Festival Corto D’ autore Citta’ Di Cesinali (3)

Festival start: 12 September 2026      Festival end: 13 September 2026

The “TEATRO D’EUROPA DON FERDINANDO RENZULLI” Cultural Association, under the patronage of the Municipality of Cesinali, announces the 3rd edition of the FESTIVAL CORTO D’AUTORE CITTA’ DI CESINALI – DON FERDINANDO RENZULLI AWARD, to be held on September 12 and 13, 2026, at the Teatro d’Europa in Cesinali (AV).

Our mission is to promote the talent of emerging young filmmakers within the Italian, European, and international film scenes, with the goal of blending culture, local heritage, and tourism, while paying particular attention to innovations in the field of cinema, including those supported by new technological tools.

The call for entries is open to short films of any theme and genre. It ranges from drama to comedy to thrillers, and so on. Stories may be fictional, adaptations, or inspired by real events, as well as documentaries or reportages of any genre.

Special awards in competition:

• Best Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Direction
• Best Editing
• Best Leading Actor
• Best Leading Actress
• Best Original Score
• Audience Jury Award: This will be determined by the total votes from scorecards given to a selected group of audience members—known as the audience jury—who will remain the same throughout and are committed to watching all the films in competition.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL INFORMATION

This call for entries is open to short films of any theme and genre. Genres range from drama to comedy to thriller, etc. Stories may be original, adaptations, or inspired by real events, as well as documentaries or reportages of any genre.

Special awards in the competition:

Best Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Director
Best Editing
Best Leading Actor
Best Leading Actress
Best Original Score
People’s Choice Award: This will be determined by the total votes cast by a group of audience members—the People’s Jury—who will remain the same throughout the competition and commit to watching all films in the competition.

1.2 PRELIMINARY SELECTION

All submitted works will be selected by Artistic Director GIGI SAVOIA, assisted by a dedicated review committee. Films that pass the preliminary selection will be admitted to the short film screening evenings as finalists. Participants can stay informed about the selection of short films by visiting the website www.teatrodeuropa.it, where the festival program will be published shortly before the festival begins.

1.3 JURY

The technical jury will be composed of experts in the film industry, such as directors, film critics, screenwriters, producers, actors, artistic directors, and professionals in the audiovisual sector. The jury will announce its decision at the awards ceremony, and the reasons for awarding the prize will be read aloud and presented on parchment. The jury’s decisions are final. The jury also reserves the right to award any special mentions or tied awards.


2. PRIZES AND AWARDS

The Technical Jury will award a prize to the first-place winner—specifically, a handcrafted trophy—along with, starting with the 2023 edition, potentially a cash prize (the amount of which will be determined shortly before the Festival dates, based on the event’s annual budget) or products provided by sponsors.

Please note that any cash prizes will be awarded during the Awards Ceremony only if at least one (1) representative of the winning film is present. This prize will then be sent via bank transfer within 90 days of the end of the event, upon receipt of the beneficiary’s bank details.

Special mentions and technical awards, also awarded by the technical jury, as well as special awards created in partnership with sponsors, will consist of a glass and stone plaque.

The Artistic Direction reserves the right, at its discretion, to award a special mention for the most original idea to a single short film in the competition, in any category, and also reserves the right to cancel, modify, or add to the prizes and mentions.

If winners are unable to attend the awards ceremony, they are advised to designate someone to collect the award on their behalf, as the statuette and/or glass plaque will not be mailed, except in rare, exceptional cases and at the recipient’s expense.


3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 HOW TO ENTER

Entry into the competition is free of charge.

Those submitting material by regular mail must also include a copy of the payment receipt in the envelope.

To participate in the contest, interested parties must send all required materials (see 3.5) to the address specified in section 3.6;

Each author is responsible for the content of their own work (see also 3.9);

Each author may submit only 1 (one) work;
Participants are responsible for the shipping costs of all required materials, which will not be returned under any circumstances;
Each participant must ensure that they have complied with all requirements set forth in these rules, under penalty of exclusion;
Participation in the contest implies full acceptance of these rules.

3.2 WORKS ELIGIBLE FOR THE CONTEST

Works created in Italy or abroad starting in January 2023 are eligible for consideration.

