Aqua Film Festival – International Film Festival organized by UNIVERSI ACQUA , Association with environmental, social, and territory enhancement purposes – selects short films, of any category and nationality, focused on the theme of WATER, and able to use the language of cinema to illustrate and interpret the social, ecological, cultural, naturalistic, and artistic aspects of this extraordinary and vital element.
The Eighth edition of Aqua Film Festival will take place from June 6th to 9th, 2024.
The films will be screened on Mymovies; The award ceremony will take place in Rome, on June 9th, in live streaming.
The INVITATION to participate to the selections of the Eighth edition of AquaFilmFestival is open from September 15th, 2023; deadline to send works is April 11th, 2024.
- AQUA FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL COMPETITION
The Regulations of the OFFICIAL COMPETITION, available below, include instructions for the participation to the selections:
- Short films, up to 25 minutes
- Mini short films, up to 3 minutes (film credits excluded)
Participation to Aqua Film Festival OFFICIAL COMPETITION is both easy and free. Please read the regulations carefully, fill in the entry form, available by clicking here, and send us a link to preview your film.
You have furthermore the opportunity to become Aqua Supporter, thus contributing to the important activities for the protection of the environment, carried out by our Association UNIVERSI AQUA.
The Association organizes the Festival to pursue statutory aims and other volunteer initiatives: with a contribution of only 35 Euros, you will have the opportunity to participate to the workshop on the right use of the smartphone for video shots. At the same time, you will help us to spread public awareness on environmental issues, and to prevent the serious damages caused by pollution to our planet.
To become Aqua Supporter click here and follow the instructions.
- AQUA & STUDENTS COMPETITION – National / International*
Thanks to the collaboration with schools and universities, this year’s edition includes the AQUA & STUDENTS competition, that will feature mini short films (up to 3 minutes’ running time) made by students from schools and universities worldwide. Mini short films may be shot with smartphones, and will have WATER, in all its forms and functions, as the main player.
To subscribe to AQUA & STUDENTS Competition, fill in the entry form, by clicking here
*Deadline for submission of mini short films (up to 3 minutes): April 11th 2024
- SIDE COMPETITION: AQUA & COOKING*
It is the competition dedicated to video recipes that interpret a sustainable cuisine, both for the origin of the products and for the creativity of the dish. The duration is up to 3 minutes.
Aqua & cooking video recipes should be sent to: aff@aquafilmfestival.org or festival@aquafilmfestival.org
*Deadline for submission of mini short films (up to 3 minutes): April 11th 2024
REGULATIONS:
THEME
Aqua Film Festival aims to enhance the element of WATER as a source of life, energy, well-being and health, and to promote the respect, knowledge and love of WATER, through moving images. It intends to identify and stimulate the production of films, able to perform the various aspects of WATER, from the social, to the cultural, ecological, naturalistic, engineering, energetic, functional, economic, as well as historical, futuristic, sports, artistic and aesthetic viewpoints.
By focusing the attention of both the authors/film-makers and the public on this unique and vital element, Aqua Film Festival aims at raising public awareness on WATER, this precious element of intrinsic beauty, wonderful source of life, and common yet limited resource, which should be preserved, protected and re-distributed equitably and fairly.
To this end, Aqua Film Festival will select works by young film-makers, from all over the world, by inviting students from Schools of Cinema and other institutions. Young authors/film-makers will have the opportunity to experiment and test themselves with this rich source of inspiration, thanks to the user friendly new “light” technologies. Clips shot with smartphones will be in fact evaluated by our Selection Board.
Aqua Film Festival is organized in two international short films competitions: short films, up to 25 minutes maximum running time, and mini short-films, up to 3 minutes maximum running time (film credits excluded), both inspired by the theme of WATER and ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
COMPETITION
The competition is free, and open to people of all ages, languages and nationalities.
It will be divided in two sections:
- Short films – maximum running time of 25 minutes
- Mini-Short films – maximum running time of 3 minutes
Short Films Competition
Works with a maximum running time of 25 minutes, not divided by category, are admitted to the competition.
Works can be of any kind (fiction, documentary, live action, cartoons, mixed-techniques etc.) or nationality, and can be produced in any language.
It is mandatory that works in Italian have English subtitles. Works in other languages must have English or Italian subtitles, under penalty of exclusion from the competition.
Works can be produced in any format, provided that a screening copy is made available in one of the formats listed below (See SCREENING FORMATS).
Mini-Short Films Competition
Works with a maximum running time of 3 minutes (excluding end credits reel), not divided by category, are admitted to the competition.
Works can be of any kind (fiction, documentary, live action, cartoons, mixed-techniques etc.) or nationality, and can be produced in any language.
It is mandatory that works in Italian have English subtitles. Works in other languages must have English or Italian subtitles, under penalty of exclusion from the competition.
Works can be produced in any format, provided that a screening copy is available in one of the formats listed below (See SCREENING FORMATS).
The Festival promotes the use of new “light” technologies for shooting. Works produced with smartphones and similar technologies can therefore participate to the selection.
Works not provided in the format specified in the SCREENING FORMATS section, will not be admitted to the competition, and will be cancelled from the Festival communication and promotion materials.
MAIN PRIZES
The Jury will award the following Prizes:
ENIT AQUA & TOURISM PRIZE, set up in collaboration with Enit – National Tourism Agency – for the Best short film or mini short film about environmentally sustainable tourism, with special reference to the journey.
“SISTER WATER” PRIZE for the Best Short Film (max 25 minutes), with reference to the best film direction, screenplay, performance, and subject dedicated to the importance of WATER.
“SISTER WATER” PRIZE for the Best Mini-Short Film, with reference to the best film direction, screenplay, performance, and subject dedicated to the importance of WATER.
The following Special Mentions will be awarded to the works that better interpret the Festival’s themes:
AQUA & THE ENVIRONMENT Special Mention – best documentary film: it will be awarded to the work that better explains the importance of preserving water, to respect and safeguard the environment.
AQUA & ISLAND Special Mention: it will be awarded to the work that better represents the island or islands which inspired its story. The Mention will be appointed by ANCIM – National Association of Small Islands Municipalities.
AQUA & ANIMATION Special Mention: it will be awarded to the work that stood out among others for the wise use of the different animation techniques, from cartoon, to stop motion, or graphic novel, etc.
AQUA & THRILLER Special Mention: it will be awarded to the mystery film, detective film or thriller, that better expressed the theme of water.
AQUA & ARCH Special Mention: it will be awarded to the work that better represents a bio-architecture project inspired by bridges, harbors, dams, or buildings close to a waterway or the sea.
AQUA & MUSIC Special Mention: it will be awarded to the work that better represents water and the sea through music videoclips.
AQUA & TRILLER Special Mention: it will reward the best short film on the made in Italy vine which, by telling its story, pays particular attention to eco-sustainability.
In the upcoming edition of Aqua Film Festival 2024, the winners of the competition AQUA & STUDENTS, dedicated to schools and universities, will moreover be announced
The winners will receive a special mention for AQUA & STUDENTS National or International for works from Italian and international schools and universities;
Schools and Universities interested to participate will have to fill in the specific entry form available here
For further details on Prizes and Mentions, please consult our website https://aquafilmfestival.org/en/competition/prizes-2020
The organizers reserve the right to include additional prizes, to be agreed and provided by the sponsors.
THE JURY
The Jury appointed by the organizers of Aqua Film Festival, will be composed of experts from the world of cinema, and important personalities from areas connected to Water.
The Jury’s decisions in awarding the Prizes are conclusive.
SCREENING FORMATS
In the event of selection, the following Screening formats will be accepted:
Short films Section: HD Files
Other formats will have to be agreed in advance with the Festival’s Planning Office, in the event of admission to the competition.
Mini-Short Films Section: HD Files
Other formats will have to be agreed in advance with the Festival’s Planning Office, in the event of admission to the competition.
COSTS
The participation to the Competition is free.
No rental fees will be paid by Aqua Film Festival for short films invited to participate to the two Sections of the Competition.
Any shipping fees will be covered by the participants. Whether the country of origin is extra-EU, customs clearance fees and additional costs are borne by the participants. Parcels will be labelled on the customs invoice as “no commercial value – for cultural purpose only”.
Shipping costs for the return of the original screening copies will be borne by Aqua Film Festival. Aqua Film Festival will not be liable for the loss of films during shipping.
The costs for the production of the screening copy are borne by the participants.
SELECTION PROCEDURE
In order to participate to the selection, participants are required to complete every section of the online Entry Form, available on the website www.aquafilmfestival.org. They are also required to provide a link and a password to preview the work, preferably including the option to download the film.
Link and password have to be typed in the relevant space of the Entry Form.
Participants are kindly requested to provide and authorize the download of the file from the provided link, to facilitate the selection process.
