SEPTEMBER // 5>6>7 // '25
MILAN SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL
SUBMIT NOW ON FILMFREEWAY
WHO WE ARE
MILAN SHORTS is a vibrant hub for indie-pop cinema on both a national and international scale. It’s a creative meeting ground for filmmakers, artists, and cinephiles—a place where artistic expression thrives and where tailored services support bold, independent visions. Dedicated to cutting-edge projects that explore new frontiers, MILAN SHORTS offers a stage for fresh perspectives and boundary-pushing ideas.
The festival has three core goals: celebrating the evolution of short cinema, empowering indie artists to freely express their voices, and fostering an inclusive, diverse space that goes beyond mere competition. THE HOME OF THE FINEST SHORT FILMS, spotlighting the talents of today and the voices shaping tomorrow.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Luigi D´Angelo
Founder & President
chiara D'ONORIO de meo
Commercial Director
cristian negretto
Founder & Vice-President
GIANNI RUSSO
Artistic Director
THE COMMON GOAL WITH FUORICINEMA
Each year, MILAN SHORTS collaborates with FUORICINEMA to present a continuous, thoughtfully curated program that spans the entire day.
FUORICINEMA is a unique cultural marathon born from the desire to collect and share life experiences, aspirations, and reflections linked to cinema, entertainment, culture, and information — turning them into a shared heritage. Set in the heart of Milan, it brings together artists from film, music, and the performing arts, engaging directly with the public in conversations moderated by journalists and presenters. Conceived by Cristiana Mainardi and Cristiana Capotondi, and produced by Fuoricinema Srl, Associazione Visione Milano, Corriere della Sera, and Anteo, in collaboration with BAM – Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, a project by the Riccardo Catella Foundation, and supported by IBM Studios Milano, Fuoricinema has featured renowned guests such as Matteo Garrone, Marco Bellocchio, Micaela Ramazzotti, Antonio Albanese, Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo, Silvio Soldini, Gabriele Salvatores, Diego Abatantuono, Paola Cortellesi, Alessandro Borghi, Paolo Virzì, Roberto Vecchioni, Luciano Ligabue, Fiorella Mannoia, Gianni Canova, Margherita Buy, Lella Costa, and many others.
The partnership between Milan Shorts and Fuoricinema ensures a more intelligent, coherent, and inclusive structure — one that fully responds to the needs of both communities while reinforcing the value of shared storytelling.
THE FESTIVAL DAYS
Throughout the morning and early afternoon, Milan Shorts offers a rich, stimulating, and interactive program aimed at engaging the audience as much as possible, with a special focus on young filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts, providing valuable opportunities for visibility and exchange. The schedule features SCREENINGS of the selected short films at the beautiful ANTEO PALAZZO DEL CINEMA in the heart of Milan; ACTIVE PANELS addressing sensitive and current topics related to filmmaking; EDUCATIONAL PANELS led by national and international short film experts; THE MEET BRIDGE, a transparent and direct dialogue between emerging artists and established industry professionals; and ROUNDTABLES with directors, actors, actresses, and producers of the competing films. Following the screenings, the audience can meet the filmmakers and engage in open discussions with the protagonists, encouraging a constructive exchange and deeper understanding of the creative process behind each selected project. The program changes from year to year and is published a few weeks before the event on our website and social media channels.
AWARDS & COMPETITION
The Milan Shorts competition includes a selection of 9 projects, and the awarding of 6 prizes. All selected projects will be screened in the theaters of Anteo Palazzo del Cinema. The Best Short Film winner project will be screened on the Fuoricinema outdoor stage at Biblioteca Degli Alberi – BAM. 6 projects will be selected for the Best Short Film section, and 3 projects for the Best NextGen Short Film section. All 9 projects will automatically compete for all the technical awards and Audience Award.
JURY BOARD - ´25 - MEET THE ACADEMY MEMBERS
JULIA SOBOLEVA
Artist // Painter
Julia Soboleva is a Latvia born, UK based mix-media artist. Her process involves painting and collage on found photographic imagery. Meditating on the themes of madness and reality, Soboleva is constructing mysterious narratives with ominous overtones and absurd humour. She explores the notions of family, taboo and transgenerational trauma in her work. She obtained a Master's Degree in Illustration at Manchester School of Art in 2018, and is now working as an educator and freelance designer.
