THAT’S ANIMATO! is a short film competition aimed at animation schools from all over the world. It takes place within the framework of Sottodiciotto Film Festival & Campus.
The competition is aimed to animated short films produced as graduation projects by students at film and animation schools from around the world, in the following two categories: 4Kids and 4All.
The selected films will be screened in two special programs within the 2025 edition of Sottodiciotto. Winners will be announced and awarded in a special ceremony during the festival.
Sottodiciotto is a film festival dedicated to the themes of childhood, adolescence and youth organized by the Municipality of Turin (Educational Services Division, Cultural Services Division and ITER – Turin Institution for Responsible Education) and AIACE Torino, the main association for the diffusion of quality cinema. The festival has the patronage of the Italian Committee for UNICEF.
Sottodiciotto is a showcase of high-quality screenings and promotes all forms of cinema, with particular attention to animation for the variety of its techniques and the richness of its languages, focusing on the most innovative and independent productions.
Sottodiciotto has always collaborated with the animation school of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – National School of Cinema, animation department.
In this context, Sottodiciotto has set some new purposes:
– to bring young animation authors and future producers closer to their target audience
– to support and enhance the transversality of the language of animation (TV series, films, games, visual arts,)
– to introduce to the younger audience types of animated films different than those they are used to, so that they can appreciate the full potential of animation
– to satisfy the request for independent and unconventional animation on the part of young adults.
Awards & Prizes
The Jury Awards:
1) 4Kids – cash prize (€ 1,000)
2) 4All – cash prize (€ 1,000)
Both prizes will be awarded by a jury made up of no less than 3 members, chosen among personalities from the world of animation and education.
The Audience Awards:
3) The Kids Jury Award (4Kids category), Awarded by a jury made up of five young students aged between 10 and 12 years.
4) The Audience Award (4All category), Awarded by the audience attending the screening.
Rules & Terms
Film eligibility
- Production – The short films must have been made as a final project by students of universities, schools and training institutes for animation.
• Technique – Only animated short film will be accepted (the films must have been made using animation, whatever the technique).
• Duration – Films must not exceed 15 minutes in length.
• Language – Non-Italian speaking films must be subtitled in English (Subtitles in a separate file). A dialogue list is required for English speaking films.
• The films must have been produced within the last 2 years (2024, 2025) and must not have competed in the previous edition of the competition
• The number of submissions is limited to 8 films per institute/school.
• Unfinished works (works in progress) will not be considered.
Competition categories
Every film can be submitted for one of the following categories:
• 4Kids: short films Intended for an audience of children from preschool up to 12 years.
• 4All: short films intended for teen 13 and adult audience.
N.B. The festival can eventually change the category of the film, upon agreement with the competitor.
Selection
The selection is made by a team of programmers, experts, film and animation teachers and graduates appointed by the festival management.
Submissions
- Submission deadline: 30th September 2025.
• There is no entry fee required.
• Only correctly completed applications will be considered.
• Each film must be accompanied by synopsis and 3 still images from the film (uploaded via the entry form).
• Each institute/school must specify the type, qualification and duration of the course in which each film was made (i.e., BA, MA, other non-university education).
