MARCELLO is the first international film festival dedicated to the Italian community of Birmingham (UK), the largest in the United Kingdom after London.

The first edition took place in 2021 as a digital-only event due to Covid; but in 2022 the festival was back with a bang, landing in Birmingham in September, in 2024 we had an online event edition and now we're working on our fourth edition!

Marcello is a multi-faceted event that includes film screenings, conferences, and different events that celebrate Italian culture abroad; the festival aims at showcasing Italian talents abroad, as well as international films that engage with Italy and Italian culture from different viewpoints.

The festival aims to not only be an event for cinema lovers, but also an opportunity for industry professionals to get to know the opportunities for Italian film companies and filmmakers to work in the UK, and vice versa: we will have special guests and industry leaders taking part in Q&A sessions with the public, workshops, and much more!

MARCELLO is organised by Paguro Film Ltd. with the support of the Italian Vice Consulate of Birmingham, and other partners: The Italian Institute of Culture, FilmFreeway, Filipi - Horror Film Festival Livorno, PremierFilm, Archives Portal Europe and other Italian associations in the UK.

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MARCELLO è il primo festival cinematografico internazionale dedicato alla comunità italiana di Birmingham (UK), il più grande del Regno Unito dopo Londra.

La prima edizione si è svolta nel 2021 come evento solo digitale causa Covid; ma nel 2022 il festival è tornato col botto, approdando a Birmingham nel settembre 2022. Nel 2024 siamo stati costretti a un'edizione online... E ora via ai preparativi per la quarta edizione!

Marcello è un evento poliedrico che comprende proiezioni di film, convegni e diversi eventi che celebrano la cultura italiana all'estero; il festival mira a mettere in mostra i talenti italiani all'estero, oltre a film internazionali che si confrontano con l'Italia e la cultura italiana da diversi punti di vista.

Il festival vuole essere non solo un evento per gli amanti del cinema, ma anche un'opportunità per i professionisti del settore di conoscere le opportunità per le case cinematografiche e i registi italiani di lavorare nel Regno Unito e viceversa: avremo ospiti speciali e leader del settore partecipare a sessioni di domande e risposte con il pubblico, workshop e molto altro!

MARCELLO è organizzato da Paguro Film Ltd. con il supporto del Vice Consolato Italiano di Birmingham, e altri partner: The Italian Institute of Culture, FilmFreeway, Filipi - Horror Film Festival Livorno, PremierFilm, Archives Portal Europe e altre associazioni italiane nel Regno Unito.

Awards & Prizes

AWARDS & TROPHIES

Works admitted to the contest will be evaluated by a specially appointed Jury of industry professionals which will award the following trophies:

MARCELLO SHORT AWARD
MARCELLO FEATURE AWARD
MARCELLO DOCUMENTARY AWARD
MARCELLO MADE IN ITALY

All the selected films will receive the official laurel of the festival in high quality.

Rules & Terms

MARCELLO 2022, contest - RULES AND REGULATIONS (ENGLISH)

1. MARCELLO – Italian Film Festival – will take place in Birmingham (UK) in Autumn of 2023.
2. The aim of the MARCELLO IFF is to promote and circulate creative short movies.
3. The festival is organised by Paguro Film Ltd., with the support of public institutions such as National Lottery, Film Hub Midlands and Fan, with additional private sponsors. The festival is managed and produced by Paguro Film ltd.
4. The Festival programme includes: Short-form and Long-form category competition screenings, Italian films lineup screening, Q&As, topical debates and industry networking.
5. The decisions of the Directors and the Selection Committee are based on the artistic merits of the works. There is no restriction on the basis of topic, issues or genre, but will be evaluated positively, for the selection, those works that deal with issues related to this year’s chosen themes (geographical, political, cultural, social, etc...) or propose an interesting mix of genres and media to instigate social commentary.
6. Are eligible for selection films subtitled in italian or english. Rental costs will not be paid for selected films.
7. Once a film has been selected it cannot be withdrawn from the Festival.

CATEGORIES
_Italian and international Short - short films (up to 25 minutes) produced no earlier than 1st Jan 2023 that are produced or co-produced by Italian organisations and\or italian directors or set in Italy, and/or with the participation of Italian actors, and\or tackle topics related to Italy
_Italian or international Feature - feature films produced no earlier than 1st Jan 2023, that are produced or co-produced by Italian organisations, or italian directors, or are shot or set in Italy, and/or with the participation of Italian actors, and\or tackle topics related to Italy
_Italian or International Documentary - short or feature documentary films produced and/or directed by an Italian crew, or are shot or tackle issues and topics related to Italy or Italian culture
_Made in Italy - shorts or features, documentary or fiction produced no earlier than 1st Jan 2020 on the theme of MADE IN ITALY

We will consider film submissions from all countries, completed after January 1st, 2023 (or premiered after that date).

SELECTION
The general programme and the schedule of the screenings are decided by the Festival Management only.
10. Films selected for the festival are requested to provide the following:
- a trailer link for the film;
- a downloadable video file of the final version of the film (preferably in the h.264 format);
- 2 high quality stills of the film;
- 1 film poster
- 1 photo of the director/s.
The festival has permission to use excerpts from selected films, with a maximum of 3 minutes, nationally and internationally for promotional purposes (for short films, the total duration of the excerpts is not to exceed more than 10% of the film’s running time).
TERMS OF REGISTRATION
Entry to the festival will take place through the FilmFreeway platform. Please make sure to include all materials aforementioned before making the final submission on Filmfreeway.com including: the full film link and promotional materials (photos of the film, pictures of the director, the director's biography and work credits).

Deadlines and entry fees can be consulted directly on the FilmFreeway platform.
Filmmakers and/or producers are solely responsible for the contents of their film and must declare, upon registration in the Festival, to have fully complied with copyright laws.
Participation in the selection implies the complete acceptance of the above Rules and Regulations. For any difficulties or enquiries, please contact the festival at marcello.bham@gmail.com

3 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • EMILIO GUIZZETTI

    Awesome festival. Very good communication.

    October 2022
    Helpful
  • Heléna Antonio

    I am really grateful that my film ‘2020’ has been screened and also nominated for an award and this beautiful event!
    Giada created a really beautiful Festival, very friendly yet attentive to details and with a wonderful selection of films!
    I will definitely send my next projects to them.
    Really well done for putting it together!!!!!

    October 2022
    Helpful
  • Nikolas Grasso

    Although this was the first edition of the Marcello Italian Film Festival and unfortunately it had to be online due to the current circumstances and restrictions, I truly enjoyed it and I'm thankful that our short film 'Tavola' was part of their selection. Great team, very well organized and full of events, workshops and great films. There are only a few festivals in the world that are focused on Italian film production which makes this festival even more special. I would absolutely recommend any filmmaker to send their work to Marcello. Wishing you all the best for future editions. This event will surely get bigger and bigger. Grazie Marcello. :)

    January 2021
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