Little Alya and her father are crossing the Mediterranean Sea on a boat that takes them from Africa to Europe. Tragically, the boat sinks. Thanks to Mångata—“the road to the moon”—the rescuers spot little Alya, the sole survivor. Many years later, as an astronaut of an important lunar mission, Alya loses communication with her base. She is confronted with her past trauma, and now Mångata will help her again.

It is difficult to look away from the moon shining in the starry sky, but looking away is what we do as we turn toward the tragic reality of immigration to Europe. According to United Nations data, in the last seven years, more than 30.000 men, women, and children have died or gone missing in the Central Mediterranean. The “Never again” sworn in front of the aligned coffins of the 368 people who lost their lives near Lampedusa on October 3, 2013, has remained only a declaration of intent.

We look at the moon, but we turn away when it comes to looking at the tragedy of those who cross the Mediterranean in search of a better life. Their basic human right to a home often goes unfulfilled and their search for a place to call home becomes an existential struggle. This is not just an African problem, it is the responsibility of all of Europe.

Alya comes from Africa and arrives in Europe following a dream: first a dream of her father’s and then a dream of her own. Mångata, “the road to the moon,” represents the long way to get there.

On the Moon, while communication with the base is interrupted, Alya has an encounter that helps her overcome her past trauma and make sense of her loss.

Planet Earth is both Alya’s home and the starting point of Mångata, not just for her, but for all of mankind—of which Alya, with her aspiration and resilience, is a bright symbol.

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Maja Costa
Short Film | Fiction | Drama,  Sci-Fi
15 min
Germany | Italy 2023
English | Italian | Yoruba
English | French | German | Italian | BR Portuguese | Spanish
Stefany Fruzzetti | Ayo Aloba | Afnan Ehoran
Latte Plus
NOURA Cinema | DFKI – German Research Center for AI
ESA – European Space Agency
Antonio Padovani | Mario Nuzzo
Maja Costa
Carola Rodríguez Sánchez
Barbara Toennieshen – BFS
Renato & Ronaldo Gama | Tropical Diaspora Records
Marta Pagana | Marcus Ferreira
Paola Beatrice Ruffini
Maurizio Bergmann
Joana Vieira da Costa | Ana Fernandes
Richard Tintelnot

2023

• KRAKOW INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Krakow (POLAND) – OSCAR® qualifying festival
  • WORLD PREMIERE (June 2023)
• INTERNATIONALES FILMFEST EMDEN NORDERNEY, Emden (GERMANY)
• L.A. SHORTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Los Angeles (USA) – OSCAR® qualifying festival
• FLICKERS’ RHODE ISLAND INTL. FILM FESTIVAL, Providence (USA) – OSCAR® qualifying festival – Semi Finalist
• CALABRIA MOVIE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Crotone (ITALY)
• NÒT FILM FEST, Santarcangelo di Romagna (ITALY)
• VERACRUZ ITINERANT FILM FESTIVAL, Veracruz (MEXICO)
• BUSHO FILM FESTIVAL, Budapest (HUNGARY)
• BAYELSA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Yenagoa (NIGERIA) – Nominated for BEST SHORT FILM and BEST LEAD ACTRESS
• WIENWOCHE, Vienna (AUSTRIA)
• MOSTRA DAS MINAS, Santos, SP (BRAZIL)
• FILMFEST OSNABRÜCK, Osnabrück (GERMANY)
• MONTECATINI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Montecatini (ITALY)
• HAWAI’I INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Honolulu (USA) – OSCAR® qualifying festival
• TEHRAN INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, Tehran (IRAN) – OSCAR® qualifying festival
• TRIESTE SCIENCE + FICTION FESTIVAL, Trieste (ITALY)
• BYRON BAY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Byron Bay (AUSTRALIA)
• CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL “GOLDEN APHRODITE”, Nicosia (CYPRUS)
• CHICAGO INTERNATIONALCHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL, Chicago (USA) – OSCAR® qualifying festival
• AFRICA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Lagos (NIGERIA)
• BRIDGES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Corinth (GREECE)
• CORNWALL FILM FESTIVAL, Penryn (UK)
• AMARCORT FILM FESTIVAL, Rimini (ITALY)
• I AM TOMORROW FILM FESTIVAL, Brussels (BELGIUM)
• EDO STATE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, Benin City (EDO STATE)
• NOVELLA FILM FESTIVAL, London (UK)
• AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL, Kabale (KENYA)
• 3in1 FILM FEST (Almeirim, Portugal)
• I AM TOMORROW FILM FESTIVAL, Brussels (BELGIUM)
• FESTIVAL DEL CINEMA INTERNAZIONALE DI SALERNO, Salerno (ITALY)
• EDO STATE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, Benin City (EDO STATE, NIGERIA)
• AFRICAN FILM FESTVIAL, Kabale (KENYA)
• NOVELLA FILM FESTIVAL, London (UK)
• NEAR NAZARETH SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, Nazareth (ISRAEL)
• BEIJING INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, Beijing (CHINA)
• OSTIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Ostia (ITALY)

2024

• CALIFORNIA WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL, Tarzana, CA (USA)
• ROTTERDAM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Rotterdam (Netherlands) – Special Screening / Educational Program
• TORONTO BLACK FILM FESTIVAL, Toronto (CANADA)
• SEATTLE BLACK FILM FESTIVAL, Seattle (USA)
• MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Moscow (RUSSIA)
• CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Cleveland (USA) – OSCAR® qualifying
• NEW YORK AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL, New York (USA)

• AFRICAN DIASPORA CINEMA FESTIVAL, Florence (ITALY) – Winner of BEST SHORT FILM
• CORTI IN CORTILE, Catania (ITALY) – Winner of BEST MUSIC and BEST DIRECTOR
• ORVIETO CINEMA FEST, Orvieto (ITALY) – Winner of BEST NATIONAL, BEST SHORT FILM MYMOVIES, Special Mention SOUNDTRACK
• MONTECATINI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Montecatini (ITALY) – Special Mention BEST DIRECTOR and BEST STORY
• FANTASY/SCI-FI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Los Angeles (USA) – Winner BEST SCI-FI FILM
• 3 IN 1 FILM FEST, Almeirim (PORTUGAL) – Winner of BEST SHORT FICTION FILM
• NOVELLA FILM FESTIVAL, London (UK) – Winner of BEST FEMALE NARRATIVE SHORT FILM
• I AM TOMORROW FILM FESTIVAL, Brussels (BELGIUM) – Winner of BEST VISIONARY SHORT FILM
• CORNWALL FILM FESTIVAL, Penryn (UK) – Winner BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
• BUENOS AIRES INDIES SHORT AWARDS BAISA® – Honorable Mention BEST SHORT