The Montecatini International Short Film Festival is one of the most representative Italian film festivals. Its origins lie in a city whose historical importance in cinema is comparable with the longest-lived festivals in Italy, such as the Venice International Film Festival.
The history of cinema in the city of Montecatini Terme dates back a century ago. Already in the Twenties (1926), the annals of the Cinema of the city record the presence of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (co-founders of the United Artists), who inaugurated the first Cinema Hall (Excelsior), promoting at the same time the cinematographic works they produced in America.
Italian cinema activities have a close relationship with the spa town of Montecatini. Official sources and books report the historical developments below:
«In 1949, the FEDIC, Italian Federation of Cineclubs to which our Cineclub belongs, was born in Montecatini. In 1950, the FEDIC began organizing the National Competition of Amateur Cinema. In the 1970s, Italian filmmakers focused on more committed and up-to-date cinema with the "Manifesto70". In 1978, there was an experimental phase without a competition, a review and sections dedicated to members, non-members, schools and women. In 1979, there was the "Mostra del Film d'Autore" (art-house film festival) and sections dedicated to social issues and customs. The year 1980 is dedicated to the experimental, evolution of innovative and alternative language. Since 1983, the Organizing Committee of Montecatini Terme is dedicated only to the International Festival, while the National Competition is moved to San Giovanni Valdarno. »
In 2002, the Montecatini Cinema Association (APS), which organizes the Festival of Montecatini Terme was born in Montecatini Terme: the members are the Municipality of Montecatini Terme, the Fedic, the local Cineclub.
Since 2012, the Festival is increasingly characterized by an international profile. The old name changes: MISFF, Montecatini International Short Film Festival stands as a festival promoter of short films from Italian and International independent atuhors. Over the years it began to obtain awards and prestige that soon led it to become an international reference point, becoming a springboard for many filmmakers. Today it boasts the participation of filmmakers from more than 70 countries, multi-year collaborations with film festivals in Ukraine, Portugal, Spain, Russia, France, collaborations with schools, universities, institutes of Italian language and culture, etc.
The training activities created through the MISFF Academy are dedicated to young people from schools in Montecatini Terme and other parts of Italy and Europe. The festival is a promoter of Italian cinema in the world, and at the same time hosts the world's most important filmmakers in Montecatini Terme, creating a crossroads of cultural exchange that feeds the international creative film scene.
For an author, presenting their own works at the MISFF Festival of Montecatini Terme is an obligatory or expressly recommended step.
The Festival takes place every year in Montecatini Terme in the month of October and is organized using the amazing locations of the thermal city: The Historical Hall of the Excelsior and Tettuccio Spa, and the historical Cinema Halls on Viale Verdi. The Festival has a special regard for promotion and the international scene, and for this reason it organizes every year its own international tour involving the twinned festivals that host innovative cultural formats (MISFF IRS, Montecatini Days, Italian Identities), produced under the guidance of the Montecatini International Short Film Festival.
In recent years, the Festival, in addition to the International Competition, has created a platform and a permanent Showcase of the authors. It is also very socially active, with ethnographic-anthropological audiovisual recordings and interviews regarding the various age groups of the population in the territories in which the Festival operates, investigating and recording the present and the life of the communities.
Currently the MISFF Festival Community has over 8500 members.
Best Short Film
Best Debut Film
Best Italian Film
Best Film Production Company
Best Distribution Company
Best Animation Film
Best Documentary Film
Best Fiction Film
Best Experimental Film
Best Monograph/Biography
Best Enterprise Film
Best Territorial Film
Best Photography Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Cinema & Dance Film
Best Wedding Film
Best Dance Performance Film
Best Medium Lengh Film
Best Future Film
