In 2020, the Italian Film Festival (IFF) celebrates its eleventh anniversary! This time again, the IFF will offer two award opportunities for the best short films made by emerging filmmakers working and living in Italy and Minnesota.

The Building Bridges: Emerging Filmmakers Awards ask filmmakers to submit short films that present their very own artistic and/or poetic interpretation of this year’s theme: Water / Acqua. Water is the key to life. Water runs the world. It is also what defines and connects us, from beautiful Venice to the beloved State of “clear blue water”, Minnesota, from the pristine shores of the Amalfi Coast to the fragile sanctuary of the Boundary Waters.

Water is powerful yet scarce and precious. It brings life as well as it takes it. It impacts our way of living and vice versa. Water can generate violence and struggles over territory between communities and nations. It is also source of incredible beauty, deeply anchored into civilizations and their beliefs. By selecting your creation, our ambition is to celebrate your expression of Water / Acqua. We are open to creative approaches to this theme and welcome your interpretations and experiments. 

The winners will be chosen by an esteemed panel of jurors, who will select two films: one made in Italy and the other made right here in Minnesota. Each winner will receive a cash prize and their film will screen at the 2020 IFF. To learn more about the submission process, please visit our Film Freeway page HERE. 

The 2020 IFF is scheduled for February 20-February 23, 2020 and all screenings will take place on The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul's Screen #3 at the St. Anthony Main Theater in Minneapolis. The Italian Film Festival’s "Building Bridges: Emerging Filmmaker Awards” are dedicated to Massimo Bonavita, former president and founder of The Italian Cultural Center of Minneapolis / St. Paul. 

The IFF is organized by The Italian Cultural Center of Minneapolis / St. Paul in partnership with the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul.