documentary "Senza Far Rumore", which premiered at the Trento Film Festival in 2018. Alongside his work as a videographer, he works in film education (particularly on Asian cinema) by writing for several print magazines and web portals, hosting online webinars, and participating in live thematic events on YouTube. “The Wailing Trees” is his debut film.