Mayonézë: How a Vision-Driven Short Became a Serious Oscars® Contender
Mayonézë: a journey, a village, and a cry that finds its voice
Mayonézë, the live action short film directed by Giulia Grandinetti and produced by Riccardo Neri for Lupin Films, is one of those projects that begin long before the first take. It originates from an unexpected detour, from the instinct to explore, from an unplanned encounter that becomes a narrative seed. Six years ago, during a trip through the Balkans, Grandinetti turned onto a secondary road in Albania: fifteen kilometers that required three hours to travel, marked by obstacles and unpredictable turns. Forced to stop in the first village she encountered, she sensed an unusual energy. She walked into a bar, observed faces and interactions, and felt a distinct vibration. She did not know it then, but that moment marked the beginning of the film.
Her choice to live without a fixed home is not a whim but a creative method—a way to remain open to surprise and to find universal stories in places that might seem off the main cultural maps. That same openness brought her back, four years later, to that Albanian village, where she shot the short over the course of three weeks with a young, international crew, working closely with the local community. Only one cast member is a professional actor; the others include a Serbian model and a young Italian woman with a degree in economics. A deliberately hybrid cast, aligned with a setting that resists traditional labels.
The title itself carries a strong meaning. In Albanian, ma means “mother,” yo means “no,” and ne means “voice.” “Mother has no voice” becomes a key to understanding a system that silences not only women but human beings more broadly. Grandinetti emphasizes that the film is not a “women’s story” but a universal one, addressing the human condition and the forces—often economic—that drive people toward extreme choices.
Supported by the production work of Riccardo Neri, Mayonézë is part of a year marked by several internationally oriented projects for the producer. In addition to the short film, Neri also worked on Luna Park, the second feature by Florenc Papas and Albania’s submission for the 2026 Oscars®. His professional background includes experience in European and Italian productions with a global scope, including serving as executive producer on Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God, nominated at the 2022 Academy Awards®.
Within this production framework, Mayonézë builds its visual identity through stark black-and-white imagery that moves across contrasts and fractures: between possibility and impossibility, tradition and contemporaneity, masculine and feminine, Albanian and Serbian. Cutting through this visual line is the golden tree, a living material that interrupts and transforms the frame—symbolizing a passage from trauma to possibility, from paralysis to movement. It is an element that does not explain but evokes, inviting viewers to complete the meaning of the film through their own experience.
During the shoot, a small almost-symbolic event occurred: snow fell in the village for the first time in ten years in the month of December. A poetic coincidence that seems to resonate with the short’s deepest core.
The visionary strength of Mayonézë was quickly recognized by the international community. The short received the Jury Prize at the Brussels Short Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at AFI FEST in the Live Action Short category—acknowledgments that are strengthening its profile in a competitive year rich with notable titles.
The project now continues its path through the Academy Awards® season: Mayonézë is officially in contention for Best Live Action Short Film, and on December 16 the Academy will announce whether it has made the shortlist, a decisive step toward a potential nomination.
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Mayonézë: a journey, a village, and a cry that finds its voice
Mayonézë, the live action short film directed by Giulia Grandinetti and produced by Riccardo Neri for Lupin Films, is one of those projects that begin long before the first take. It originates from an unexpected detour, from the instinct to explore, from an unplanned encounter that becomes a narrative seed. Six years ago, during a trip through the Balkans, Grandinetti turned onto a secondary road in Albania: fifteen kilometers that required three hours to travel, marked by obstacles and unpredictable turns. Forced to stop in the first village she encountered, she sensed an unusual energy. She walked into a bar, observed faces and interactions, and felt a distinct vibration. She did not know it then, but that moment marked the beginning of the film.
Her choice to live without a fixed home is not a whim but a creative method—a way to remain open to surprise and to find universal stories in places that might seem off the main cultural maps. That same openness brought her back, four years later, to that Albanian village, where she shot the short over the course of three weeks with a young, international crew, working closely with the local community. Only one cast member is a professional actor; the others include a Serbian model and a young Italian woman with a degree in economics. A deliberately hybrid cast, aligned with a setting that resists traditional labels.
The title itself carries a strong meaning. In Albanian, ma means “mother,” yo means “no,” and ne means “voice.” “Mother has no voice” becomes a key to understanding a system that silences not only women but human beings more broadly. Grandinetti emphasizes that the film is not a “women’s story” but a universal one, addressing the human condition and the forces—often economic—that drive people toward extreme choices.
Supported by the production work of Riccardo Neri, Mayonézë is part of a year marked by several internationally oriented projects for the producer. In addition to the short film, Neri also worked on Luna Park, the second feature by Florenc Papas and Albania’s submission for the 2026 Oscars®. His professional background includes experience in European and Italian productions with a global scope, including serving as executive producer on Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God, nominated at the 2022 Academy Awards®.
Within this production framework, Mayonézë builds its visual identity through stark black-and-white imagery that moves across contrasts and fractures: between possibility and impossibility, tradition and contemporaneity, masculine and feminine, Albanian and Serbian. Cutting through this visual line is the golden tree, a living material that interrupts and transforms the frame—symbolizing a passage from trauma to possibility, from paralysis to movement. It is an element that does not explain but evokes, inviting viewers to complete the meaning of the film through their own experience.
During the shoot, a small almost-symbolic event occurred: snow fell in the village for the first time in ten years in the month of December. A poetic coincidence that seems to resonate with the short’s deepest core.
The visionary strength of Mayonézë was quickly recognized by the international community. The short received the Jury Prize at the Brussels Short Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at AFI FEST in the Live Action Short category—acknowledgments that are strengthening its profile in a competitive year rich with notable titles.
The project now continues its path through the Academy Awards® season: Mayonézë is officially in contention for Best Live Action Short Film, and on December 16 the Academy will announce whether it has made the shortlist, a decisive step toward a potential nomination.
