The seven features in competition at the 35th Venice International Film Critics’ Week are eligible for the Grand Prize Venice International Film Critics’ Week, realized thanks to the support of the Municipality of Taranto and awarded by a jury to the best film in selection. The jury members are Wendy Mitchell, Eugenio Renzi, and Jay Weissberg. Furthermore, the films in competition are eligible for the following prizes: Verona Film Club Award, bestowed by a jury composed of the under-35 members of the Verona Film Club and awarded to the most innovative film in the section; Mario Serandrei – Hotel Saturnia Award for Best Technical Contribution, sponsored by the Hotel Saturnia in Venice and conferred by a committee of experts. The seven films in competition at the Venice Critics’ Week, as all the debut feature films presented in the various competitive sections of the Venice Film Festival (Official Selection and Independent and Parallel Sections) are eligible for the Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film. An International Jury will award a prize of 100,000 US dollars, donated by Filmauro, to be divided equally between the director and the producer. The selection is curated by the General Delegate Giona A. Nazzaro with the members of the selection committee Paola Casella, Simone Emiliani, Beatrice Fiorentino and Roberto Manassero.

The fifth edition of SIC@SIC (Short Italian Cinema @ Settimana Internazionale della Critica) once again puts forth a selection of seven short films by Italian directors who have not yet embarked on a full-length film, and two special events, all screened in world premiere. The program was born thanks to the synergy between the National Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI) and Istituto Luce-Cinecittà as one of the initiatives supporting the development of the new Italian cinema and promoting young filmmakers. The seven short films in competition are eligible for the following prizes to be given by a jury composed by film producers Nicola Giuliano, Donatella Palermo and Giovanni Pompili: Award for Best Short Film, sponsored by Frame by Frame and consisting of post-production services for the next short film by the winning director; Award for Best Director Award, sponsored by Stadion Video and consisting of the English subtitling for the next short film by the winning director; Award for Best Technical Contribution Award, sponsored by Fondazione Fare Cinema and consisting of an invitation to the 2020 edition of the Advanced Training Course in Film Directing “Fare Cinema”.