CALL FILM CREW
TENTH EDITION OF CASTELLO ERRANTE. RESIDENZA INTERNAZIONALE DEL CINEMA
REGISTER HERE STARTING FROM APRIL 21ST UNTIL JULY 1ST 2026
CASTELLO ERRANTE. RESIDENZA INTERNAZIONALE DEL CINEMA (INTERNATIONAL CINEMA RESIDENCY) is a training, production and promotion project in the audiovisual industry, carried out in close contact with the territory hosting it, as well as a great opportunity for international exchange between young Italian and Latin American professionals (hereinafter “the Project”).
Every year, a group of students and professionals, from Latin America and Italy, gathers in a small Italian village to attend intensive training sessions and to develop and produce fiction and documentary audiovisual products.
The Project is organized by Occhi di Giove S.r.l. (hereinafter the “Organiser”), with the support of the Ministry of Culture, and the collaboration of IILA – International Italo-Latin American Organization, Doc/it – Italian Documentary Film Association, Red TAL and the Embassies of Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Colombia, Haiti, Paraguay, Honduras, Panama, as well as several Latin American film institutions such as the Instituto Profesional Arcos and the Universidad de las Américas.
With the aim of supporting the creativity of young authors and promoting a cultural and international exchange, in cooperation with the other partners involved in the Project, Castello Errante publishes the call for the selection of an international film crew of individuals under 35 to develop and produce short films.
1. OBJECT OF THE CALL
The aim of the Selection call for participation in the tenth edition of the CASTELLO ERRANTE Residency (hereinafter referred to as the “Call”) is to select students of the international film crew to take part in the residency which will take place, both online and in-person, in autumn 2026. The in-person phase will take place in Italy.
The selected students will participate in all residency activities, including training, production or promotion events. The project entails an intensive theoretical, practical and experiential learning in a diversified context, far from the big cities: a new model of audiovisual, collaborative and international production, based on the potential and knowledge of its participants.
The roles for which students can apply are:
Director;
Assistant director;
Director of photography/Camera operator;
1st and 2nd Camera Assistant;
Sound director;
Set designer;
Set designer Ass.;
Costume designer;
Editor (with skills as Data Manager);
Filmmaker*;
Film Composer
*The role of the filmmaker may involve conceiving, creating, and finalizing video and photographic material documenting and narrating the ongoing edition of the project, its locations, protagonists, and activities therein, intended for the promotion and communication of the initiative.
The applicant has the right to indicate a second role from those listed above, without prejudice to the possession of verifiable experience, in the academic and/or professional field, including with reference to the second role indicated. The indication of a second role is optional but recommended in order to increase the chances of selection, provided that the applicant meets the requirements for both roles.
In case of selection, the applicant will mainly cover the role for which he/she is selected by the Organisation, both for the realisation of the works that will be produced and during the training and promotion activities included in the project.
The Organisation will be responsible for informing the applicant of the role for which he/she has been selected.
The Organization reserves the right to select a Sound Assistant from the candidates applying for the Sound Engineer role, and one or two Camera Assistants from the candidates applying for the Director of Photography role or from the candidates applying for the 1st Camera Assistant role.
The Organization is not required to select all the roles outlined in this CALL if the candidates do not meet the requirements set by the evaluation committee.
2. PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
Anyone meeting the following requirements can participate in the Call:
– Of Italian nationality or of Latin American nationality;
– Aged between 21 and 35 years. This requirement must be met at the time of submitting the application;
– Student, or new graduate, or having graduated no more than three years ago, from an institute/academy/school/university in the film and audiovisual industry;
– Verifiable professional and/or academic experience in the role for which the applicant is applying;
– Proficiency in the English language from level B2 to C2+, according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – Page 24)
– Full availability to participate in the project during the period indicated (and whose exact dates will be published no later than the announcement of the results), while being aware of the possible risk of postponement or cancellation should situations such as pandemics, wars or natural disasters occur, or if the Organiser were forced to postpone the set dates, or if the commitment of the project’s supporting partners were to cease for reasons not directly attributable to the responsibility of the organization.
– Availability and commitment to remaining in Italy during the entire duration of the project in presence, actively participating, in an efficient and committed manner, in the activities carried out, in synergy and in a spirit of collaboration with other participants and with the organisational team;
– Commitment to granting the use of his/her data and the works produced during the residency for training, production and promotional purposes related to the project;
– Availability to participate in promotional events organised in cooperation with the Project partners.
