Magma – Mostra di cinema breve

Also known as: Magma Film Festival

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Magma – Mostra di cinema breve treats the short film as an independent form, programming narrative, documentary, animation and experimental work in Acireale, Sicily. Organised by Associazione Culturale Scarti, the festival dates back to 2002. Its international competition sits alongside Insula – Impressioni di Sicilia, devoted to films set in Sicily or made by Sicilian directors, and Eksperimenta, a video-art and experimental-film section co-organised with the Academy of Fine Arts of Catania. Magma Debut extends the programme to international first features, while a summer school supports feature-screenplay development.

The 25th edition’s Magma Shorts programme runs from 2 to 7 November 2026 in Acireale and Catania. The separate Magma Debut dates are 15–19 June 2026.

Country

Italy

Focus

Animation, Documentary, Experimental

Dates

2 November 2026 — 7 November 2026

Awards and prizes

The jury awards the Lorenzo Vecchio Award to the best short film in the international competition. The festival also presents an Audience Award. The Insula Award is decided by the audience for the regional short-film selection. Insula also includes the Isola jury award. Magma Debut presents a jury award for the best debut feature.

Festival rules

Eksperimenta 2026: submissions are free. Works completed after 2023 are eligible, including previously released works. The section accepts single-channel video art, experimental short films, deepfake audiovisual works and non-fiction, including digital animation, with a maximum duration of 10 minutes. Applicants submit a viewing link, personal details, credits and technical information to eksperimenta@magmafestival.org. Selected authors provide a high-definition screening copy and promotional materials. These conditions apply specifically to Eksperimenta.

Contacts

magmafestival.org
info@magmafestival.org — Artistic direction and general enquiries
Via Kennedy 68, 95024 Acireale (CT), Italy — Artistic direction / Associazione Culturale Scarti
g.iannello@magmafestival.org — Debut artistic direction and project management
+39 328 6292879 — Debut artistic direction and project management
a.grasso@magmafestival.org — Project coordination and sponsorships
+39 389 8322373 — Project coordination and sponsorships
int.coordinator@magmafestival.org — International coordination, interpreting and Italian subtitles
eksperimenta@magmafestival.org — Eksperimenta submissions
summerschool@magmafestival.org — Summer School screenplay-development applications

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