Calling all filmmakers!! The inaugural UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival, to be held in Florence, Italy from 25 to 27 October 2019, is inviting film and media submissions from across the world to celebrate children and childhood.
The festival will showcase the world’s best current film, video, multi-media, with emphasis on young artists and the Global South. Films and media to be included in the festival aim to:
- reflect on narratives of childhood and the experiences that shape them – as individuals, in the family, the community, in institutions and societies – reflecting realities in the Global South and North.
- authentically represent the thoughts, voices and experiences of children themselves.
- showcase work that have been written, directed or developed by and/or with children, young people and young adult artists.
Click Here to Access International Call For Entries
Childhood for every child
Children’s rights are timeless, but the circumstances of childhood have changed dramatically since the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was signed 30 years ago, on 20 November 1989.
Great strides have been made, but complex new threats have also emerged. Far fewer children succumb to illness and malnutrition than ever before; yet, violence, the rise of technology, displacement and climate change introduce complex new threats that were undreamed of three decades ago. The CRC remains a vital global reference point to which all nations turn.
As these changes occur, the role of media – in all its dynamic forms – as well as the deepening engagement of children and young people in media production and use, have impact on children’s lives in ways that are both profound and yet only dimly visible.
The UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival will take stock of these dynamic forces shaping childhood, spark discussion on the state of children and promote deep reflection on the experiences of children in different contexts. The festival will be produced in collaboration with Cinema La Compagnia di Fondazione Sistema Toscana (Film Commission of Tuscany).
Selection Criteria
Films to be included in the UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival must be explicitly centred on child or adolescent characters. Two categories for entry have been established:
1. General Entry– filmmakers and producers of any age can submit entries between 20 and 120 minutes duration.
2. Under 20– filmmakers and producers who have not passed their 21st birthday may submit entries of any duration.
Only films in English or with English sub-titles will be considered. Details for each entry and submission form are available on the UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival website.
UNICEF Innocenti will work with young people, the global network of UNICEF offices in 190 countries, Fondazione Sistemi Toscana and other partners to select and curate the festival programme according to the above criteria.
Closing date for submissions: 31 July 2019
Entry is free!
For more information contact: florence@unicef.org
