From 17 to 18 October 2014, the Candiani Cultural Center is playing host to the Mestre Film Fest, the international short film festival now in its seventeen year and as always, with exciting new initiatives. Working with the Candiani is the Circuito Cinema and Office of Youth Policies and Peace of the City of Venice, UNICEF, Cinit Cineforum Italiano, Friends of the Arts in Mestre and Lions Club Mestre Castelvecchio. The new feature this year is from the world of production, the support of IMG Cinemas, and the new multiplex in Piazzale Candiani by the Furlan family, the storied operators of urban movie houses.

The films must fall into one of the following categories:

Short Stories Section

Short films running no longer than 15' (including the titles and the acknowledgements) are eligible, regardless of the topic (documentary, fiction, videoclip, etc.) shot on any format.

Video-For-Kids Section

Videos for kids made by under-18 filmmakers or by any grade level school are eligible. The film can be shot on any format, but it must not run more than 10' (including the titles and the acknowledgements).

The criteria for evaluating the videos will consider the film’s effectiveness in achieving educational and visual goals and conciseness.

The UNICEF - Veneto Regional Committee - will award a prize or honourable mention to works that best meet the inspirational principles of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Special juries will make a preliminary selection of the submitted works. The juries have the final discretion to disqualify from the competition works considered violent, racist, pornographic or otherwise objectionable.