The unique student-centred approach at Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival

This article focuses on the Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival, an internationally recognized event whose mission is to showcase and celebrate short films made by student filmmakers from around the world. The festival’s origins in 2011, followed by its development and success as a viable short film platform with an international reach, are recounted. Also considered are the festival’s cultural and artistic importance to Venice and short film audiences, along with its educational significance to the many student volunteers who are instrumental in helping to plan, promote and market it – and in running many aspects of the annual event itself, and who gain practical, professional-level experience in the process. During its fourteen editions, the festival has become one of the most important international showcases of shorts made by student filmmakers and is unique in recognizing the value of both short films and student filmmakers on a global level.