NICOLA GARZETTI
Director // Fiction // Fashion
Nicola Garzetti began his career in the world of fashion by signing various fashion videos for Armani, Replay, Pinko, Shiseido and Bulgari. Since 2016 he has collaborated with Grazia Italia, creating editorial videos with the celebrities protagonists of the magazine’s cover story. This collaboration continues today. Since 2017 he has been teaching cinematographic languages in the fashion school of IED in Milan. In 2023, after a long period of writing, he produced and directed Mèmori, his first, 20 minutes long, short fiction.
TEYMOUR TEHRANI
Writer // Director // Fiction
Teymour Tehrani is a German-Iranian filmmaker who works as a screenplay writer, director and producer. He received education on the MA at the Northern Film School – Leeds Backet University (UK), FAMU (CZ), Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg (Ludwigsburg, GER) and was awarded a scholarship to the UCLA (USA). Since, Teymour Tehrani has worked on both commercials and feature films. His last film “ANIETIÉ, and the Sky will be there“ was acknowledged around the world, as a valuable European contribution to the Black Lives Matter movement.
ALICE PALCHETTI
Director // Documentary // Fiction
Alice Palchetti explored and worked with different visual media, installations and experimental video art. Her work has been shown in several group exhibitions. She started Film Directing at the prestigious Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF in Berlin. She is currently working on her first feature film. In 2023 she was member of the Feature Debut Jury of the 33rd FilmFestival Cottbus.
CARLO DE TOGNI
Director // Animation
Since 2023 Carlo De Togni has passionately led Mondo Novo (www.mondonovo.ai), an independent atelier devoted to uncovering and narrating artistic heritage in novel ways. He fervently explores the dynamic interplay between traditional arts and generative artificial intelligence, crafting stories that resonate and inspire.
DIYANA AMIR
Screenwriter // Director
Born and raised in Singapore, Diyana Amir is a director who has always been drawn to the power of storytelling. Diyana received her Diploma in Digital Film and Television from Temasek Polytechnic Singapore and her Bachelor's degree in film from Nanyang Technological University Singapore. After six years of both educational and industry experience in film and television, she set her sights on telling stories that would resonate with audiences on a deep, human level.
RAFFAELE GRASSO
Screenwriter // Director
Raffaele Grasso has worked as an assistant director on the series Esterno Notte (M. Bellocchio), M – The Child of the Century (J. Wright), the medium-length film O Night Divine (L. Guadagnino), the films Blackout Love (F. Marino), Felicità (M. Ramazzotti) and Gabriele Muccino’s new upcoming film. He has written and directed video clips and shorts selected at numerous festivals, his latest work, La Carezza, starring Gabriel Montesi and Peppe Piromalli, was selected at more than 40 festivals winning 9 awards. He won the 2022 Solinas Award for best short script sect. He teaches screenwriting at the Academy of Arts and New Technologies in Rome “AANT.”
CARLA MASSOLINI
Screenwriter // Director // Fiction // Fashion
Carla Massolini is a Director and Writer based in Berlin, Germany. She started working into the fashion and art field, where she had the opportunity to work for a wide spectrum of international clients from boutique size to global scale. Carla is focusing on emotional narratives in both commercials and fiction. Her goal is to tell a story from a completely cinematographic perspective, seeking to print a certain emotional burden to not only capture the attention and engagement of the viewers, but also that they identify from an affective level with every story.
A BIG FAMILY
Beyond the competition, the festival identifies itself above all as an inclusive space, aiming to create a COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS united by a single passion: cinema. Follow us on Instagram (@milanshortsfilmfestival) and be part of that! Don’t forget to follow Fuoricinema (@_fuoricinema_), too!
AND A GROUNDBREAKING APPROACH
The Milan Shorts highlights not only the selected projects. Throughout the course of the year, some of the projects that submit to us will be promoted through photos, trailers and interviews through our social pages. We are close to the artists, concretely, trying to support your work in the best way possible and offering discounts with our festival partners.
WELCOME TO CIP!
Cinema Indie People was born as an official parallel section of the Milan Shorts Film Festival, a consolidated national and international reference point for indie artists.
CIP is a competition that selects the best indie short films from the worldwide network, promoting them and giving them light through a series of opportunities that no other festival can give!
HOW DOES IT WORK?
