The Night of Shorts festival was created to celebrate the art of short films in all genres and styles. Whether you create comedies, dramas, documentaries, experimental works, parodies, or tragicomedies, this is the perfect stage to showcase your creativity.

Recognizing the importance of giving visibility to independent cinema, Night of Shorts aims to highlight the variety of cinematic storytelling, from the loudest laughter to the deepest reflections on the human condition.

Today more than ever, we believe it is essential to provide a platform for films that speak about our reality with intelligence and sensitivity, whether by hiding it behind a smile or by exposing its dramas, absurdities, and unique traits.

To achieve this, the festival has decided to divide its selection and awards into three periods:

July – October

November - February

March – June

At the end of each period, the jury will assign awards in all festival categories. Additionally, the best overall films from each period will be selected to be screened during an online event on YouTube held every three months.

Festivals partner:
https://filmfreeway.com/Assurdo
https://filmfreeway.com/RealeFilmFestival
https://filmfreeway.com/MonzaFilmFest
https://filmfreeway.com/MilanoIndie

These are the awards of the periods:
(With digital laurel)
MAIN CATEGORIES

Best International Film
Best Italian Film
Best European Film
Best Asian Film
Best African Film
Best American Film
Best Micro Short (under 5 minutes)
Best Super Short (between 5 and 10 minutes)
Best Standard Short (between 10 and 20 minutes)
Best Medium Lenght (under 60 min)
Best Original Idea
Best Low Budget Film
Best Experimental
Best Debut Film

NIGHT AWARDS
Best Dark Comedy
Best Tragicomic Film
Best Mockumentary
Best Documentary
Best Dystopian Sci-Fi
Best Comedy Sci-Fi
Best Philosophical Film
Best Existential Drama
Best Action Drama
Best Crime Drama
Best Drama Thriller
Best Psychological Thriller
Best Fantasy Drama
Best Romantic Drama
Best Family
Best Horror
Best Surreal Film
Best Animation
Best LGBTQ+
Best Music/Musical

TECHNICAL AWARDS
Best Director
Best Young Director
Best Soundtrack
Best Editing
Best Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Vfx
Best Actor/Actress
Best Producer
Best Title
Best Movie Poster

IMPORTANT: The jury may decide to change the entry category of any film if it deems it appropriate.

- By submitting the film to the Night of Shorts the subscriber authorizes the festival to use the film for the live event online on Youtube.
- The films that will receive a award in one of the 4 selection periods can be chosen to be part of the final event
- Registration for the competition must be made by FilmFreeway , then the author will receive an email notification of registration.
- These are the link to register: FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/Nightofshorts
- Films may have been produced anywhere in the world, without any distinction.
- In case of selection at the final evening of the festival, the subtitle srt files must be sent in Italian or English.
- Each film may have a maximum length of 60 minutes.
- Each author can register more films.
- All film genres are accepted.
– By registering, you declare that you have the rights to the registered film
– The jury may decide to change the entry category of any film if it deems it appropriate.
– The festival may use for promotional purposes the data of authors, producers and crew, the movie poster, the trailer and a maximum of 1 minute of the video
– Films that incite violence or hatred in general are not accepted
– By registering the film at our festival you agree to share personal data with partner festivals, but only for promotional purposes.
– Distributors can ask for a special price for the registration of 20 or more films. To do this, just send us an email to info@thenightofshorts.com
- The data from each film can be used in publications of cultural interest
- In case of selection the author and / or production and / or holder of the rights of each film must send a downloadable link (via file sharing platforms such Wetrasnfer, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) to the festival organization. This video must be in usable format for projection, the basic format is required FullHD 1080p.
- A complete list of selected films will be published on the festival website, the authors of the selected films instead receive a mail of selection.
- The author and / or production and / or holder of the rights of each film by subscribing to the festival claims to be in possession of the rights of reproduction video and audio of the film.
The author and / or production and / or holder of the rights of each film authorize the festival organization to use parts of their film (maximum 1 minute) for creating promotional films for this festival and for future editions.
The author and / or production and / or holder of the rights of each film grant rights to public screening inside the Night of Shorts without any claims.
Any material sent to the organization of the festival will not be returned.
- The author and / or production and / or holder of the rights of all selected films authorize the publication of their data on http://www.thenightofshorts.com site and on every type of distribution channel as promotion.
- The admission to the Festival implies the unconditional acceptance of this regulation.
For any dispute not covered by the Regulation the competent authority is the organization of the Night of Shorts , if such disputes do not find the solution, the competent authority is Foro of Monza.
In case of objections to this Regulation Italian version of the same prevails.

- Subscribers to the Night of Short agree as established by Legislative Decree 30 June 2003, No. 196 on the protection of privacy, the use of personal data for all initiatives related to the event. The Author of the film declares to accept the Regulation in all its parts and to have the legal availability of the film and to authorize the public screening without compensation, freeing the organization of the Festival from any present and future responsibility. With the contest entry each author is responsible for the content of his work. The author claims to own all rights to the work, not prejudicing in any way the rights of third parties, like other authors, subjects portrayed, transferees of rights, together with those music, etc. . It also declares that the audiovisual material is not protected by SIAE. Under the provisions of Legislative Decree. 30/06/2003 n. 196, we inform the author that the data requested is necessary for completing the documentation of registration to the Festival.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    We are honored that Kirikko vs Kitsune received an Honorable Mention at Night of Shorts.

    Thank you to the festival team and jury for supporting independent filmmakers and creating a welcoming platform for short films from around the world.

    We also appreciate the unique festival format, which combines awards with curated online screenings. It is a creative way to celebrate outstanding short films.

    Congratulations to all the selected filmmakers, and we look forward to participating again in the future.

    We hope Kirikko and Kitsune brought a little ninja spirit to the Italian night.

    — Pai Chen, Studio Nono (Taiwan)

    July 2026
  • I am very thankful to the Jury Members of Night of Shorts and its committee members. for honoluring our Short Film A Stage In A Journey with Honourable Mention Best Short Film Award. This is a great encouragement for us to produce more good films in future !

    July 2026
  • Tom Logan

    Fantastic Festival. I have entered two successful films to this festival in the past and will enter more.

    Highly recommend.

    Tom Logan

    July 2026
  • Jim Zounis

    It was such a great honor to have our short selected as a Winner in the 'Night of Shorts' event, thank you all so much.

    July 2026
  • For the entire team behind the Venezuelan short film *ANYTHING FOR HER*, it is an honor that our film has won the Best Medium-Length (Under 60 min) award at the prestigious Night of Shorts festival—an international film festival that has been doing excellent work in support of independent cinema for seven years now.

    July 2026