MED-LIMES

“At the Borders of the Mediterranean Sea”

Images and stories from the Mediterranean Sea

 International Short Film Exhibition

VIII Edition – Salerno, 15-16-17 May 2025

Project

  Introduction Med-Limes “At the Borders of the Mediterranean Sea” was born as the Short Film Exhibition that focuses on hot topics of our era. The drama of immigration and the scarcity of water resources and food products to meet the needs of millions of individuals, the discrimination against other cultures are the themes and contents on which are based the film productions that will participate at the event. The choice of treatment of these themes coincides with the commitment of the FONMED – “Fondazione Sud per la Cooperazione e lo Sviluppo nel Mediterraneo” that has among the objects of its Statute the opening and dialog toward the different cultures in line with the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals are 17 objectives that were designed by the ONU as part of a sustainable development program to improve the life of all the peoples of the planet so universal, inclusive and indivisible. We chose the instrument of the Short Film Exhibition because despite the crisis that cinema is going through in recent decades, remains very strong its communicative power. It is a direct source of emotions and feelings and still manages to convey messages dense in content. It Allows the viewer to submerge ourselves in places and situations, to live in different contexts and environments. It makes the spectator closer to that human side that modern technologies instead seem to have abolished. Moreover, it is wished to propose the film festival but in the form of independent short film because this choice seemed more suited to the themes that the event wants to be treated. Racial Discrimination, the pollution of the environment, food shortages are related topics on which emerging filmmakers and directors can create interlaces that moving people to make a reflection. The aim is to build a physical place of encounter and confrontation between the various cultures of the Mediterranean Sea, represented by the works of directors belonging exclusively to this geographical area. Fonmed wants to give space to cinematographic productions minors who often do not fall within the economic logic of cinema today remains unknown. Cinematographic productions minors have a great capacity of narration which lends itself well to the themes on which the event wants to draw attention to and that in last but not less important, they are the best way to convey that message of humanity they need all the peoples of the modern age.   The project The project is based on the establishment of a Short Film Exhibition that has its field of action the Mediterranean area. The Short Film Exhibition will be open to the productions of directors that come from to the Mediterranean area, whether they are emerging filmmakers both which are famous directors. The title of the Short Film Exhibition is Med-Limes “At the Borders of the Mediterranean Sea” and will consist only of works filmed in the form of short film. The International film festival will take place in Salerno, from 15th to 17th May 2025. The Short Film Exhibition will be open to Italian directors and foreigners if they belong to the Mediterranean area. The themes of the festival are the 17 SDGs:

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger 
3. Good Health and Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean energy
8. Decent work and economic growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequality
11. Sustainable cities and communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate action
14. Life below water
15. Life on land
16. Peace, Justice and Strong institutions
17. Partnership for the goals

The directors will be free to send their works about one or more themes of Short Film Exhibition. The themes are chosen in relation to the Millennium Development Goals. The countries of the ONU have adopted a series of objectives to put an end to poverty, protecting the planet and ensure the prosperity of all as part of a new program of sustainable development. Every lens has specific objectives to be achieved over the next fifteen years. The 17 SDGs aims to transform our world: governments, business and civil society together with the United Nations have begun to mobilise the efforts to reach the agenda for sustainable development by 2030.   The Goal 1 Zero Poverty has the purpose of putting an end to every form of poverty in the world. Despite extreme poverty rates have been cut by more than half since 1990 one in five people in developing regions still live on less than $1.25 a day. In addition to the lack of the lack of income and resources the deficit greater is represented from hunger and malnutrition. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.
• Ensure that all men and women, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance.

  The Goal 2 Zero Hunger has the purpose of end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. If done right, agriculture, forestry and fisheries can provide nutritious food for all and generate decent incomes, while supporting people-centered rural development and protecting the environment. Right now, our soils, freshwater, oceans, forests and biodiversity are being rapidly degraded. Climate change is putting even more pressure on the resources we depend on, increasing risks associated with disasters such as droughts and floods. A profound change of the global food and agriculture system is needed if we are to nourish today’s 795 million hungry and the additional 2 billion people expected by 2050. The food and agriculture sector offer key solutions for development, and is central for hunger and poverty eradication. Therefore, the governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• End hunger and ensure access by all people, the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.
• Ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.

  The Goal 3 Good health and well-being aims to Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers associated with child and maternal mortality, but working towards achieving the target of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030 would require improvements in skilled delivery care.   Many more efforts are needed to fully eradicate a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines.
• Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States.

  The Goal 4 Quality Education aims to reach a quality education to creating sustainable development. In addition to improving quality of life, access to inclusive education can help equip locals with the tools required to develop innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education, including university.
• Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.
• Substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states.

  The Goal 5 Gender Equality aims to reach the gender equality. While the world has achieved progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment, women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence in every part of the world. Providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
• Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making in political, economic and public life.
• Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
• Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.

  The Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation wants to ensure clean, accessible water for all people in the world. Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
• Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.
• Expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies.

  The Goal 7 Affordable and Clean energy aims to ensure the access to energy. Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.
• Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
• Enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries.

  The Goal 8 Decent work and economic growth aims to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all. Roughly half the world’s population still lives on the equivalent of about US$2 a day with global unemployment rates of 5.7% and having a job doesn’t guarantee the ability to escape from poverty in many places. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.
• Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.
• Develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization.

