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The Creative City: Stories in Motion

Contest – 1^st Edition

In December 2015, Rome was recognized by UNESCO as a “Creative City of Film,” joining the Network of 350 Creative Cities worldwide nominated for their excellence in such fields as Crafts and Folk Arts, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music.

Within this Network, the UNESCO Creative Cities for Film commit to support and share the best practices developed in the cultural and movie industry, to make Creativity the driving tool for their economic development, in local and international contexts, by promoting initiatives aimed at supporting access, participation and inclusion of communities and citizens in cultural life.

As the implementing body of the “Rome City of Film” project, in order to promote and celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the designation by UNESCO, Fondazione Cinema per Roma (hereinafter “the Promoter”) presents the initiative The Creative City: Stories in Motion, an international short film competition addressed to filmmakers, video makers, professionals and visual arts enthusiasts.

The call for entries, public and free of charge, is aimed at short films (maximum duration of 15 minutes) that explore the theme “the Creative City”: how is creativity expressed within cities, and how does it affect the lives of those who inhabit them?

Cities are dynamic spaces where art, music, film, literature and other forms of culture come to life and interact with people: participants are invited to present stories that show the transformative power of creativity in the urban dimension, proposing visual narratives on how cities can be places of inspiration and sustainable change.

The submitted short films should investigate how creativity can express itself in urban spaces and in our daily life, highlighting the importance of art and culture - broadly speaking - in shaping cities and their impact on the sense of identity and community.

Art. 1 – ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Submitted short films must not exceed a duration of 15 minutes.
The content of the competing short films must reflect the theme The Creative City: Stories in Motion, as described above. Short films from all over the world (including outside the UNESCO Creative Cities Network) and in any language, with or without dialogues, are eligible. If the short films include dialogue in a language other than English, English subtitles are required. Given that that the Selection Committee will be composed of international professionals, the information required during the registration process – including the synopsis – must be provided in English.

Short films can be narrative and/or documentaries, created with animation and/or live action techniques; all formats and production techniques are eligible.

Only short films produced on or after May 1, 2024, will be considered.

Tech Specs (minimum requirements) to upload the files: MP4 H264 1280 x 720 (720p) 24FPS.

Please bear in mind that short films of a blatantly pornographic nature, advocating violence, inciting to any form of racism and/or openly inciting to violating human rights are not eligible.

The individual submitting the short film (also referred to as the Project Representative) declares and guarantees that he/she is of legal age (18 years or older at the time of submission) and, if different from the author, assumes responsibility for being the legitimate representative duly authorized by all rights holders of the work.

Art. 2 – SUBMISSION PROCEDURES

Submission is free of charge.

It is possible to submit entries from Monday, May 12 to Thursday, October 30, 2025 (no later than 5:00 PM CET).
Only short films submitted by the deadline - via the completion of the designated form and the upload of video files at this link - will be accepted.

All the submission materials will be used solely for the purposes of the proper management of the contest.

Art. 3 – SELECTION CRITERIA AND AWARD

The short films will be evaluated by a Selection Committee made of 3 experts appointed by the Promoter.

The award will be given to the short film that meets the eligibility criteria set out in Article 1 and stands out for originality of content, visual vitality, clarity of message(s), and ability to engage the audience, according to the unquestionable judgment of the committee.

The best short film will receive a prize of € 1.000,00 granted by Fondazione Cinema per Roma to the Project Representative who has submitted the short film, after sending fiscally eligible documentation.

The prize will be awarded net of withholding tax, in accordance with the tax regulations applicable to the recipient.

The winning short film will be presented and screened during the 10^th edition of Cinedays, the annual international conference organized in collaboration with UNESCO Creative Cities and with the support of local, national and international institutions, to promote and support the creative and cultural industry.

The Cinedays will be held at Casa del Cinema in December 2025 (exact date tbc).

Art. 4 – ACCEPTANCE OF THE REGULATIONS

Participation in the contest implies full acceptance of these regulations. By submitting the short film, the Project Representative acknowledges as final and unappealable any decision made by the Evaluation Committee concerning this contest and the ubsequent awarding process.

The Project Representative guarantees that the submitted short film does not infringe upon the rights of third parties and further declares to be the legitimate holder of the copyright of the short film and to have obtained all necessary authorizations from the rights holders.

In this regard, the individual or entity submitting the short film indemnifies and agrees to hold harmless Fondazione Cinema per Roma and any other potential promoter from any damages or liabilities that may arise as a result of claims or actions brought by third parties for reasons related to the use of the aforementioned short film.

The declarations made by the Project Representative through the submission form release the promoter from any obligation to verify his/her legal entitlement to submit the short film, which shall be considered as duly confirmed, thus exempting the promoter from any related responsibility.