Z-PITCH CONTEST V Edition
Fondazione Cinema per Roma and NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, present the fifth edition of the Z-Pitch contest, an initiative dedicated to current students and graduates from no more than two years of Universities, Film Schools, and Media Design Schools in Italy. The contest aims to give voice to Generation Z and bring to the attention of cinema and television professionals the ideas of young authors and filmmakers — still students or recently graduated — who demonstrate talent and the ability to identify themes relevant to contemporary society, as well as originality in telling stories through audiovisual language. Call for Applications The call for applications, public and free of charge, is open to audiovisual storytelling projects (including documentaries and animations) in feature-length or serial formats, original and unproduced, whose rights have NOT already been transferred to third parties. Eligible applicants are students or graduates within a maximum of two years from obtaining their degree or academic diploma from Universities and Schools of Cinema and Media Design in Italy. Art. 1 – Application Procedures Participation is free of charge. Applications are open from Monday, 1 December 2025 to Sunday, 1 March 2026, until 6:00 pm. For pre-selection, only works received by the deadline through online submission at the link: Z-pitch Entryform | ROME FILM FEST (romacinemafest.org) will be accepted. Each application must include the following materials: ■ entry form duly completed in all its parts ■ project concept in the form of a synopsis/treatment for feature films or synopsis + bible for serial projects – with any authorial/directorial notes and intentions, for a maximum total of 10 pages ■ project synopsis (max 500 characters including spaces) ■ logline summarising the original strength of the concept (max one or two sentences) ■ treatment, moodboard, or other visual or editorial supporting materials (optional but highly recommended) ■ showreel or representative works of the creative team, with a maximum duration of 5 minutes (optional but highly recommended) – such materials must be accessible online via links to platforms (e.g., Vimeo, YouTube, etc.) ■ bio of the author (or group of authors) with any links to their filmography and that of co-authors. Please specify the date of birth in each bio. All the above-mentioned materials may be submitted in Italian and/or English. All application materials will be used exclusively for pre-selection and final selection purposes. Any subsequent use must be authorised directly by the rights holders. These materials will be kept in the archives of Fondazione Cinema per Roma and will not be returned. Art. 2 – Eligibility Requirements Project Representative The person submitting the project to the Z-Pitch Contest assumes responsibility for being the legitimate representative authorised by all rights holders, guarantees that the project does not infringe upon the rights of any third party, and indemnifies the organising bodies from any claims for damages by third parties. Each representative may submit only one project to the contest. The organisation may request documentation proving originality if doubts or concerns arise, as well as verification of enrollment in or association with a national film academy or school. The representative must also have obtained consent from all project participants for submission and agreement with the application and award procedures. Necessary Conditions for Participation To be considered, all projects must submit complete applications including all materials listed above. Only students enrolled in national academies, universities, and film schools, or graduates up to a maximum of two years, may participate in the Z-Pitch contest. Applicants must include in the form their email addresses (institutional student email for current students), phone numbers, and must declare their status as student or graduate and the year of graduation. Applications where candidates or even one team member was born before 1998 will not be accepted. Only original, unproduced projects in development or pre-production may be submitted. Projects whose rights have already been optioned and/or transferred to third parties will not be accepted. Projects that have participated in other contests may be submitted provided they have not already been awarded. Projects that are purely pornographic, incite violence or discrimination, or violate human rights are not eligible. Representatives of pre-selected projects commit to guaranteeing their presence at the masterclass and the Z-Pitch event, which will be held in Rome (venue to be defined) in April and May 2026, organising their travel independently and at their own expense, with any support from their school or academy. The organisers strictly exclude any contribution to covering participants' expenses. Participation is at one’s own risk and responsibility, expressly exempting each organiser from any compensation obligations except in cases of proven fault and/or liability. Submitting a project implies full acceptance of these regulations as well as the decisions of the selection committee, which are final. Art. 3 – Deadlines and Duration Applications open on Monday, 1 December 2026. The final deadline for project submissions is Sunday, 1 March 2026 (by 6:00 pm). Applications received after this date will not be considered. Art. 4 – Selection and Awards Applications will be evaluated by a selection committee composed of experts appointed by the two organising bodies, which will pre-select 8 projects. The finalist projects will be announced by the end of March 2026. Each finalist project may be represented by up to 3 members of the creative team in activities related to the Z-Pitch contest (including but not limited to: masterclasses, final pitch event and awards ceremony, and any additional initiatives). The teams of the 8 finalist projects will be offered the opportunity to: ■ participate in one or more high-level training masterclasses (modules to be defined) in preparation for the live pitching session, coordinated by NABA and Fondazione Cinema per Roma, with the support of participating institutions and external professionals ■ present their projects in a live pitching session, to be held in person in April 2026, before a qualified audience (including audiovisual industry professionals). Each project will have up to 5 minutes for the oral presentation and up to 3 minutes for additional video material (optional). At the end of the session, some professionals will provide specific feedback, allowing creative teams to face a true “market crash test” and gain insight into how their project is perceived by potential industry stakeholders. At the conclusion of the event, a jury jointly appointed by NABA and Fondazione Cinema per Roma will announce three awards: Best Pitch, Best Project, and — for this edition — an additional award for Best Animation Project. The creative teams of the winning projects will receive further advanced training through tailored tutoring focusing on preparing their project for participation in Italian and international market platforms, as well as specific masterclasses within the Master in Screenwriting for Series. The members of the creative team of the winning project will also receive complimentary accreditation for the next edition of the Rome Film Fest. Art. 5 – Acceptance of Regulations Participation in the call entails acceptance of these Regulations. It is the responsibility of the person submitting the project to guarantee they are legitimately authorised to do so.