Venice Comics – Venice's comic book and pop culture festival – is proud to confirm, also for 2025, its partnership with the Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival.
Following the success of the 2024 edition, which drew 23,000 visitors to Forte Marghera, the festival returns enlarged and renewed in its content.
The festival’s “beating heart” for 2025 remains the comic and gaming market show, which will further expand its spaces. The two main pavilions will once again be fully dedicated to the sale of comics, books, games, gadgets, and all things related to fun, but a new marquee for guests and official publishers will also be added, reaching over 100 exhibitors.
The self-publishing area has doubled in both size and scope, and—weather permitting—will once again be set up outdoors with a series of gazebos hosting independent authors and the latest developments in self-produced works. It's not just about comics: the event will also include thematic “handmade” stands focusing on fantasy and the East, as well as independent book publishers primarily producing fantasy literature.
There will be around ten events, each lasting roughly two hours, presented by Mangaschool Venezia to introduce teens and children to the world of drawing. The courses will cover all age groups offered by the school (from kids to seniors) and will be entirely self-contained and self-concluding, with free registration for all festival visitors who have a valid entry ticket for both festival days.
Finally, there will be dedicated space for meetings with authors, conferences, and exhibitions in a special area.
Organizing the festival is Associazione Culturale VeneziaComix, which has been actively promoting and protecting Comics Culture since 2006, aiming to recreate a vibrant and dynamic environment in which the “Ninth Art”—and, more broadly, visual storytelling—become a meeting point and launching pad for cultural and professional projects in the City of Venice and beyond.
Through its Mangaschool Venezia, it not only provides artistic training to students of all ages and skill levels but also recognizes and nurtures their talent through courses, workshops, masterclasses, and tailored programs designed to build skills for a professional artistic career.
As part of its pursuit of a positive, fruitful collaboration with the city’s major cultural organizations and festivals—and following the 2019 event, where a selection of the best animated shorts from previous years was screened at Forte Marghera—VeniceComix will again participate in the Ca’ Foscari Short in 2025, awarding the “Best Comics Award” to the year’s best animated short. This winning short will then be shown during Venice Comics in an evening dedicated to animation.
The twelfth edition of Venice Comics will be held on May 3–4, 2024, at Forte Marghera. The event is organized by VeneziaComix, under the patronage of Le Città in Festa of the City of Venice and RIFF – Rete Italiana Festival del Fumetto.
For contacts: info@veneziacomics.com, eventi@veneziacomics.com
Founded in 2019, the Barcelona u22 Youth Film Festival is a dynamic platform dedicated to young directors under 22 years old. Created to address the lack of spaces for emerging talents, u22 celebrates the creativity and vision of a new generation, offering them a stage to present their short films and fostering connections within the cultural sector.
At its heart, u22 is a movement of inclusion and transformation. By prioritizing diverse voices and perspectives, the festival challenges traditional barriers of class, gender, ethnicity, and more that often exclude young filmmakers. It is a space where cinema becomes a vehicle of change, enabling young artists to reshape the audiovisual landscape.
In addition to its screenings, u22 provides training, resources, and leadership opportunities to ensure accessibility and growth for young directors. This event is more than just a festival: it is a launch pad for the future of film, a setting where creativity meets opportunity, and new voices take center stage.
Director: Paula Fuentes, Guillermo Carrera
Country: Spain
Year: 2023
Length: 30’
Writing: Paula Fuentes, Guillermo Carrera
Cinematography: Martín Ávila
Music: Xan Sánchez
Editing: Paula Fuentes, Carlota González Gómez
Cast: Nuria Lestegás, Josefa Álvarez, Nazario Vergara, Xan Sánchez, Carlos Castro, Evaristo Méndez
Synopsis:
Hidden among the mountains of Galicia lies Vilar do Courel, a small village that has resisted disappearing for decades. Its last three inhabitants act as custodians of a timeless place, navigating their past and pondering their future in an empty, motionless, and fragile present. With the arrival of Branca from Barcelona, reality begins to change. At night, memories, past dreams, and ancient legends guide the characters through magical forests and forgotten paths.
Paula Fuentes, Guillermo Carrera
They met while studying film at ESCAC in Barcelona, both hailing from Galicia—Paula, born in 2001, grew up in a small town in Serra do Courel, Lugo, and Guillermo in Ponteareas, Pontevedra. After completing her studies at ESCAC, Paula pursued an MA in Contemporary Film and Audiovisual Studies at Pompeu Fabra University and is currently enrolled in a Video Editing postgraduate course at UPF Barcelona School of Management. Guillermo is currently pursuing an MA in Theatre Creation at Carlos III University in Madrid. Corre o vento is their first short film.
SMARTFILMS® is the world’s largest and most inclusive smartphone film festival. Since 2015, it has redefined storytelling by connecting creators across Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, and beyond. The festival embraces diversity and inclusivity, enabling people with disabilities, indigenous communities, Afro-descendants, entrepreneurs, writers, and artists to showcase their creative visions. By democratizing filmmaking, it offers a space where imagination thrives without barriers, proving that anyone with a smartphone can produce meaningful stories.