CIP is a new wind that breaks the classic structural barriers of a traditional festival. It aims to give space and voice to those artists who struggle to express their art, through constant promotion on social media, ad hoc interviews, public and private feedbacks, artist talks, networking events, free scorecards, distribution opportunities, masterclasses and more!
COMPETITION & SCREENINGS
During the weeks leading up to the annual Milan Shorts Film Festival event, trailers and posters of the best short films will be posted on our social profiles.
CIP will take place as part of the Milan Shorts program schedule, and the 5 winning projects in the main categories (Best CIP Short, Best CIP Animated Short, Best CIP Documentary Short, Best CIP Italian Short and Best CIP International Short) will be screened in the historical Anteo Palazzo del Cinema as a parallel section to the Milan Shorts competition screenings.
THE WORLD OF CINEMA INDIE
CIP was created with the intention of bringing together small and big productions, small and big budgets, and small and big ideas. It was created to unite all components of the indie world, and to shine a spotlight on the artists who are part of it by giving them a way to get to know each other, inspire each other and share their art.
THE CIP // MSFF FAMILY
CIP and Milan Shorts join forces to provide various opportunities all year long through their newsletter. Popular pricing to ensure that everyone has access to the festival! And the winners of the main 5 CIP categories will be able to attend Milan Shorts for free, taking advantage of all the activities and talks of its affirmed guests!
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US
Writer
MSFF, a very well organised festival with a very professional team! I had a pleasant experience and had a great time. Thank you for enjoying my documentary and for putting me in touch with interesting and very nice people! I will always follow you now that I know you, thanks again <3
Documentarist
Un team di giovani ragazzi che ha organizzato un Festival con estrema competenza, professionalità e cortesia. Felice di essere stata con loro e onorata del loro gratificante giudizio. Parteciperò sicuramente alla prossima edizione.
Writer
Great festival with actual screenings: you can see the people organizing it are passionate about their “job”!
Writer
I can't thank you enough for organizing such a film festival. Your dedication, passion, and commitment to delivering an unforgettable experience were evident in every aspect of the event. This festival is an opportunity for all filmmakers and Enthusiasts of Cinema. I eagerly look forward to attending future editions of your film festival and witnessing the magic unfold again.
Writer / Director
Milan Shorts is a wonderful Festival. The communication was great and the selection of shorts was very diverse. The team puts a lot of effort in honoring each movie they select. They are fast and very responsive in their communication and they work a lot on promoting each movie. It's a genuine and respectful festival that focuses on the love of movies from all genres and nations. We are extremely pleased to have been part of their adventures and they are at the top of our festival list for the next movie we submit.
Director
The Milan Shorts team has been super supporting in the weeks prior to the festival and during the event of July 28th. They communicated the event brilliantly on social media and were always willingly to give any sort of feedback on the short films. They accomplished to create a sense of family and collaboration between all the contestants and creatives, and made sure all the shorts in the various categories had a moment to shine during the live event. I'm so grateful "Latte" got its recognition from such passionate people. Can't wait to see what's in store for the next seasons and keep in touch! I wish you all the very best 🙂
Director
We participated in the first edition of the MSFF, the organizers were incredibly welcoming and they really cared for the all the participants and their project. Really happy to receive the honorable mention for our Doc. Hope to see you soon in the next editions!
Journalist / Documentarist
What an absolute EPIC gala at the Colosseo Teatro in Milan. As a new comer the MSFF has been a dream team - helping me along the way.
Director
The people behind the Milan Shorts Film Festival are incredibly supporting, kind, considerate, and passionate about truly independent international filmmaking. Each step of the way, their communication was clear, consistent, and always wrapped in kindness and care. They have a strong social media presence, and worked hard to make sure every accepted film had their moment to shine. I can't thank this festival enough for taking a chance on our little film. I know this will be a festival to watch for years to come! Excellent job! A sincere Thank You!! We will be submitting our future work here for consideration. 🙂
Writer / Director
High-quality events, friendly responses, and quick responses I'm touched every time, and thank you. This festival will definitely develop further.
Writer / Director
PARTNERS & COLLABORATIONS
MAGIC AND AMAZING FILM FESTIVAL. The level of this Festival Is really hight. Incredibile communication and hospitality. Thanks for believe in my script and for the award It means a lot to me. See you soon with love