Pisa, capital of short films: from 4 to 7 December, the 18th edition of Universo Corto – International Short Film Festival
An international festival featuring a high-level short film competition, meetings with authors and book presentations. The 2025 edition will be enriched by the collaboration with the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa
The Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, in collaboration with the Associazione Allievi and Associazione Ex Allievi, will host Universo Corto – International Short Film Festival from 4 to 7 December 2025, the international festival dedicated to short films, now in its 18th edition. Conceived and promoted by the Circolo Culturale Giovani Persone, the Festival, directed by Francesco Monceri, confirms its international vocation and the quality of its programme once again this year, with a competition that brings together works from all over the world, often already winners or in competition at prestigious festivals such as the Academy Awards, the Sundance Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival and the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival.
With free admission and a rich programme of screenings, debates and cultural events, Universo Corto continues to be one of the most eagerly awaited events in Pisa for film enthusiasts and the entire community.
A history of international excellence
The event is led by President Roberto Faenza, a filmmaker and intellectual who continues to uphold the Festival's original mission: to offer a space for visibility and discussion of new audiovisual languages, promoting the work of young authors and encouraging active dialogue between cinema, society, politics and rights.
Over the years, Universo Corto has built a globally recognised reputation, thanks in part to a tradition of exceptional juries chaired by personalities of the calibre of Marco Bellocchio, Oliviero Toscani and Robert Zemeckis. For this edition, the President of the Jury will be Tunisian-Canadian filmmaker Meryam Joobeur, winner of the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film with her short film “Brotherhood”.
The Albo d'Oro, which since 2004 has been awarding short films from over thirty countries, testifies to the Festival's focus on the most relevant issues of our time and emerging talents on the world film scene.
2025 edition: cinema, rights and new challenges for humanity
The 18th edition consists of three evenings of screenings and the final award ceremony on 7 December, with a programme that combines international short films, meetings with authors, book presentations and three thematic debates dedicated to contemporary transformations: Rethinking the Human between war, politics and law; Artificial intelligence and the transformation of the human; Human beings and non-human animals: between communication and misunderstanding.
Guests and speakers include scholars, authors and personalities from the academic world, including professors Alberto Di Minin, Flavia Monceri, Yomi Braester, Paolo Heritier, Andrea Minuz and Nicola Perullo, together with numerous authors from the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia who will present their works in competition.
The Pre-Event and the official opening of the Festival
On Wednesday 3 December at 6 p.m., at the Cinema Arsenale in Pisa, there will be a screening of the film “Who do I belong to”. Director Meryam Joobeur will be present in the theatre. Admission is free.
The opening of the Festival, on Thursday 4 December at 3.30 p.m., will be dedicated to the screening of the film “Il giocatore invisibile” (The Invisible Player) by Stefano Alpini, former president of the jury of the 11th edition. All the events of the Festival will be presented by Luciana Cipriani and Marco Bani.
A bridge between generations and cultures
Confirming its status as one of the longest-running and most recognised events on the international short film scene, Universo Corto continues to be an open cultural laboratory, connecting students, directors, researchers and audiences through discussion of global issues and the discovery of new ways of telling stories about the world through short films.
All information about the Festival, the works in competition, the guests and the events scheduled is available on the website: https://www.universocorto.org/
