“ZERO cinema” is an artisanal and experimental artistic approach that contrasts the assembly line of industrial film production; it is hyper-independent, produced or auto-produced by single artists or small groups (less than 10 people) with no commercial interests; it is made with common and easily accessible, or innovative and low cost, means of production.
“ZERO cinema” has a different attitude, adventurous or poetic, DIY or punk, anarchic or self-sufficient, to the video work; it speaks with a personal, intimate, courageous and autonomous voice.
“ZERO cinema” is, more than any other thing, a strong idea of cinema and artistic production.

FCZ competition is strictly dedicated to works that identify with this idea and have a maximum duration of 20 minutes.

Awards & Prizes

Prizes are vouchers for online filmmaking stores.

FCZ Main Competition
- Jury Award (value of 1.000 €).
- Audience Award (value of 500 €).

“OH, BRAVE NEW WORLD!” MUSE award
- Jury Award (value of 500 €).

AnimazioneZERO
- Audience Award (no prize is provided)

Rules & Terms

Quick guide to rules & terms, please read CAREFULLY the full version of FCZ rules and terms before submitting your work
[https://www.festivalcinemazero.it/fcz2025-competition-call/]

WHO CAN APPLY
- Any short film (fiction, doc, music video, video art, etc.).
- Max length: 20 MIN (titles included).
- Must follow “ZERO CINEMA” principles (independent, small-scale, non-industrial).

SECTIONS
- Main Competition - all works (if aligned with zero cinema).
- MUSE Award 2025 – “OH, BRAVE NEW WORLD!” (AI, humans, virtual worlds).
- AnimazioneZERO – animation of any technique.

SUBMISSION RULES
- Works in Italian: NO SUBTITLES.
- Other languages: SUBTITLES IN ITALIAN OR ENGLISH.
- Works from 2022+ RECOMMENDED.
- Max 1 RESPONSIBLE AUTHOR PER WORK (for groups: only one gets the award).
- UNLIMITED ENTRIES allowed (no resubmissions from past editions).

IF SELECTED
- Send HIGH-RES COPY WITHIN 3 DAYS.
- Provide BIO, PHOTO, STILLS, DIRECTOR’S NOTE if requested.
- NO FREE ONLINE STREAMING during selection/festival.

SCREENINGS
- Selected works: DEDICATED SESSIONS.
- Non-selected works: may be shown in OTHER FCZ EVENTS.
- NO FINANCIAL COMPENSATION for screenings.
16 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Yasmine Aarts

    Thank you for selecting my graduation film, "She Grew Wings", it's an honor.
    Great communication and a very professional festival overall!

    January 2026
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  • Zahra Shafiei dehaghani

    شما عالی هستید و من اجازه می خوام تا درهمین جا از استادم پروفسور محمدعلی طاهری بنیانگذار عرفان کیهانی حلقه و طب مکمل و سایمنتولوژی و کازموینتل تشکر و قدردانی کنم مردی که مورد غصب و‌خسم جهان دیکتاتورها و مافیای جهانیست

    December 2025
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  • Andres Aloi

    We are very grateful that our film "The Abyss" was featured. The venue was beautiful and they truly care about their program and event. I hope to be able to attend in the future.

    January 2025
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  • Amine Boucekkine

    Thank you for selecting "Woke Up In An Ashtray" ! It was a great pleasure and an honor to be part of the Festival CinemaZERO. Special thanks to Guido Laino and Laura Parolini for the warm welcome I have received ! I will definitely look forward to submitting new material in the future.

    December 2024
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  • steve chappell

    I love this festival! Though I wasn’t able to attend I am glad that my film HOUSE FLY was included in the lineup of Festival CinemaZERO 2024! The organizers were gracious in offering me enthusiastic support while anticipating this event. My film needed Italian subtitles and the festival organizers were patient and encouraging while waiting for me to accomplish the task. Thanks CinemaZERO for creating an event that honors alternative filmmaking in all its varieties! I would definitely recommend this festival to other filmmakers!!

    December 2024
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