Fiorenzo Serra Film Festival (8)

Festival start: 01 December 2025      Festival end: 05 December 2025

The Visual Anthropology Laboratory “Fiorenzo Serra” - the operational headquarters in Sassari of the Cagliari Cultural Services Center of the Humanitarian Society - Cineteca Sarda (hereinafter called “Cineteca”) relating to the Department of History, Human and Educational Sciences of the University of
Sassari (hereinafter called “Department”) as part of the project to enhance the figure of the filmmaker and ethnologist Fiorenzo Serra, he is announcing the competition for ethnographic film productions, named Fiorenzo Serra Film Festival, for the year 2025.

The theme of this eighth edition of the competition for the section “Fiorenzo Serra” is “MASKS, BEYOND THE HUMAN, RITES AND ETHNOGRAPHIC TRADITIONS”

Cash Prizes: 5,000€

The prizes will be distributed as follows:

FIORENZO SERRA MAIN PRIZE:
First place in the feature film category: €2000
First place in the short film category up to 30 minutes: €1000

ANTONIO SIMON MOSSA SPECIAL CATEGORY:
First place in the feature film category: €1000
First place in the short film category up to 30 minutes: €500

SPECIAL CATEGORY ANTONIO BISACCIA:
First place in the short film category up to 30 minutes: €500

FIORENZO SERRA FILM FESTIVAL 2025 CALL FOR ENTRIES

ARTICLE 1 - OBJECTIVES
The Visual Anthropology Laboratory “Fiorenzo Serra” - the operational headquarters in Sassari of the Cagliari Cultural Services Center of the Humanitarian Society - Cineteca Sarda (hereinafter called “Cineteca”) relating to the Department of History, Human and Educational Sciences of the University of
Sassari (hereinafter called “Department”) as part of the project to enhance the figure of the filmmaker and ethnologist Fiorenzo Serra, he is announcing the competition for ethnographic film productions, named Fiorenzo Serra Film Festival, for the year 2025.

The term "film production" (hereinafter referred to as "Film") includes any audiovisual work, documentary produced using analog or digital technologies.

The competition aims to promote the creation of films that contribute to the understanding of ethnographic and cultural realities through audiovisual media.

It also seeks to scientifically and systematically protect and enhance both national and international audiovisual productions related to ethnographic, archaeological, historical, linguistic-cultural, and environmental heritages.

Furthermore, the competition aims to clarify, within the theoretical and methodological debate of demo-ethno-anthropological disciplines, the crucial role of Visual Anthropology and to support the creation of audiovisual documentation concerning the identity and cultural specificities of Sardinia, as well as various national and international social realities.

ARTICLE 2 - THEME AND DEADLINE

The competition is divided into three sections. The main section, named after Fiorenzo Serra, is thematic.

The second section is dedicated to filmmaker Antonio Simon Mossa and is intended for documentaries that, while not strictly related to the main theme, have special ethnological value.

The third section is dedicated to Antonio Bisaccia, writer and film critic who dealt with the relationships between cinema, the arts and new communication technologies. He was director of the Mario Sironi Academy of Fine Arts in Sassari and professor of “Theory and method of mass media” at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin.

Film productions relating to aspects of Sardinian, national and international ethnographic and historical-cultural realities can participate in the three sections.

The theme of this eighth edition of the competition for the section “Fiorenzo Serra” is
“MASKS, BEYOND THE HUMAN, RITES AND ETHNOGRAPHIC TRADITIONS”

Masks that are symbols as old as they are rich in meaning, they represent identity, transformation, they are mediators between the visible and the invisible. Wearing a mask is never just an external act: it is a crossing of thresholds, an overcoming of the boundary between the human and the other than oneself.

At the heart of ethnographic traditions, the mask is a living presence in rites of passage, seasonal cycles, fertility ceremonies and ancestral cults. It embodies spirits, animals, deities and archetypes, giving an image of the world where identity is not fixed, but changeable, fluid, in dialogue with natural and supernatural forces.

Anthropology interprets these forms as visual texts that tell stories of peoples, collective memories, and worldviews. An invitation to look "beyond the human", to question the boundaries of identity and reality.

Only films in which there is a discussion of the above theme can participate in the main section named after Fiorenzo Serra.

The main prizes (see art. 3) will be
awarded to the films that best address the theme of the competition. The jury, therefore, will be called upon to evaluate the thematic relevance, the communicative and directorial effectiveness expressed in the narrative and aesthetic dimension of the film and any other element that it deems appropriate
to consider for the purposes of identifying the winners.

Ento-anthropological films without thematic alleys can participate in the two sections dedicated to Antonio Simon Mossa and Antonio Bisaccia. The jury responsible for awarding the prize dedicated to Antonio Simon Mossa will evaluate the cinematographic quality of the selected films. The jury responsible for awarding the prize dedicated to Antonio Bisaccia will evaluate the innovative character of the selected films from a cinematic linguistic point of view.


The deadline for submitting films and the required documentation (see art. 5) is SEPTEMBER 20, 2025, at 11:59 PM. Only files submitted through online computer systems will be accepted.

ARTICLE 3 - AWARDS

The prizes will be distributed as follows:

FIORENZO SERRA MAIN PRIZE:

First place in the feature film category: €2000
First place in the short film category up to 30 minutes: €1000

ANTONIO SIMON MOSSA SPECIAL CATEGORY:
First place in the feature film category: €1000
First place in the short film category up to 30 minutes: €500

SPECIAL CATEGORY ANTONIO BISACCIA:
First place in the short film category up to 30 minutes: €500


ARTICLE 4 - PARTICIPATION CONDITIONS

1) Participation in the competition is free and open to everyone, regardless of age and nationality. Each author or group of authors may submit multiple films, but only one can be awarded a prize.

