the project
XP|30: Il canto frammentato is an artistic project that brings together film and music as a tribute to the island of Sicily and the feminine figure. The project takes shape through a 30-minute short film, a 15-track music album and a continuous non stop mix, all connected as part of the same creative journey. Rather than telling a traditional story, XP|30 invites the audience into a sensory experience shaped by voices, bodies and sound, where music is not used as background but as a central language to express memory, identity and emotion.
THE SHORT FILM
The short film XP|30: Il canto frammentato is currently in the process of festival distribution and submission.
The work offers a symbolic reimagining of Sicily, not as a geographical place, but as a feminine collective body. Four women appear on screen not as fictional characters, but as performative presences, embodying different dimensions of a shared identity: memory, wound, resistance and legacy.
Through singing, gesture and silence, the film explores memory through the body and the voice, rather than through facts or historical records. Its rhythm is slow and circular, inviting the viewer to be present, to listen, and to experience the film rather than follow a traditional storyline.
THE MUSICAL PROJECT
The musical side of XP|30 takes the form of a 15-track album, set to be released on March 8, 2026, in connection with International Women’s Day. The album expands the world of the short film while also standing on its own as an independent work.
Each track is built around a core idea or emotion, guiding the listener through a circular journey that reflects themes of memory, identity and return. Sung in multiple languages — Sicilian, Italian, Spanish and Basque — the music blends traditional influences with contemporary sounds such as pop, electronic music, flamenco and choral voices. Alongside the album, the project also includes a 43:28 non stop mix, designed as a continuous listening experience where all tracks flow into each other, reinforcing the sense of cycle and continuity.
XP|30: Il canto frammentato is part of AishaXXI, a long-term project created by Max Standford, which began as a final degree project in Social Education at the Complutense University of Madrid. Starting from the university context, AishaXXI has grown into a wider creative journey that uses cinema and art to reflect on gender-based violence. The project will continue until 2029, with each work offering a new perspective and using film as a space for awareness, dialogue and social change.
Previous works and live activations
The pilot project of AishaXXI was the short film Passion Fruit (2023), which explored sexual violence through the issue of chemical submission. The film received international recognition at several film festivals, marking the starting point of AishaXXI as a project that connects cinema, social awareness and artistic practice.
Alongside its audiovisual works, AishaXXI has developed MQP Live From, a new format for live presentation and cultural mediation. Conceived as a meeting space between cinema, music and local artists, MQP Live From creates shared listening experiences where each event responds to its specific territory and social context. Rather than traditional screenings, these encounters invite dialogue, reflection and collective presence.
The format has been activated in different cities:
XP|30: Il canto frammentato is not conceived as a closed work, but as a living project that can be reactivated in different contexts — film festivals, cultural spaces, public screenings and performative listening experiences. These moments are conceived as opportunities to create spaces of dialogue between cinema, community and social themes, allowing each presentation to connect with its local context.
Rather than a sponsorship initiative, the project invites a shared belief in art as a space for listening, memory and transformation.
Supporting XP|30 means becoming part of a collective journey that connects cinema, music and community, placing the feminine voice and the tribute to Sicily at the center as acts of remembrance, resistance and affirmation.
