Italian Cinematography Awards - ICA (3)

Festival start: 30 July 2026      Festival end: 31 July 2026

The Italian Cinematography Awards (I.C.A.) is an international short film festival held in Castellana Grotte, located in Puglia, Southern Italy.
The event takes place in August in a location specifically selected for its technical and aesthetic features.

The I.C.A. unfolds over two immersive evenings, during which a curated selection of winning works from various categories will be screened. In order to encourage an active and engaging experience for the audience, the screenings will feature the presence of the filmmakers, who will engage in post-screening discussions with viewers—promoting a deeper understanding of their work and of the cinematic process.

The festival intentionally maintains a relaxed and informal atmosphere, immersing the audience from the very beginning into the festival experience. The venue will be carefully set up to host not only the screenings but also visual art exhibitions, contributing to a rich and multi-sensory cultural event.

Special guests will be in attendance, and awards will be assigned by both a technical jury and a youth jury.

The I.C.A. is held under the patronage of the Municipality of Castellana Grotte, and is organized by Joyful People Company – ETS, in partnership with Mosaico – APS.
Media Partner: Ombra Magazine

The artistic direction is entrusted to Joyful People Company (JPC), a film production company that, over the years, has worked to enhance audiovisual cultural heritage through the creation of numerous film projects, the publication of Ombra Magazine (dedicated to photography and cinema), the multidisciplinary arts festival Frankenstein Factory, and the cultural podcast Colazione Compresa.

JPC’s productions and collaborations have reached wide audiences, earning both national and international recognition.

Competition Categories:

- Best Short Film – Open Theme
- Best Short Film by Schools
- Best Documentary Short
- Best Smartphone Short Film
- Best Music Video
- Best Video Art
- Best Micro Short Film
- Best International Short Film
- Best Directing
- Best Performance
- Best Screenplay
- Best Cinematography

Awards:

- Winners in each category will receive an official certificate including the jury’s written motivation.

- Interview publication in Ombra Magazine.

- List of winners published on the official I.C.A. website.

- Photographs at the festival’s cinematic display board.


Among the winning works of each category, there will also be:

- a Special Jury Prize (Technical Jury),

- a Special Youth Jury Prize.

The jury reserves the right to assign Special Mentions to other particularly outstanding works and/or to award additional specific recognitions.


Screenings:

ONLY selected winning works will be screened, chosen at the discretion of the artistic direction and jury.


Rules and Regulations:

Submitted works must be in Italian or subtitled in Italian.

Only for the Best International Short Film category, entries may be in the original language, provided they are subtitled in Italian.

The maximum runtime for all entries is 15 minutes (including credits).

For the Micro Short Film category, the maximum duration is 3 minutes.