!!!ATTENTION!!!

That’s not just a film festival. The Carlone Film Festival is an initiative that is part of the three-day art and sound festival of CarloNe in the Marche region of Italy. Before submitting your film, please read the rules of our organization carefully.

ABOUT CARLONE FESTIVAL (3, 4, 5 July 2026)

CarloNe is an independent festival born from a desire to connect people through music, art and exchange. It is NOT a commercial event but a collective project brought to life by numerous artists, technicians and curators who seek to express themselves in an open and accessible context free from mainstream constraints and institutional gatekeeping.

At its core is a community that has shaped and sustained the festival since 2024. CarloNe exists through participation: a shared responsibility towards one another, the land that hosts us, and the artistic practices that bring us together.

Equality and inclusion are fundamental. Everyone should feel safe, free, and respected at all times. Any form of discrimination, violence, or abuse will not be tolerated. Clear support systems are in place to ensure that anyone who feels unsafe can access help easily and immediately.

The festival takes place within a natural environment in the Marche region, which we are privileged to inhabit. Maximum respect and care for the territory is expected. ALL funds are directly reinvested in event improvements. Each edition has been for us an opportunity to learn, refine, and grow in any way we can.

CarloNe is a meeting point for different worlds: live music, DJ sets, independent cinema, visual arts, installations, and experimentation. It is shaped by the energy, curiosity, and diversity of those who take part. CarloNe is not just something to attend, it is something to be part of.

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THE FILM FESTIVAL

SACRED AND PROFANE

The first film festival in a church.
Thanks my Lord!

All stories are welcome: nudity, sexuality, violence, and raw realities included—no filters.

Taking place within the framework of the CarloNe Festival, the CarloNe Film Festival comes to life. The event takes place inside a deconsecrated church, and its artistic direction revolves around the idea of the “confession.”

Perhaps the first film festival set in a church dedicated to seeking out sincere and intimate, contradictory and visceral, unique and unconventional perspectives. For this reason, the films take on diverse forms, ranging from animation to documentary, with the aim of creating a space that embraces the most experimental expressions of cinematic language.

FORGIVE ME, MY LORD!!

The festival will take place on July 4th. On Saturday, the event will become a space for dialogue—an opportunity to exchange ideas and perspectives on how cinema is seen and made. A moment of gathering within the broader CarloNe festival, which this year will feature a winner for each category of the film festival.

Awards & Prizes

The award ceremony will take place at the end of the screenings, when two priests of the image will present the festival’s silver medal to the competitors.

Rules & Terms

Each director can subscribe only ONE film.

CARLONE FILM FESTIVAL (how it works)

CarloNe Festival—and consequently the Film Festival as well—is an independent initiative created by young local artists. For this reason, we are not able to cover travel, food, or accommodation expenses.

However, the full festival pass for attendees costs €50. If your film is selected as a finalist in the Film Festival, you will be granted free access to the entire festival and all activities over the three days.

We only ask for a €3 submission fee to enter your film. This is because we are not just a film festival, but a broader initiative that sustains itself independently through private funding.

In case of selection, the director will be contacted by the organization via mail.

The festival prioritizes the selection of works by filmmakers who are able to attend the festival in person and engage in discussions about their work during the screenings.

WHAT FILMS ARE WE LOOKING FOR, AND WHAT LENGTH?

We are looking for films that reflect a strong, personal vision—works that feel sincere, intimate, and even contradictory or visceral. The focus is on projects that embrace the idea of a “confessional” approach to cinema: honest, bold, and unfiltered perspectives.

We welcome a wide range of forms and genres, including:

Experimental films
Documentary cinema
Animation
Hybrid and unconventional formats

Duration:

There is no strict limitation, but we particularly encourage short and medium-length films, ideally between 1 and 20 minutes. Longer works may also be considered if they align strongly with the festival’s vision.

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IN CASE OF SELECTION

Materials to be submitted in case of selection as short film finalist:

- Short synopsis (max 150 words, .pdf);
- Synopsis (max1000 words, .pdf);
- Close-up of the director (.jpg);
- Short biography of the director (.pdf);
- Two HD film frames (.jpg);
- Film poster (.pdf and/or .jpg);
- Export in H.264 format (MP4) and in Apple ProRes 422 (QuickTime) (wetransfer or Google Drive links);
- Film trailer (optional);
- Social profiles of the director (links).
- The files must be sent to the festival email: carlone.film@gmail.com

Copyright & Privacy

Texts and images may be used for publication in a catalogue, on a website dedicated to the Festival and for the media in relation to the Festival's activities. With their participation, the rights holders of the works admitted to the competition authorise, for the sole purpose of promoting the Festival the free insertion of short sequences of the work, for a maximum duration of three minutes, in news programmes, television programmes and on the Internet. The owners of the rights of the works selected for the Festival also grant the widest possible release for the screening of the works in the framework of cultural festivals in Italy and abroad or for promotional purposes strictly related to communication by the Organising Bodies.

No rental fees may be charged for screenings of the films selected as part of the Festival. In order to be put online, it will be necessary to fill in and sign a release form authorising the Festival to broadcast and publish and/or disseminate, in any form, the audio, video and photographic material of the selected work exclusively on the streaming platform associated with the Festival. Furthermore, authorisation is given to publish only the promotional material of the selected work on social networks (Instagram, Facebook and Youtube).

Each individual author or producer is responsible for the content of his or her work and declares, by entering the Festival, that he or she has fulfilled all obligations towards third parties arising from the use of copyrighted material.

For any further information, please contact us.