HOLD ON FOR DEAR LIFE

9’

Italy

Machinima, Mockumentary, Drama

A film by Simone Fiorentino

A young man wanders around his bomb-wounded city with his dog and his noseless friend Jean-Michel, while trying to keep his everyday life intact.

synopsis

Through this film I aimed to convey a message of empathy and human connection. Despite the virtual nature of the medium, the story captures the struggles and hardships faced by those living in warzones on a daily basis. By portraying the human impact of conflict, I hope that audiences from different corners of the globe can relate to the common experience of war and the toll it takes on individuals and communities.

director’s notes

credits

director, writer, narrator

Simone Fiorentino

colorist

Alan Francis G.

music

silly blu

editing, sound design

Simone Fiorentino

producer

Simone Fiorentino

co-produced by

Eclettica, Nouvelle Bug

FESTIVAL SELECTIONS AND AWARDS

✷ 46. Drama International Short Film Festival (Academy Awards®, European Film Awards qualifying) | World Premiere - 2023

✷ 39. Interfilm Berlin (Academy Awards® qualifying) | German Premiere - 2023

✷ 33. Rio de Janeiro International Festival - Curta Cinema (Academy Awards® qualifying) | South American Premiere - 2024

✷ 25. Izmir International Short Film Festival (Academy Awards® qualifying) | Turkish Premiere - 2024

✷ 12. IndieCork (BAFTA qualifying) | Irish Premiere - 2024

✷ 39. Videoformes International Festival Winner Student Award | French Premiere - 2024

✷ 12. FIDBA - Buenos Aires International Documentary Film Festival | Argentinian Premiere - 2024

✷ 6. Milan Machinima Festival | National Premiere - 2024

✷ 10. Bali International Short Film Festival - Minikino | Asian Premiere - 2024

✷ 13. Catania Film Fest | Official Selection - 2024

✷ 10. Linoleum Contemporary Animation and Media Art Festival | Ukrainian Premiere - 2023

✷ 30. Caminhos Film Festival | Portuguese Premiere - 2024

✷ 8. The Next Generation Short Film Festival | Official Selection - 2024

✷ 15. Paris International Animation Film Festival | Official Selection - 2025

✷ 36. Girona Film Festival | Spanish Premiere - 2024

✷ 64. Zlín Film Festival | Czech Premiere - 2025

✷ 31. International Short Film Week Regensburg | Official Selection - 2025

✷ 21. Tallgrass Film Festival | Official Selection - 2024

✷ 10. IBIZACINEFEST Honourable Mention | Official Selection - 2025

✷ 33. International Film Festival Message to Man | Russian Premiere - 2023

✷ 2. Anafi International Film Festival | Official Selection - 2024

✷ 4. INDOCILI – Nuovo cinema giovane | Official Selection - 2025

✷ 29. Filmfest Schleswig-Holstein | Official Selection - 2024

✷ 9. Digerati Experimental Media Festival | North American Premiere - 2024

Simone Fiorentino

bio

Simone Fiorentino (*1995. Palermo, Italy). Sicilian writer and filmmaker, also an electronic musician under the name 'silly blu'. Since 2023, he's founder and artistic director of Gioia Film.

filmography

HOLD ON FOR DEAR LIFE

(2023)

I SAW OUR FUTURE IN AN ORB

(2021)

TOGETHER

(2018)