Failure to satisfy just one of the above requirements implies the exclusion of the participant from the Call.
Persons employed by OCCHI DI GIOVE S.r.l. or by entities supporting the Project and cooperating with it are not eligible to participate in the Call. Likewise, those who have a family relationship up to the third degree by consanguinity or affinity, as well as intimate or couple relationships with the Call administration and management services or with the appointed members of the evaluation board, will not be eligible to participate.
It is the responsibility of the participants to apply for visas or, in any case, to ensure that they can travel and stay in Italy for the whole duration of the Residency.
3. SCHOLARSHIP
Thanks to the project sponsors, the student that was selected to participate in the X edition of CASTELLO ERRANTE. RESIDENZA INTERNAZIONALE DEL CINEMA will access a scholarship covering:
– Project registration/participation fee.
– Accommodation in a single room or a shared dormitory, with the opportunity to use the communal areas.
– Access to all project activities.
– Access to all classes, master classes and workshops held as part of the project.
– Three meals a day for the entire duration of the project.
– Free access to public events to present the project.
– Access to cultural and tourist events related to the project.
– Follow-up sessions and advice by the coordination and training team.
– Travelling within the activities that are part of the project and only on Residency days.
The scholarship does not cover:
– Airline tickets.
– Travel costs to reach the place of residence on the first day of the project.
– Travel costs to leave the place of residence on the last day of the project.
– Expenses for food outside the Residency programme.
– Expenses related to tourist-recreational activities outside the Residency programme.
– Expenses for the purchase of personal hygiene or healthcare products.
4. TIMING AND REGISTRATION PROCEDURE
Participants must thoroughly complete the application form, available at the top of this page, starting from April 21st, 2026, and no later than the final deadline of July 1st, 2026, at 11:59 PM (Italian time).
The application form must be accompanied by the following mandatory data:
– Bio-filmography (maximum A4 page)
– Profile photo (minimum 300 PPP, in JPEG or PNG format).
– Curriculum Vitae/Portfolio describing the applicant’s educational and professional experience (maximum two A4 pages), in italian or english.
– 2 VIMEO or YOUTUBE LINKS of audiovisual works (short films, feature films, advertisements) demonstrating experience in the roles for which one is applying through the presence of the candidate’s name in the opening or closing credits of the work. If the submitted material contains dialogue in a language other than English or Italian, it is mandatory to subtitle the dialogue in English or Italian.
NOTES
– Showreels are not accepted.
– Some sections are optional for those applying for the role of Graphic designer.
– Applications that do not comply with the requirements described in the Call will be excluded.
Applications received after the above-mentioned date will not be taken into consideration. The successful submission of the application confirms the applicant’s successful registration. Therefore, the Organisation will send no email confirming receipt.
Applying to this CALL does not require any registration fees.
5. SELECTION CRITERIA AND RESULTS
For the selection of participants, the evaluation board will take into account:
– The Call requirements met by the applicant.
– The training experience carried out by the applicant.
– The quality of the work previously carried out by the applicant.
– The reasons indicated by the applicant in the registration form.
– The presence of a reference letter signed by a teacher or a recognised professional in the sector, confirming the requirements declared by the candidate during the application phase.
The first evaluation phase includes:
– A verification that the requirements are met.
– An analysis of the applicant’s educational and professional experience.
At the end of this phase, the evaluation board will draw up a first screening of candidates selected to access the second selection phase.
The second selection phase includes:
– A possible, but not mandatory, online motivational interview with some members of the team and of the evaluation board, aimed at verifying skills in the film and audiovisual field, as well as the reasons given by the applicant in the application form.
– A possible request – addressed by the evaluation board to those applying for the role of director – for a DIRECTOR’S NOTE that the applicant must draw up on a screenplay that will be delivered to him/her, and that he/she must send, prior to the motivational interview, according to the terms that will be notified to said applicants. For those applying for the role of director of the short documentary: the request by the evaluation board for a first proposed treatment of the idea presented during the registration phase, to be sent prior to the motivational interview, according to the terms that will be notified to said applicants.
The decision of the evaluation board will be irrevocable, and participants expressly accept it on account of their participation alone. The evaluation board will be composed of professionals operating in this field and members of the project organising staff. In the coming months, the board may publish new calls for additional professional roles to make up the crew for the X edition.
