Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival (6)

Festival start: 10 October 2025      Festival end: 31 October 2025

After the success of the last edition in 2024, the Nazra Palestine Short Film Festival is back!

2024 marked a year of global mobilization and renewed focus on Palestine, and, to date, the task of spreading and amplifying Palestinian stories and culture so that they can reach an audience as wide as possible continues to prove essential.

After eight years of cultural engagement, in 2024 the works supported by Nazra were hosted in more than 50 cities, thanks to the support of local associations and partners who decided to adopt the films and bring them to their communities. In some cases, Nazra even managed to host the filmmakers during screening events, thus shortening the distance between Palestine and Italy.

In 2025 Nazra intends to continue its mission by deepening its roots in local communities and remaining committed to creating opportunities for Palestinian voices and stories to be heard.

It is therefore with enthusiasm that we announce the 2025 call for submissions of short works from and about Palestine.

The eligibility requirements remain unchanged from previous editions: works can be by Palestinian and non-Palestinian authors but must focus on the theme of Palestine. For the 2025 edition, works produced in 2019 or later will be accepted, with a maximum length of 30 minutes. All works must have English subtitles.

Taking into account the period in which we all live and the current circumstances in Palestine, the four categories established last year are confirmed for this edition:

Fiction, Documentaries, Experimental Works and the category Gaze on Gaza, created to contain reports shot during the genocidal war currently underway on the Strip and the West Bank, where ‘Gaza’ serves as a symbol for the entire Palestine archipelago.

Works can be submitted up to April 15, 2025.

Go to https://nazrafilmfestival.com/call-2025/ for more info.

> AWARDS

During the opening night of the Nazra Tour in Venice, the winners of each competition category will be announced. The best short film in each section will be awarded a cash prize and the “Nazra boat” Festival’s symbol.Best Fiction

Best Fiction
Best Documentary
Best Experimental/Animation
Best "Gaze on Gaza" reports

Short Films produced from 2019 on
Duration max 30 min

Only short films either from Palestinian directors or non-palestinian directors realted to Palestine.


> SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:

- Fiction
- Documentary
- Experimental (animation/video art/short clips)
- “Gaze on Gaza”, special section dedicated to journalistic reportage from Gaza and the Occupied Territories.

> ELIGIBILITY:

Maximum duration: 30 minutes
Production date: NOT before 2019
Subtitles: English required

Submission period: February 3 – April 15, 2025

Short films by Palestinian authors and by non-Palestinian authors addressing political, historical, social, and/or cultural topics related to Palestine are eligible to participate in the competition.

Each author may submit to a maximum of 2 works, each competing in two different competition sections.

Participation in the festival is free of charge.

> JURY PROCESS:

The Festival programming team will select the finalist short films, which will be judged by an International Jury, appointed annually and composed of prominent figures from the Italian and Palestinian artistic, cultural, and cinematic sectors.

The winning works will be awarded in Venice during the closing night of the Festival’s first week.. The Festival will then continue in other Italian, European, and Palestinian cities, as one of its main objectives is to ensure the circulation of the winning works, with the presence of the authors whenever possible, in the various locations or cities hosting the event.

Additionally, during the festival, Youth Juries will be involved as part of the Nazra educational program in schools and universities.


> REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL:

The authors of the selected short films will be notified of their selection via email by May 5, 2025, and will be invited to submit the following documents to submission@nazrafilmfestival.com within 15 days:

a) Participation form, downloadable at the following link. The document must be fully completed, signed, and submitted as a .pdf file with a handwritten signature.

b) Download link for the film (original version without subtitles) via Vimeo, Dropbox, We transfer or another cloud service.

c) .srt file with subtitles in English and/or Italian.

d) One (1) photo of the director.

e) Three (3) frames from the film
The list of the finalist works will also be published on the festival’s website.


> TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SELECTED SHORT FILMS:

The selected films must, if necessary, be resubmitted and made available for download with the following requirements:

At least HD resolution;

A format compatible with Windows systems (such as .mp4, .avi, .mov, etc.);
If possible, two copies: one with English subtitles and the other with Italian subtitles. If Italian subtitles cannot be provided, a version of the video without subtitles must be submitted, along with an .srt file with English subtitles;

The videos must not contain any form of advertising.

https://nazrafilmfestival.com/call-2025/ for more info.