UnArchive Found Footage Fest
Rome's festival dedicated to the creative reuse of archival footage
About UnArchive Fest
UnArchive Found Footage Fest: Cinema Reborn from the Archives
In the heart of Trastevere, Rome, the late spring brings UnArchive Found Footage Fest to life—the first Italian festival entirely dedicated to found footage and the creative reuse of archival imagery. Produced by the Fondazione Archivio Audiovisivo del Movimento Operaio e Democratico (AAMOD) and directed by Marco Bertozzi and Alina Marazzi, the festival stands as a stronghold for montage cinema. Here, rediscovered film reels, stock footage, and home movies are given a new voice, re-edited to challenge our understanding of memory and the present day.
An International Competition Focused on Reuse
At the heart of the event is the international competition, which selects feature films and shorts each year that successfully re-signify archival material. Alongside the competition, numerous thematic sections unfold: from Italian Panoramas to frontier found footage, from Archival Choreographies to the Best of Fest—featuring titles awarded at major international festivals—and Generative Reuse, a section exploring the intersection of archives, artificial intelligence, and new forms of synthetic imagery.
Venues: A Distributed Festival in Trastevere
UnArchive is a distributed festival that enlivens some of the most evocative spots in the district: the Cinema Intrastevere, Live Alcazar, the Casa Internazionale delle Donne, the Rome Botanical Garden, the Zalib bookstore, the Church of Santa Dorotea, and the spaces at Casa Borelli. Screenings, expanded cinema installations, and live performances blending archival footage with music transform Trastevere into an open-air laboratory for the collective imagination.
Masterclasses, Forums, and Training
The program offers far more than just screenings. Masterclasses with masters of reuse cinema, the UnArchive Forum—dedicated to archival professionals with pitch and networking sessions—and educational initiatives like Riuso di Classe (Classroom Reuse) for young authors make the festival a vital meeting point for directors, artists, curators, and archivists from all over the world.
A Signature Festival for Rome and the Lazio Region
With its international vocation and its home in the capital, UnArchive Found Footage Fest enriches the cultural landscape of Rome and the Lazio region, establishing itself as a key European reference point for those working with audiovisual memory. It is a unique opportunity to discover how cinema can be born not just in front of the camera, but by re-editing the images that time has handed down to us.
UnArchive Fest — edition 2026
4th Edition — "Archive as Common Good"
The fourth edition of UnArchive Found Footage Fest brought the theme of the archive as a common good—a collective heritage and an open promise of meaning—to Trastevere. Directed by Marco Bertozzi and Alina Marazzi and produced by the AAMOD Foundation, the 2026 edition relaunched the reflection on the creative reuse of images, with a significant novelty: the Generative Reuse section, dedicated to the intersection of archival materials and artificial intelligence.
The international competition featured 9 feature films and 11 short films, with a jury composed of directors Adele Tulli and Pietro Marcello, and Guillaume Lafleur of the Cinémathèque québécoise. In collaboration with Archivio Luce, Cineteca Nazionale (CSC), and Teche Rai, the festival confirmed its central role in the European landscape of montage cinema.
Programme UnArchive Fest 2026
International Competition
- 9 feature films and 11 short films in competition
- Awards: UnArchive Award (€3,000), Best Feature Film (€1,500), Best Short Film (€1,500)
- Jury: Adele Tulli, Pietro Marcello, Guillaume Lafleur (Cinémathèque québécoise); student jury led by Antonietta De Lillo
Sections
- Frontiers — found footage and perspectives on borders
- Italian Panoramas — archival reuse in Italian cinema
- Best of Fest — titles awarded at international festivals
- Generative Reuse — archives and artificial intelligence
- Archival Choreographies and Urban Footage
- Expanded cinema, installations, and live performances with music
Masterclasses and Forums
- Masterclasses with CĂ©cile Fontaine and Pietro Marcello
- UnArchive Forum (May 27-29, Botanical Garden): "Project Amplifier" pitch (9 projects in development) and "Pitching the Archive" (9 international archives)
- Riuso di Classe: short films by authors under 35
Highlights UnArchive Fest 2026
- Theme "Archive as Common Good": archives as collective heritage
- New Generative Reuse section on archives and artificial intelligence
- International competition with a total prize pool of €6,000
- Masterclass with found footage pioneer CĂ©cile Fontaine
- Distributed festival across the most beautiful venues in Trastevere
Prices UnArchive Fest 2026
Practical information — UnArchive Fest
Getting There
The festival takes place in the Trastevere district of Rome. You can reach the area via the Roma Trastevere train station; from the city center, trams and buses provide convenient connections to the district. The main venues (Cinema Intrastevere, Live Alcazar, Botanical Garden) are all within walking distance of one another.
Tickets and Accreditation
Updated information on tickets, accreditation, and reservations is available on the official website unarchivefest.it. The UnArchive Forum is reserved for professionals via accreditation.
Tips
Check the daily program online: some screenings and performances have limited seating. Trastevere offers numerous dining and accommodation options just steps away from the venues.
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Where does it take place — UnArchive Fest
Cinema Intrastevere
Vicolo Moroni 3, 00153 Roma