Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival

WeShort Originals

WeShort: 5 Years of Short Cinema and a WeShort Originals Preview at the Ca’ Foscari Short 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


154

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’

SYNOPSIS

A kindergarten teacher is assigned to instruct an advanced AI prototype, on the condition that he treat it as if it were a child.


PROFILES

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.