Shorts Without Borders

On Friday, 30 August, the winners of the Shorts Without Borders call for proposals, created in preparation for the European Capital of Culture 2025, were presented at the Excelsior Hotel on the Venetian Lido as part of the Venice Film Festival. 

A total of 151 original scripts from all over Europe were submitted to the competition and had to incorporate the Europe Square into their story in the opening and closing sequences. The jury, chaired by Oscar-winning Gabriele Salvatores and including GO! 2025 Head of Programme Dr. Stojan Pelko, selected 8 winning scripts (all of which will be premiered during 2025), namely:

• Gorizia, dir. Simone Massi - an animated work by the award-winning Italian director, using the technique of oil pastels on paper
• L'estate che verrà (The Summer to Come), dir. Mauro Lodi - the story follows the friendship of a young Slovenian and an Italian during the war
• Dall'altra parte - favola di Aulo e Marina (From another perspective - the story of Aulo and Marina), dir. Emma Jaay - a contemporary fairy tale by a British-Australian director exploring the theme of roots
• La battaglia delle spazzole (The Battle of the Brushes), dir. Lorenzo Fabbro - the nightly routine of two garbage collectors in the Europe Square turns into a battle of invisible boundaries 
• Vivere (To Live), dir. Chiara Cremaschi - the project is based on the author's years of research, interviews and reflections with the geographer Camille Schmoll and the artist Martina Melilli
• L'Osservatore Romano, dir. Alberto Fasulo - the work explores the subtle tension between a former nobleman and a mysterious observer in the Europe Square; a tribute to the westerns of Sergio Leone
• Ricordati di me / Remember me, dir. Davide Del Degan - written by Alessandro Biamonti, this work explores physical and metaphysical boundaries and highlights how distorted they represent human reality
• Gregorio, dir. by Giacomo Bendotti - the return of an elderly man to the places of his childhood, the film explores the theme of migration and highlights the permeability of borders

The competition, organised by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Commission, is part of the preparation of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia for the European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica - Gorizia.