by InTrieste
Interview: Maurizio di Rienzo, president of ShorTS International Film Festival
The ShorTS International Film Festival, one of Italy’s premier events dedicated to short-form cinema, is set to return for its 26th edition from June 28 to July 5, 2025. Under the artistic direction of Maurizio di Rienzo, the festival will take place across multiple venues in Trieste, including the Giardino Pubblico Muzio de Tommasini, Teatro Miela, and Sala Xenia.
This year’s program features a total of 132 films, with 117 short films competing across seven official sections. The longstanding Maremetraggio competition will present 45 short films from as many countries, highlighting global diversity in filmmaking. ShorTS Express will feature 21 ultra-short narratives, each no longer than five minutes, while the Eco-ShorTS section brings together eight films exploring the relationship between people and the environment.
The Italia in ShorTS category will offer 10 short films representing a wide array of genres and techniques — from animation and fiction to documentary and experimental cinema. The Shorter Kids’n’Teens section, which includes 22 films, will again involve young audiences as both curators and jurors, with participants aged 8 to 15. Eleven immersive films will also be showcased in the ShorTS Immersive section, viewable through personalized VR headsets.
In the lead-up to the festival, ShorTS hosted its annual Development & Pitching Training workshop for emerging screenwriters and directors, selecting 10 international projects for mentoring and development.
This year’s thematic focus is on contemporary Lebanese short cinema, with six recent titles scheduled to close the festival. The program also includes five award-winning films nominated by the European Film Academy (EFA) as part of its prestigious showcase.
The Campolungo section, dedicated to feature-length work that complements the short film program, will highlight new French cinema, with a spotlight on the collaborative work of director Aude Léa Rapin and producer Eve Robin.
As in previous years, the festival aims to foster dialogue between filmmakers and audiences, while offering a panoramic view of current trends and voices in international short cinema.
More information can be found here: https://www.maremetraggio.com
