#07 TFI Specials | ShorTO presents Road to Euro Connection/Italy
Settembre 2025
Seventh issue for the TFI Specials, which this month give space to the Centro Nazionale del Cortometraggio – a project of AIACE Nazionale (Associazione Italiana Amici del Cinema d'Essai) founded in 2007 that immediately began operating as an agency for the promotion of Italian short films abroad.
Since 2016, the Centro has been organising the first Italian short film market with the aim of fostering development and connections, which is now named ShorTO Film Market. In 2018, the Market merged into the first edition of TFI Torino Film Industry as a founding partner.
For 15 years, the Centro has been the Italian correspondent of Euro Connection, a call for the international pitching forum in Clermont-Ferrand dedicated to short films in development. After the pilot edition of 2024/2025, applications are now open for the implementation of the call with the parallel project Road to Euro Connection/Italy, the second edition of the Centro Nazionale del Cortometraggio's mobility project dedicated to young Italian short film professionals. We dedicate this month's in-depth article to this project.
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The Road to Euro Connection/Italy programme was born in 2024 from the combination of internationalisation, the focus on young professionals and the promotion of market opportunities. It is a training, mobility and networking programme that takes place over a six-month period, from September to March, and is aimed at teams of producers and directors with short film projects in development.
The Centro Nazionale del Cortometraggio, set up in 2007 as a project of AIACE Nazionale (Associazione Italiana Amici del Cinema d'Essai), is the contact person for Italy of the Call for Projects Euro Connection, the prestigious international pitching forum for the co-production of short film projects held in Clermont-Ferrand (France) during the world's largest festival and market dedicated to short films. In addition to the selection of the Italian project to be sent to the international board of Euro Connection for the final selection, since 2024 the Centre has been curating a parallel selection for Road to Euro Connection/Italy: five teams of directors and producers with a short film project in development are offered the chance to undertake an educational and professionalising experience with an international scope thanks to their participation in two market events: ShorTO Film Market in Torino in November and the Marché du Film Court in Clermont-Ferrand in February of the following year.
Road to Euro Connection/Italy is divided into several stages: after the selection of projects from the call for Euro Connection, there follows a preparation and training phase with expert tutors. The teams then have the opportunity to present their projects to a qualified audience of professionals in two international contexts, ShorTO Film Market and the Festival International du Court Métrage de Clermont-Ferrand.
The pilot project, which took place between September 2024 and March 2025, was made possible thanks to the support of the 'Guidelines for Training and Introduction to the Cultural Profession 2024' of the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation (which reconfirmed its support for the continuation of the initiative) and the collaboration with the French association Sauve Qui Peut le Court Métrage, organiser of the Clermont-Ferrand Festival.
The 2024/25 edition was more than successful: the selected teams participated in the two industry events and also won prizes related to marketing and festival strategy for their projects. One of the five teams was also selected for the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival and signed a co-production contract with a French partner in May.
The second edition of Road to Euro Connection/Italy keeps as its objectives the internationalisation of Italian professionals in the film sector, the valorisation of the international partnerships consolidated by the Centre over the years and the intensification of the follow-up of the selected projects.
The programme will alternate moments of online training with the two industry experiences at ShorTO Film Market and the Festival du Court Métrage de Clermont-Ferrand. Through training, participation in panels, talks and meetings, and pitch sessions, participants will have access to a wide range of contacts with national and international professionals for the concrete development of their projects and careers.
The second edition of Road to Euro Connection/Italy starts on 2 September with the call for projects for Euro Connection (deadline 20 October) and the selection by a jury of industry professionals of five director/producer teams.
In November there will be an online preparation training on international audiovisual markets and pitching techniques. Subsequently, the selected teams will participate in ShorTO Film Market, presenting their projects in front of an audience of professionals. In January, after a preliminary meeting with the Head of Industry of Clermont-Ferrand, who will provide valuable indications on how best to deal with mobility, and additional training with the CEO of the international industry platform T-Port, the five selected teams will participate in the Clermont-Ferrand Festival as part of the "Talent Connexion" programme. On that occasion, the teams will participate in a new pitching session and dedicated workshops. The road will end in March with a debrief of the experience, to gather feedback and monitor the progress of the projects.
Road to Euro Connection/Italy is an initiative that reflects the Centre's strategic vision for the next three years. With the reorganisation undertaken in 2024, the Centre aims to consolidate its areas of intervention - information, analysis, international promotion, stimulation of market opportunities, preservation and valorisation - creating enabling contexts for professionals and fostering the mobility of Italian films, projects and talents.
To learn more about the regulations of the Euro Connection and Road to Euro Connection/Italy calls, visit the dedicated page HERE.