Link and password will be active until the May, 31 2024.
Aqua Film Festival reserves the right to not evaluate links that are erroneous or have expired before the mentioned date, after having contacted the author/film-maker.
The linked file is required to be uploaded in any video format, and viewed by any existing platform, and should preferably include the download option.
The Entry Form will also include:
- Synopsis in Italian and/or English (max 1000 characters, including spaces);
- Director’s biography in Italian and/or English (max 500 characters, including spaces);
- Director’s filmography (list of titles, and year of production)
- Director’s declaration of intent (max 2000 characters, including spaces);
- A 300 dpi, 20 cm wide, image of the film, in JPEG format (to be printed). Photos will be published in colour, or in black and white, depending on the material prepared by Aqua Film Festival. (Note: By sending the photo, the right holders authorize publication by the Festival, as well as by press and promotional partners);
- A complete and final list of the dialogue (including off voices), and a list of subtitles (if used) in one of the following languages: Italian, English;
- Any other information material that may be useful for the pre-selection.
- Complete and signed Consent form (annex A).
Authors and/or producers and/or right holders of the selected works authorize the publication of their data on the website www.aquafilmfestival.org, and in the Festival’s catalogue and/or brochure, as well as their possible distribution to the media for promotional purposes.
Participants can send up to three mini-short films and/or two short films. Every submitted work will include the link to the film, and the complete Entry Form.
Works are required to be received, following the above-specified procedures, between September 15th 2023 and April 11th 2024.
Registration entails the mandatory right of Aqua Film Festival Archives to keep the material, with the possibility of using it for educational, research or promotional purposes, including participation to events and contexts other than the Festival. The material will not be used for commercial purposes, to safeguard the interests of film authors/film-makers and producers.
Authors/film-makers and/or producers are responsible for the content of their Works and, upon registration for the Festival, declare to have fulfilled any obligations towards a third party, resulting from copyrights or performing rights.
SELECTION
The deadline for the submission of the works for the present edition of Aqua Film Festival is April 11th 2024.
Works received according to the deadline and procedures established in the Regulations, will be evaluated and selected by the Aqua Film Festival Artistic Direction and the Selection Board, in their sole discretion.
The decisions of the Aqua Film Festival Artistic Direction and the Selection Board will be based on the artistic quality and relevance to the theme of the received works.
The selection of films and the programme of screenings, are the exclusive competence of the Aqua Film Festival Management and of the Planning Office.
The list of films selected for the competition will be published on Aqua Film Festival website, following the official Festival Press Conference.
The copies sent for the pre-selection will be part of the Aqua Film Festival video archive.
Aqua Film Festival reserves the right to screen the films selected in the two sections of the Competition, in Italy and Europe, in order to increase their distribution. By participating to the selection, the right holders authorize, upon being invited to the competition, any future screenings of their works, in the event of film festivals organized by Aqua Film Festival.
In the event of future distribution of a film that participated to the Competition, the pertaining promotional material will have to state its participation to Aqua Film Festival, as well as indicate the prize won, and display the logo of Aqua Film Festival.
SELECTED WORKS
Authors/film-makers and/or film producers, contacted in advance, agree to send, by Aprile 31rd 2024:
- A copy of the film in the original screening format, as requested in the invitation email, with Italian subtitles.
- Should Italian subtitles not be available, our festival will take care of the subtitling procedure, only if the list of English subtitles (possibly in .srt file format) will be provided by the participant.
- Posters, press kits and other available promotional material, to be distributed to accredited journalists, and during promotional events dedicated to the competing works and to their authors/film-makers.
Participation to the selection entails the authors/film-makers, producers and/or right holders of the selected works, to authorize, upon invitation to the competition, the film screening at Aqua Film Festival, as well as its distribution and release (in cinemas, TV and on-line) for promotional purposes, up to one month after the event.
Authors/film-makers, producers and actors of the selected works will be invited to participate to Aqua Film Festival, to accompany their film, and will receive a free personal pass. Organizers will evaluate whether to reimburse travel and/or accommodation costs, depending on financial availability.
The request of participation entails the acceptance of the above Regulations, which are also available in English. In the event of interpretation issues, only Regulations in Italian are to be considered valid to all intents and purposes.
Any litigation will be settled by the Court of Rome.
For further information on regulations, please contact: aff@aquafilmfestival.org
Click to download the Consent Form for the entry form
Click here to become a member of UNIVERSI AQUA Association
