Rules & Terms

The 2024 edition of Cortocircuiti Short Film Festival is made in two parts: the first section will take place in summer 2024 and is dedicated to animated films and live action films, the second part will take place in fall 2024 and is dedicated to documentaries.

General rules

  • Anyone can enter the contest;
  • Nine categories are open for submission:
    • ANIMATED SHORTS (PROFESSIONALS);
    • ANIMATED SHORTS (FILM STUDENTS);
    • LIVE ACTION SHORTS (PROFESSIONALS);
    • LIVE ACTION SHORTS (FILM STUDENTS);
    • DOCUMENTARIES (PROFESSIONALS);
    • DOCUMENTARIES (FILM STUDENTS);
    • SHORTS FOR KIDS (5 to 10 years old and 11 to 17 years old) open to short films both animated and shot live, intended for children and young teenagers;
    • STUDENTS FROM APULIA, exclusively open to short films made by students enrolled in schools and universities in the region of Apulia, Italy. The participation of non-students in the making of the film is allowed as long as key roles (director, screenwriter) are held by students;
  • Authors/groups can submit more than one short films to the contest, each with its own entry form and fees;
  • Short films submitted must be original but do not need to be unpublished. Authors/groups submitting a film to the contest certify to have full rights over the film and all its components;
  • The short film can be made using any technique, and it can be about anything as long it is not discriminatory or offensive in any way;
  • All submissions are required to include subtitles either in English or in Italian. They must not be hardcoded and, if possible, they should be provided as .srt files;
  • Entries will undergo a pre-selection process carried out by members of the LBM Group, La Scatola Blu and Armata Brancaleone;
  • Selected entries will be screened on a date depending on the category they belong to;
  • After the screening, a jury of experts will unquestionably declare the winner of each category, which will be awarded a monetary prize. Special mentions will also be awarded by the LBM Group, La Scatola Blu and Armata Brancaleone and by the attending audience;
  • Should there be any non-commercial screenings planned for the months after the festival, the organizers will contact the authors to request permission for additional screenings of the short films;

Requirements

  • For the categories
    • ANIMATED SHORTS (PROFESSIONALS and FILM STUDENTS)
    • LIVE ACTION SHORTS (PROFESSIONALS and FILM STUDENTS)
    • SHORTS FOR KIDS (5 to 10 years old and 11 to 17 years old)

short films made after the 1st January 2023 are eligible for submission. The maximum length of the films for these categories must be of 10 minutes.

  • For the categories
    • DOCUMENTARIES (PROFESSIONALS and FILM STUDENTS)

short films made after the 1st January 2023 are eligible for submission. The maximum length of the films for these categories must be of 30 minutes.

  • For the category
    • STUDENTS FROM APULIA

short films made after the 1st January 2022 are eligible for submission. The maximum length of the films for this category must be of 15 minutes.

Fees

  • Submission to categories
    • ANIMATED SHORTS (PROFESSIONALS);
    • ANIMATED SHORTS (FILM STUDENTS);
    • LIVE ACTION SHORTS (PROFESSIONALS);
    • LIVE ACTION SHORTS (FILM STUDENTS);
    • DOCUMENTARIES (PROFESSIONALS);
    • DOCUMENTARIES (FILM STUDENTS);

requires the payment of a non-refundable fee;

  • Submission to the category SHORTS FOR KIDS (5 to 10 years old and 11 to 17 years old) is free of charge.
  • Submission to the category STUDENTS FROM APULIA is free of charge, and must be accompanied by an email sent to gruppo.lbm.bari@gmail.com with proof of enrollment in a school or university in Apulia, Italy.
  • The fees, when required, will be paid upon submission directly on FilmFreeway and will cover organization costs and platform fees;

Notifications and Screenings

All authors will be notified whether or not their submission has been selected for screening by the 15th of July, 2024; after this date the organizing committee will provide additional info on the public screening event. The public screening event will take place at ExpostModerno (Via Napoli, 264, 70123 Bari BA, Italy) at the end of July 2024 for selected films in the categories ANIMATED SHORT FILMS (FILM STUDENTS and PROFESSIONALS), LIVE ACTION SHORT FILMS (FILM STUDENTS and PROFESSIONALS), SHORTS FOR KIDS (5 to 10 and 11 to 17 years old) and STUDENTS FROM APULIA, as part of the “Festa del Cinema in Libertà” Festival, organized by Armata Brancaleone APS. Films selected for the categories DOCUMENTARIES (FILM STUDENTS and PROFESSIONALS) will be screened during the second part of the festival, in Fall 2024. The exact date will be announced later on;

Final Deadlines

Entries for all categories must be submitted by the 15th JUNE 2024.

For info, you can write us an email at gruppo.lbm.bari@gmail.com