6. RIGHTS TO CREATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS AND WORKS PRODUCED
The participant undertakes, by signing a specific agreement, to grant the Organiser and its assignees, exclusively and for the maximum duration envisaged by Italian law, all the rights of economic exploitation to which he or she may be entitled on the creative contributions he or she has provided during his or her participation in all the phases of the project and on the works that will be created in such a way that they may be disseminated and economically exploited in any form and manner, throughout the world and for the maximum duration provided for by the applicable laws, with the express provision that the Organiser may assign the acquired rights, in whole or in part, to third parties.
Such agreement shall also establish the terms of participation as a student in the X edition of CASTELLO ERRANTE. INTERNATIONAL CINEMA RESIDENCY. Furthermore, if selected, the applicant undertakes to provide a high-quality photograph so that it can be distributed by the project communication department in the press, promotion and related visibility campaign.
The Participant shall also undertake, within the same agreement, to participate in all the phases of the project until its completion, respecting all deadlines communicated by the organisation for the delivery of development, pre-production and post-production materials, and undertakes to compensate for all damages that the Organiser and the project partners may suffer in case of breach or in case of unjustified refusal to participate communicated without at least two weeks’ notice prior to the start of activities.
The participant hereby guarantees that his/her work does not violate the rights of third parties in any way whatsoever and holds the Organiser and the partners in this initiative harmless against any and all claims, expenses and requests brought by third parties.
7. PARTICIPANT’S WARRANTIES AND UNDERTAKINGS
The participant agrees to send the submitted works together with all relevant documentation to the evaluation board members and to the administrative and technical staff of the Organiser in order to enable the evaluation of applications.
The participant guarantees that his/her submitted work does not infringe any intellectual property rights or other rights of third parties and holds the Organiser and the project partners harmless against any and all prejudicial consequences, claims, requests or costs resulting from third-party claims.
The participant declares and guarantees that he/she participated in the creation of all the artistic material required to support previous experiences.
8. LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
The Organiser and its partners shall not be liable for a) any late, misdirected, confused, distorted or damaged entries or submissions; b) any malfunction or failure related to telephone, electronic, hardware, software, Internet network or any other type of failure related to computers or communications; c) any damage to or loss of content caused by events beyond the control of the Organiser or due to force majeure or unforeseeable circumstances; d) any printing or typographical inaccuracies in the materials associated with this initiative.
Therefore, participants hereby waive any and all claims in respect of the above listed circumstances against the Organiser and its assignees.
9. PUBLICATION OF THIS INITIATIVE
This initiative will be promoted on www.castelloerranteresidenza.it, on social networks related to the Project as well as through the communication channels of the project partners.
10. APPLICANTS’ EXCLUSION
The Organiser reserves the right to exclude participants and/or winners who:
– have declared false or untrue information concerning their identity;
– have failed to accept and meet all the conditions set by the rules;
– have sent content, images or materials that are harmful to the rights of others or that are defamatory;
– have failed to send all the required documents;
– fail to enter into the contract mentioned in par. 6.0;
– have refused to participate in the project or the residency phase without justified reason and without at least two weeks’ notice prior to the start of activities. In all cases of exclusion, the Organiser may select and assign the role to other participants, with the excluded participant waiving any claim or objection in that regard, and, where required by the Organiser, with the obligation to return any scholarship already received.
11. CHANGE IN THE EXECUTION METHODS
Participants acknowledge that health emergencies or pandemics, as well as wars or environmental disasters, may lead to restrictions and make it impossible for the Organizer to hold the International Residency in person. Furthermore, if the X edition of the project does not receive adequate financial support from Italian institutional partners, the Organizer reserves the right not to carry out the initiative, effectively canceling this CALL. Therefore, for the reasons stated in this article, the participant waives any objection and/or claim in the event that the Residency cannot take place or is postponed.
12. UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF THESE CLAUSES
Participation in the Call signifies the participant’s unconditional and total acceptance of the provisions and terms contained in these rules, without any limitation.
13. ITALIAN LAW, JURISDICTION AND VENUE
These rules are drawn up in accordance with and are solely subject to Italian law and Italian jurisdiction.
Any dispute relating to the interpretation, execution and validity of these rules shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Rome.
14. PRIVACY POLICY AND DATA PROCESSING
In accordance with current legislation, the Organisation informs the Call participants that the personal data sent will become part of a data archive held by the Organiser and will be processed by it in accordance with the applicable legislation regarding personal data protection.
Information on personal data processing is provided in the participation form, which the participant is required to read and sign in order to participate in the call.