An opportunity to bring the ideas of young authors and filmmakers to the attention of film and TV professionals: for the fifth consecutive year, NABA and Fondazione Cinema per Roma are bringing the Z-PITCH contest to a close, after launching it as part of the Rome Film Festival.
The initiative was announced on 21 October at the Roma Lazio Film Commission space within the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, and is now about to reach its conclusion on 7 May at 4:30 PM with the pitching session and award ceremony for the eight finalist projects at the Sala Cinecittà of the Casa del Cinema in Rome, in Villa Borghese (Largo Marcello Mastroianni 1, Rome).
Z-PITCH, the audiovisual storytelling contest
Z-PITCH is a competition dedicated to current students and recent graduates from Schools of Cinema and Media Design in Italy. Its aim is to enhance the education and creativity of the new generations in the audiovisual field, fostering dialogue between industry professionals and emerging talent. It is therefore aimed at Generation Z and at those who wish to propose original, previously unpublished audiovisual storytelling projects, whether feature films or serial projects, capable of identifying contemporary and relevant themes.
Interested students were able to submit their projects from 1 December 2025 to 1 March 2026. These were then evaluated by a panel of lecturers and industry professionals.
To mark the launch of the competition, a presentation talk was held on 21 October. Speakers included Francesca Staasch (NABA Academic Master in Screenwriting for Series Course Advisor Leader), Alexia De Vito (Special Projects - Fondazione Cinema per Roma), and several finalists from previous editions, who shared their experience of taking part.
Z-PITCH: the final stage with pitching and award ceremony
As previously announced, on 7 May from 4:30 PM, the Sala Cinecittà of the Casa del Cinema in Rome, in Villa Borghese, will host a public pitching session concluding the fifth edition of the Z-PITCH contest.
The authors of the eight finalist projects will have the opportunity to present their work before a jury composed of Francesca Andreoli (producer), Alessandro Aronadio (director and screenwriter), and Leonardo Ferrara (RAI Fiction),Maurizio Forestieri (autor, director e director at Cartoon Italia) who will select the Best Pitch and the Best Audiovisual Project. New this edition is the introduction of the award for Best Animation Project, also supported by the renewed collaboration with Cartoons On The Bay, which will be attending the event.
The pitching session and award ceremony are open to the public, with mandatory registration on Eventbrite.
Z-PITCH: the eight selected projects
The authors of the eight best projects, selected by a panel made up of lecturers and industry professionals together with a selection of students from each of the schools involved, took part in a masterclass day held on 22 April at the NABA campus in Rome, in the presence of: Domizia De Rosa (President of WIFTMI - Women in Film, Television & Media Italia), Carlo Mazzotta (screenwriter and member of WGI - Writers Guild Italia), Manuela Pincitore (Story Editor and Creative Producer), and Silvia Rigotto (Animation Executive Producer, Founder of Screenwriters’ Agency Rigotz).
Among the eight finalist projects, three were created by NABA students:
- “Io e Nina” by Arianna Cunsolo, Claudia Verroca and Irene Zgraggen, students from the NABA Milan campus;
- “AIFILIA” by Alice Governanti, a student from the NABA Rome campus;
- “T-minus 30” by Candelaria Dios and Rathura Kavuru, students from the NABA Milan campus.
Z-PITCH: final pitching session and award ceremony - event information
Thursday 7 May, from 4:30 PM
Casa del Cinema in Rome, Villa Borghese, Sala Cinecittà
Largo Marcello Mastroianni 1, Rome
Free admission upon registration: https://www.eventbrite.it/e/z-pitch-contest-pitching-e-premiazione-tickets-1988158282944