On Saturday, July 25, the 7th edition of the Francigena Film Festival came to a close with its awards ceremony. The festival, conceived and curated by Giovanni Guidelli, welcomed ELSA Tuscan Fragrance this year as its official partner.
An evening in the setting of the Rocca di Montestaffoli
The awards ceremony took place in the evocative setting of the Rocca di Montestaffoli in San Gimignano. Its ancient walls, which have overlooked the hills of the Val d’Elsa for centuries, provided a natural backdrop for an evening dedicated to auteur cinema, capturing the timeless atmosphere of this corner of Tuscany.
The “L’Essenza dell’Elsa” Award presented to Alejandro G. Iglesias
Among the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the “L’Essenza dell’Elsa” Award, a recognition created through the collaboration between ELSA and the festival and presented to a filmmaker whose work has expressed authenticity, essentiality, and depth of vision – the same values that inspire our olfactory research.
The award was presented by Marco Bruni of ELSA Tuscan Fragrance to Alejandro G. Iglesias for his short film “À place de l’autre”.
Fragrance as a way of telling the story of a territory
For ELSA, standing alongside the Francigena Film Festival came naturally. Just as cinema tells stories through images, our fragrance tells the story of the Val d’Elsa through the scents and sensations that this land has to offer – the waters of the Elsa River, the rolling hills, and the medieval villages.
Supporting this festival means investing in the territory, its culture, and the forms of expression that celebrate it, helping to bring the name of the Val d’Elsa beyond its borders.
A special thank you goes to Giovanni Guidelli and the entire festival team for making this collaboration possible, to the Municipality of San Gimignano for hosting the awards ceremony, and our congratulations to Alejandro G. Iglesias and all the filmmakers who took part in this year’s edition with their outstanding works.