    The Goal 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure wants to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.
• Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities.

  The Goal 10 Reduced Inequality aims to reduce inequality within and among countries. The international community has made significant strides towards lifting people out of poverty.  The most vulnerable nations – the least developed countries, the landlocked developing countries and the small island developing states – continue to make inroads into poverty reduction.  However, inequality persists and large disparities remain regarding access to health and education services and other assets. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average.
• Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
• Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard.

  The Goal 11 Sustainable cities and communities aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Many challenges exist to maintaining cities in a way that continues to create jobs and prosperity without straining land and resources. Common urban challenges include congestion, lack of funds to provide basic services, a shortage of adequate housing, declining infrastructure and rising air pollution within cities. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.
• Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
• Increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, holistic disaster risk management at all levels.

  The Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Sustainable consumption and production aims at “doing more and better with less,” increasing net welfare gains from economic activities by reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole lifecycle, while increasing quality of life. It also requires a systemic approach and cooperation among actors operating in the supply chain, from producer to final consumer. It involves engaging consumers through awareness-raising and education on sustainable consumption and lifestyles, providing consumers with adequate information through standards and labels and engaging in sustainable public procurement, among others. While substantial environmental impacts from food occur in the production phase (agriculture, food processing), households influence these impacts through their dietary choices and habits. This consequently affects the environment through food-related energy consumption and waste generation. 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year while almost 1 billion people go undernourished and another 1 billion hungry. Among the goals to be reached by 2030 there are:

• Halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
• substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.
• Ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.

  The Goal 13 Climate action aims to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, costing people, communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, weather events are becoming more extreme and greenhouse gas emissions are now at their highest levels in history. Without action, the world’s average surface temperature is likely to surpass 3 degrees centigrade this century. The poorest and most vulnerable people are being affected the most. Among the goals to be reached by 2030 there are:

• Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible.
• Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.

  The Goal 14 Life below water aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by the sea. Throughout history, oceans and seas have been vital conduits for trade and transportation. Among the goals to be reached by 2030 there are:

• Prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.
• Regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics.
• Conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information.

  The Goal 15 Life on land aims to sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss. Forests cover 30.7 per cent of the Earth’s surface and, in addition to providing food security and shelter, they are key to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and the homes of the indigenous population. At the current time, thirteen million hectares of forests are being lost every year while the persistent degradation of drylands has led to the desertification of 3.6 billion hectares. The governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
• Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.
• Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products.

  The Goal 16 Peace, Justice and Strong institutions aims to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies. The threats of international homicide, violence against children, human trafficking and sexual violence are important to address to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. They pave the way for the provision of access to justice for all and for building effective, accountable institutions at all levels. To build a more peaceful, inclusive societies, the governments have decided to achieve these goals by 2030:

• Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms.
• By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime.
• End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

  The Goal 17 Partnership for the goals aims to revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. A successful sustainable development agenda requires partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society. These inclusive partnerships built upon principles and values, a shared vision, and shared goals that place people and the planet at the centre, are needed at the global, regional, national and local level.

• Finance: developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources, adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries.
• Technology: promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed.
• Capacity building: enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation.
• Trade: promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda.

We have chosen to focus on these specific objectives as the Millennium Development Goals are among the objects social FONMED – “Fondazione Sud per la Cooperazione e lo Sviluppo nel Mediterraneo”, promoter of the event. The context in which the festival take place will be the city of Salerno, land of the sea and of the encounter of different civilizations. Place that from admixture of so many cultures saw the birth of the Scuola Medica Salernitana, the first and most important medical institution in Europe in the Middle Ages. The Mediterranean area was once a place of democracy, of brotherhood and of the union of peoples testified by the vastness of its waters and as in a hug welcomed everyone, today has seen assist to the transformation of a society ever more closed in territorial boundaries as in the soul. The opening, the union, the sharing has left the place to racial prejudice and xenophobia, to the rhetoric of the invasion. It is necessary to put the Mediterranean area in its position of the Ombudsman. To do so, we must promote a culture of respect, of cohesion of the principle of solidarity, of comparison and dialog. The medium most appropriate for this purpose is the cinema, because it is direct and always actual. The cinema tells of the old and new at the same time and addresses to an audience varied for sex, interests, age. The objectives of the project The general objectives of the Med-Limes “At the Borders of the Mediterranean Sea” proposes to pursue are: 1) Use the medium of cinema to spread and make known the different cultures and identities that coexist in the Mediterranean area. 2) Promote minors cinema production, works by emerging filmmakers who have a great cultural value. 3) Focus on the themes of the 17 SDGs, the Sustainable Development Goals; spreading the principles, tools and individual commitments that each citizen and signatory state can take to achieve them.   Beneficiary of the project The International Short Film Exhibition Med-Limes “At the Borders of the Mediterranean Sea” is addressed to the people of the Mediterranean Sea but in a broader sense to all the people of the world. In a way, it is addressed to the young generations that we need to educate to the themes of respect to others and to the environment. The common identity of peoples of the Mediterranean area is the advantage and the gear that helps overcome the concepts of hatred and racial prejudice. In fact, people of this area have the potential inherent in their cultural heritage that allow them to create a world of peace and stability.

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