2) The competition is open to all audiovisual products, whether professional or non-professional, released or unreleased, shot anywhere in the world, with no restrictions on the production year, as long as they relate to the theme specified in art. 2.

3) Films can be produced in any format or medium, but only those with a resolution equal to or greater than 1080p will be considered. Submission of films for the competition must be done through online computer systems.

4) If selected for the final phase, it is mandatory to submit the film in DCP format (Digital Cinema Package).

5) Foreign films must be subtitled strictly in Italian or alternatively in English and must be accompanied by the corresponding SRT file.

6) Films for which full rights to participate in the competition and for public screening are not held will not be eligible for entry.

7) Short films are defined as those with a maximum duration of 30 minutes, including end credits. Feature films are those exceeding 30 minutes, including end credits.

8) Advertising spots, purely musical documentaries, and editorial videos of a promotional or commercial nature, or those that infringe upon human rights and dignity, are not eligible for participation.

9) The person signing the entry form for the competition assumes full responsibility for any potential misuse of the film, including the possible offense of the producing company or other parties due to the content of the work.

10) Participants are responsible for the costs of sending materials.

11) The organizers will not be responsible for any payments to those who submit films to the competition, whether personal or on behalf of the production or distribution company.

12) Participation in the competition implies the complete acceptance of this regulation.


ARTICLE 5 - PARTICIPATION PROCEDURE
Registration can be completed on the website: festhome.com platform by searching for "Fiorenzo Serra Film Festival". The registration form and the competition notice are also available on the websites: www.lacinetecasarda.it; www.uniss.it The digital copy can be sent via computer systems to the e-mail info@fiorenzoserrafilmfestival.it, in any case the sending must be complete with all the required materials and the complete documentation in all its parts.

The documentation should include the following:

1. The original signed entry form;
2. The film in digital format with a minimum resolution of 1080p or higher;
3. Subtitle track in Italian or English in SRT format;
4. A trailer or film excerpts for promoting the competition;
5. Film synopsis in Italian and English (maximum 1000 characters) in Word;
6. Biography and filmography of the author or authors in Italian and English (maximum 1000 characters) in Word or PDF;
7. Technical details of the film, including cast and credits, in Italian and English,
and a list of the musical tracks used in the soundtrack;
8. At least three scene photographs: jpeg, png, tiff o bitmap;
9. One or more photos of the author or authors: jpeg, png, tiff o bitmap;
Furthermore, it is recommended to submit informational material about the film and its authors (e.g., a press kit). This information will be used for communications with the press to promote the competition. For any questions or clarifications,
please contact the festival secretariat at the following address: info@fiorenzoserrafilmfestival.it.


ARTICLE 6 - RESPONSIBILITY

By signing the entry form, the author declares the following: a) the submitted work does not violate current laws and regulations or the rights of third parties;
b) they own all the rights necessary for the use of the work and music (with appropriate documentation); c) they release the organization from any losses, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses of any kind that may arise from the content of their work and its public screening; d) they irrevocably waive any claim and action against the competition organizers (Società Umanitaria-Cineteca Sarda and Department of History, Human Sciences at the University of Sassari), the jury members, and all individuals involved in the competition in any capacity,
and release them from any liability in this regard.


ARTICLE 7 - PRESELECTION AND JURY

The competition consists of three phases.
1st phase: the works received by the deadline will be the subject of a pre-selection by a commission composed by the promoters of the competition: the Laboratory
“Fiorenzo Serra” and Cineteca. Films received more than seven days after the competition deadline (see art. 2) and those submitted without the required, complete and correct documentation (see art. 4 and 5) will not be subject to preselection. The authors of the works will receive communication by email of the selection in the final phase.
2nd Phase: The films selected for the final stage will be reviewed by a jury appointed by the competition promoters. Prizes will be awarded based on the jury's judgment, which will be the sole authority for determining the winners.
3rd Phase: Public event with the screening of the competition films or an additional selection of the same, concluding with the public award ceremony (see art. 8).

The organizing commission of the Fiorenzo Serra Film Festival is solely responsible (at its sole discretion) for the selection of the films assigned to each section and for the appointment of the members of the three operating juries.

The jury will consist of members with the following characteristics: experts in demo-ethno-anthropological disciplines, cinema experts, cultural figures, and at least one representative appointed by the "Laboratorio di Antropologia Fiorenzo Serra." The three juries, who will work in complete autonomy of judgement, will elect a “jury president” from among the internal members of each section.

The competition winners will be informed 15 days before the award ceremony to allow for the organization and guarantee their presence for prize delivery.

Winners are bound by confidentiality regarding the award, which should only be made public on the day of the award ceremony. Any premature release of the information by the winner will result in the cancellation and non-recognition of the prize amount.


ARTICLE 8 - PUBLIC EVENT

The films selected and evaluated by the jury, as part of the competition, will be presented to the public in an event which will take place at the end of the competition phase by 31 December 2025 and which will end with the awarding of the winners of the three sections. The organizing promoters of the Festival are solely responsible for all organizational choices regarding the event and every decision is unquestionable.


ARTICLE 9 - ARBITRATION AND FINAL CLAUSE

Any disputes arising in relation to the matters covered by this regulation will be submitted to the judgment of an arbitration panel, consisting of three members, as follows:

a) one, as the chairman of the arbitration panel, appointed by mutual agreement between the director of "Società Umanitaria - Cineteca Sarda" and the director of the Department;
b) one appointed by the contestant;
c) one appointed by mutual agreement between the parties in points a) and b), or in the absence of agreement, by the President of the Sassari Tribunal. For any issues not covered in this regulation, the competition organizers reserve the right to make final decisions. This regulation is drawn up in Italian and English. In case of interpretative problems, only the Italian version is valid.