Renowned directors such as Oliver Stone, Pedro Alonso, and Robert Rodriguez have participated, reinforcing its global reputation as a hub for creativity and innovation. With over 10,000 short films and more than 60,000 participants, SMARTFILMS® has become a beacon for aspiring filmmakers across the continent. Through its educational platform, SMARTFILMSCLASS, thousands have accessed free workshops in audiovisual production and storytelling, fostering new generations of creative talent.
Founded by Valencia Producciones FX, the festival plays a significant role in strengthening Colombia’s creative economy. Its influence has been recognized with numerous awards, including a spot on P&M Magazine’s list of the 10 best brand-purpose actions in 2023 and a prestigious FENALCO award for teamwork in 2021. That same year, OMPI named it Colombia’s creative SME with the greatest social impact. CEO Yesenia Valencia was also named among the top 25 influencers in the Mexican film industry and one of the “50 most creative minds” by Forbes.
SMARTFILMS® has blazed trails in audiovisual production with El Inquisidor, the first smartphone-based series, which received six India Catalina nominations in 2019. The festival also won the “My Ideal Partner” award from Novartis and was named by Innpulsa as one of Colombia’s 40 most innovative entrepreneurial initiatives. Additionally, it took second place for citizen participation initiatives by the Colombian Ministry of the Interior.
By championing innovation, education, and inclusivity, SMARTFILMS® continues to push the boundaries of what cinema can be, inspiring creators worldwide to harness their smartphones as tools of creative expression and social impact.
Giants of the Pacific offers an awe-inspiring glimpse of majestic humpback whales and the magnificent marine landscapes that are their home. This short film captures their graceful movements and the natural splendor of a spectacular region teeming with biodiversity. Produced by Diving Life Studios, it is an immersive journey shining a spotlight on the profound connection between these extraordinary creatures and their environment, inviting viewers to value and protect this remarkable part of the world.
An audiovisual and multimedia communicator focusing on directing and screenwriting for audiovisual products. He holds a master’s in Screenwriting for Film and Television from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. He has extensive experience in directing actors, screenwriting, dubbing, production, and the creation of audiovisual content. Over 20 of his short films have been awarded as Best Short Film and Best Director at various national and international film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival.
“Cinema is born short”: that’s how our story begins. Not bad as a logline, right? Tradition and innovation come together, and in this balance WeShort has found its mission: making short cinema an everyday choice for a broad audience, through streaming, whenever and wherever.
This year WeShort is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and there is no better stage for this milestone than the Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival, with whom we have collaborated for five consecutive years. At a time when time itself is ever more precious, WeShort is redefining the concept of the short film, proving that it isn’t just a niche interest but a universe to be explored by millions of viewers.
For this edition, we are proud to present “154”, a WeShort Originals short film featuring Giovanni Storti in an unprecedented dramatic role. In this sci-fi story, Storti portrays a teacher dealing with ISA, an artificial intelligence voiced by Giulia Bellu. Directed by Riccardo Copreni and Andrea Sbarbaro and produced by Eclettica, the film will arrive in Italian theaters on March 19, the same date it will officially open the Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival. The choice of Father’s Day for its screening is no coincidence: the film sensitively explores the relationship between man and technology, between teacher and pupil, between past and future.
Part of WeShort’s mission is also to highlight branded entertainment and support the production of new short films and short series, where businesses can invest to communicate about themselves in an innovative way. Short films are the quintessence of the seventh art: a genuine expression of talent, passion, and creativity, liberated from the constraints and excesses of traditional film industry models.
Happy fifth birthday to us, WeShort!
In Short We Trust.
– Alex Loprieno, Founder & CEO of WeShort
Directors: Riccardo Copreni, Andrea Sbarbaro
Cast: Giovanni Storti, Giulia Bellu
Production: Eclettica, WeShort Originals
Festival Distribution: Gorrilla Film Distribution
International Distribution: WeShort
Italy, Science Fiction, 20’
A kindergarten teacher is assigned to instruct an advanced AI prototype, on the condition that he treat it as if it were a child.
Andrea Sbarbaro, born in 1998, graduated in 2020 with a degree in film directing from the Civica Scuola di Cinema Luchino Visconti, with the short film Hikikomori. After his studies, he co-founded the production company Eclettica, where he serves as artistic director, director, and post-production supervisor. In 2021, he directed two short films: Vae Victis and L’impianto Umano, the latter starring Giovanni Storti, selected by more than 40 festivals worldwide. Since 2023, he has been part of the film distribution company Gorrilla Film Distribution, where he works as sales manager.
Riccardo Copreni, born in 1998, graduated in 2020 in directing from the Civica Scuola di Cinema Luchino Visconti with the short film Oscar, which was selected by over 25 international film festivals and received multiple awards. He is co-founder of Eclettica, working there as a director and producer. In 2022, he directed his second short, Il dio dei gatti è immortale, a teen drama based on the story of the same name by the CRIU collective; also in 2022, he became a member of Air3–Italian Directors Guild. Riccardo is currently developing his first feature film.
Andrea and Riccardo met at the Civica Scuola di Cinema and together have directed the short films Addio, per adesso in 2022 and 154, starring Giovanni Storti.
