24FrameAlSecondo (Rome Finals)

A festival giving a voice to Generation Z

#24FrameAlSecondo is a short film competition entirely dedicated to young directors born on or after January 1, 2000. It was founded in 2023 in Rome, within the capital and the Lazio region, by the Valdiserri/Di Caro family in collaboration with the Associazione Culturale Controchiave Aps and in partnership with Corriere della Sera. The project is dedicated to the memory of Francesco Valdiserri, an eighteen-year-old student of Literature, Music, and Performing Arts at Sapienza University, who died in 2022 after being struck by a car. From that tragedy, the idea was born to build a space where young people could tell their own stories using their own means, without filters and without the need for formal academic training.

How the competition works

Participation is open to anyone meeting the age requirements, both in Italy and abroad: you don't need to be enrolled in film school, just have a short film and something to say. Each edition revolves around a theme that authors are free to interpret as they wish. After the call for entries closes, a committee selects the shorts admitted to the semi-finals, which take place throughout the spring in various cinemas and cultural venues in Rome; the highest-voted titles then advance to the finals, where winners are announced before a live audience.

• Requirement: Directors born on or after January 1, 2000
• Categories: Italian and international shorts, with awards also for documentary and animation
• Main prize: 1,000 euros and distribution on Rai Cinema Channel
• Other awards: Best Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Soundtrack, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Audience Award

The third edition: "My Battle"

The 2026 edition, the third, focused on the theme My Battle — The conflict inside and out and achieved international significance: over 1,800 short films submitted from 70 different countries, from which 36 Italian and 20 international semi-finalists were selected. The semi-finals took place between March and April in various Roman cinemas, while the three final evenings were held on May 3, 4, and 5, 2026, at the Cinema Nuovo Sacher, Nanni Moretti's historic theater on Largo Ascianghi in Trastevere. The jury was chaired by Valerio Mastandrea, following Paolo Virzì in the first edition and Paola Cortellesi in the second.

The Nuovo Sacher and Trastevere

The choice of venue is no coincidence. For decades, the Nuovo Sacher has been a bastion of independent and auteur cinema in Rome, a reference point for the most creative Italian productions and for audiences seeking something beyond commercial circuits. Hosting the finals of an under-26 competition here means placing these young filmmakers within a precise tradition. Nearby, Trastevere offers one of the city's most vibrant settings: alleys, trattorias, and bars that make a night at the cinema the beginning, rather than the end, of an evening out.

Why attend

The final evenings are free of charge until capacity is reached, which is perhaps the most valuable aspect: you can walk in and watch dozens of short films made by twenty-somethings from all over the world, one after another. The quality is often surprising, and the themes addressed—inner conflict, love, work, identity—provide a sincere portrait of a generation. For those working in cinema, it is a privileged observatory on the names of the future; for everyone else, it is simply a different and intense way to spend three evenings in Rome.

A growing project

Over the years, the competition has received institutional patronage, including from the Ministry for Sport and Youth, and has expanded its reach with related events outside the capital, in other parts of the Lazio region. Rai Cinema Channel, now an official partner, guarantees the winning shorts a real showcase that goes far beyond the awards ceremony: it is the most concrete way to turn recognition into a career opportunity.