3.3 REQUIRED MEDIUM
Entries, regardless of how they were filmed and/or produced, must be submitted for the competition in high-resolution digital format (suitable for a 10-meter screen), preferably as MP4 files.

3.4 DURATION

All videos must be no longer than 20 minutes (excluding credits).

3.5 REQUIRED MATERIALS

To be eligible for the preliminary selection, the following are mandatory; failure to provide them will result in exclusion:

- 1 registration form, downloadable here and completed in its entirety in block letters or typed, signed, and attached to the film’s link (only for those not participating via online platforms. Those participating via online platforms give their tacit consent to the releases);

- The film file must be 24 fps or 25 fps;

- The screening file must not exceed 4 gigabytes;

- At least 4 high-quality photos representative of the short film in JPEG or TIFF format (no behind-the-scenes shots, no print media), 2 horizontal A4-sized images and 2 vertical ones (at least 300 dpi, 30×22 cm), to be sent to the email address info@teatrodeuropa.com, preferably using any cloud storage service. (Please note that if the submitted photos are not suitable for the format of our print catalog, the secretariat will create them ad hoc using stills taken directly from the film.)

- A photo of the director and a brief biography;

- A synopsis of the film;

- Technical details of the film;

- The film’s poster (if available);

- The film’s trailer without subtitles (if available);

- An active and functioning email address that will be used by the festival office for all communications with directors, producers, and distributors;

All of this information will be used for the festival’s print and digital catalogs and for any other publications related to the festival. Failure to provide even one of the listed items will result in ineligibility for the preliminary selection process.

Note: The photographs of the short films mentioned above are authorized for publication free of charge, both in the catalog and for promotional purposes in print media.

3.6 SUBMISSION DEADLINES

For those participating in the selection process using the online platforms indicated in section 3.3, the deadline for submitting their film is no later than August 20, 2026, by 11:59 p.m.

For those participating in the selection process via regular mail, all materials must be sent strictly by standard priority mail no later than August 20, 2026 (as evidenced by the postmark) to the following address:

“Teatro d’Europa Don Ferdinando Renzulli” Cultural Association

FESTIVAL CORTO D’AUTORE CITTA’ DI CESINALI – DON FERDINANDO RENZULLI AWARD

Via Valle, 18 CESINALI (AV)

1. Those who register online do not need to resend their work, either via Poste Italiane or by express courier.

3.7 NOTIFICATIONS TO FINALISTS

All finalists admitted to the competition will be notified by email at the address provided upon registration for the selection process; furthermore, the list of finalists will be available at the same time on our website www.teatrodeuropa.it and on our Facebook page. No email notification will be sent regarding works excluded from the competition.

3.8 SAFEGUARD CLAUSE

The “TEATRO D’EUROPA DON FERDINANDO RENZULLI” Cultural Association is not responsible for damaged and/or late packages, or for any theft or loss. Each author is personally responsible for the content of their work.

3.9 EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS

Submission of a short film implies the free (non-exclusive) grant to the “TEATRO D’EUROPA DON FERDINANDO RENZULLI” Cultural Association of the rights to use the work for purposes related to the event, subject to authorization via the designated section on the registration form or by tacit consent through registration on the online platform. The organization shall have, without any time limit, all rights to use, distribute, and reproduce the submitted works, which may be used solely for cultural activities, for promoting the event itself, and for submission to other film festivals, all on a nonprofit basis.

Copies of the submitted short films will not be returned but will be added to a dedicated archive in the audiovisual section of the “TEATRO D’EUROPA DON FERDINANDO RENZULLI” Cultural Association

3.10 COPYRIGHT

The “TEATRO D’EUROPA DON FERDINANDO RENZULLI” Cultural Association disclaims all liability arising from the reproduction of short films containing material protected by copyright for which the necessary permissions have not been obtained from SIAE.

3.11 PRIVACY PROTECTION

All personal data collected by the “TEATRO D’EUROPA DON FERDINANDO RENZULLI” Cultural Association will be processed in accordance with Legislative Decree No. 196 of June 30, 2003, on the protection of privacy.

3.12 FINAL PROVISIONS

In the event of disputes and for any matters not expressly provided for in this call for entries, the final decision rests with the “TEATRO D’EUROPA DON FERDINANDO RENZULLI” Cultural Association; otherwise, the Court of Avellino shall have jurisdiction, and the Italian version of these regulations shall prevail.