The Settimana Internazionale della Critica is an independent and parallel section organised by the National Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI) during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival (27 August – 6 September 2025). The programme includes a selection of seven debut films in competition and two special events out of competition, all presented as world premieres. The selection is curated by the General Delegate of the Venice Critics’ Week Beatrice Fiorentino together with the members of the selection committee: Matteo Berardini, Marianna Cappi, Francesco Grieco and Marco Romagna.

The seven feature films in competition at the 40th Settimana Internazionale della Critica are eligible for:

IWONDERFULL Grand Prize Settimana Internazionale della Critica
conferred by an international jury to the best film in competition and consisting of 10,000 euro.

The Film Club Audience Award
voted for by the audience and consisting of 3,000 euro.

Luciano Sovena Award
conferred to the best independent producer by a jury of Luciano Sovena’s Friends Association members and consisting of 5,000 euro.

Furthermore, the films in competition are eligible for the following prizes:

Mario Serandrei – Hotel Saturnia Award for Best Technical Contribution
sponsored by the Hotel Saturnia in Venice and conferred by a committee of film critics, members of the SNCCI.

Verona Film Club Award
awarded to the most innovative film in the section and bestowed by a jury composed by under-35 members of the Verona Film Club.

Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film
The seven films in competition at the Settimana Internazionale della Critica, together with all the debut feature films presented in the various competitive sections of the Venice Film Festival (Official Selection and Independent and Parallel Sections) are eligible for the Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film. An International Jury of no more than 5 personalities from the world of cinema and culture from various countries, including one producer, will award a prize of 100,000 US dollars, donated by Filmauro, to be divided equally between the director and the producer. No joint award is allowed.

The eighth edition of SIC@SIC (Short Italian Cinema @ Settimana Internazionale della Critica) offers a selection of seven short films in competition by Italian directors who have not yet completed a full-length film, and two special events out of competition. The short-films programme is part of the 40th Venice Settimana Internazionale della Critica and is curated by the General Delegate Beatrice Fiorentino with the members of the Selection Committee: Enrico Azzano, Chiara Borroni, Ilaria Feole and Federico Pedroni. The programme was born thanks to the synergy between the National Union of Italian Film Critics’ (SNCCI) and the Cinecittà, as an initiative supporting the development of new Italian cinema and promoting young directors.

The seven short films in competition, all screened in world premiere, are eligible for the following prizes to be given by a jury composed of film professionals.

Award for Best Short Film
sponsored by Frame by Frame and consisting in post-production services for the next short film by the winning director.

Best Director Award
sponsored by Stadion Video and consisting of English subtitling for the next short film by the winning director.

Best Technical Contribution Award
sponsored by Fondazione Fare Cinema and consisting in an invitation to the 2025 edition of the Advanced Training Course in Film Directing “Fare Cinema”.

After premiering in Venice, the short films presented at SIC@SIC will be promoted internationally by the Department for International Promotion of Contemporary Cinema of Cinecittà through a series of festivals and initiatives, such as the Mostra de Cinema Italià de Barcelona (Short Films Competition section) taking place in Spain in December 2025. Furthermore, the short films will be made available for industry professionals through the online platforms Festival Scope Pro and the Italian Short Film Video Library – a tool for the promotion of Italian short films created by the Centro Nazionale del Cortometraggio (Italian Short Film Centre) in collaboration with Cinecittà.

Finally, as a special mention, a short film chosen by the Centro Nazionale del Cortometraggio among those shortlisted will be included in their annual programmes aimed at Italy’s international diplomatic representatives (embassies, cultural institutes) from the spring of 2026.