SON OF A PITCH AWARD

Entry conditions

1. Eligibility Requirements

Theme
For the Son of a Pitch© Award, short films must address themes related to sustainable development.

Director’s Age

Son of a Pitch© Award: open to directors under 30 or turning 30 in 2026 (born on or before December 31, 1996).
Grand Canal – Son of a Pitch©: open to directors born on or before December 31, 1986.

Maximum Duration

Son of a Pitch© Award: maximum 15 minutes (including credits).
Grand Canal – Son of a Pitch©: maximum 20 minutes (including credits).

Accepted and Excluded Genres
Accepted: Fiction, Documentary, Animation.
Excluded: music videos, erotic or pornographic films, corporate or promotional films.

Production Period

Son of a Pitch© Award: completed between January 2024 and June 2026.
Grand Canal – Son of a Pitch©: completed between January 2016 and June 2026.

Language and Subtitles
All films must include embedded English subtitles.

2. Submissions

Submission period: from March 30 2026 to June 10, 2026.

Films submitted to the Son of a Pitch© Award must be premieres and not fully available online or publicly accessible.
Previously released or distributed films are accepted for Grand Canal – Son of a Pitch©.

Submissions must be made exclusively via:
https://filmfreeway.com/SON_OF_A_PITCH_AWARD

Required information:

Director’s personal details (including age);
email contacts of the director and/or production;
phone contacts of rights holders.
3. Selected Films

By July 31, 2026, selected films must submit to:
soap_award@sonofapitch.it

high-quality screening file;
original version with English subtitles;
2 film stills;
1 director’s photo;
poster;
technical sheet (title, director, year, synopsis – max. 800 characters);
trailer (if available).

Winners are required to include the official Son of a Pitch© Award logo in all promotional materials following the award.

4. Juries

An Artistic Jury, chaired by Pif and composed of industry professionals, will assign the Best Short Film and Best Director awards.

The Sustainability, Future, Intercultural, and Grand Canal awards will be assigned by dedicated juries, to be announced prior to the award ceremony.

All jury decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

The trophy will be shipped to winners, who must provide photographic confirmation of receipt.

5. Rights and Use

Save the Cut® reserves the right to screen selected films at private events with third parties, through restricted-access, non-public platforms, without affecting the films’ eligibility for other festivals.

Organizers may use excerpts of the films (up to 3 minutes) strictly for non-commercial promotional purposes.

The submitting party fully indemnifies Save the Cut against any third-party claims, guaranteeing full ownership of all rights to the submitted films, without exception.

6. Expenses

Travel and accommodation costs are not covered by the organization.
Winners may attend the ceremony at their own expense.

7. Final Provisions

Participation in the Son of a Pitch© Award implies full and unconditional acceptance of these Regulations.

Save the Cut reserves the right to amend, postpone, or cancel the Award in case of unforeseen circumstances.