Every year the Cartoon Club Festival honors excellence in international animation through a series of awards dedicated to short films. It is a moment to celebrate talent, creativity, and artistic commitment, with a perspective that embraces established professionals, young students, and future creators.
Thursday – 9:15 PM
Playing God
A short film directed by Matteo Burani
Animated by Arianna Gheller
Produced by Arianna Gheller (IT) & Nicolas Schmerkin (FR)
Duration: 9 minutes
Year: 2024
A clay sculpture comes to life in the darkness of a workshop, surrounded by mysterious creatures…
Sunday – 9:15 PM
Rossi Boomer
Directed by Bruno Bozzetto
Production: Studio Bozzetto
Executive production: Pietro Pinetti and Andrea Bozzetto
Production management: Stefania Busca
Story and direction: Bruno Bozzetto
Assistant director: Andrea Bozzetto
Special thanks: Maurizio Nichetti, Grégory Panaccione, Elena Tarnoldi
Created in 1960 by the brilliant mind of Bruno Bozzetto, Mr. Rossi returns today in a new guise, catapulted into the contemporary world. Thanks to a magical whistle given by the fairy Sicura, he and his loyal dog Gascone embark on a journey into the future, convinced they will find in the 2000s an ideal era, free of wars, taxes, and advertising. But reality proves very different: the present, narrated with Bozzetto’s usual irony, is anything but reassuring.
Our protagonist and his inseparable furry companion find themselves in a hyper-connected world, where appliances respond to voice commands and people live alienated, glued to screens. A sharp and timely story, in which an ironic, disenchanted, and profoundly bewildered Mr. Rossi guides us through a bitter but clear reflection on our time.
The short film will soon be available on Rai Kids, as part of a new animated series currently in development.
To be
Maurizio Forestieri
Italy, 2024 (35’)
If you could change your appearance, what would you change? And if you had the chance to become someone else, someone perfect… would you take it? Welcome to the Beautyverse, the place where you can create the best version of yourself. The Beautyverse is THE place everyone wants to be… except Jamila, a first-year student at Plauto 4.0 High School. Jamila is very humble and reserved, and her only interest is painting. She had never considered joining this metaverse. At least, not until her friends pushed her to take part in the “King and Queen Party Event”…