INK 2026, national call for filmmakers and videomakers open

Selections open for short films to be soundtracked with original music, performed by a live symphony orchestra at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome.

With INK 2026, cinema returns to dialogue with live music in one of the symbolic places of Italian culture: theAuditorium Parco della Musica “Ennio Morricone” in Rome.

For the 21st edition of INK, the Saint Louis College of Music is opening a national call for filmmakers and visual artists, inviting them to submit subjects for silent short films that will come to life through live orchestral sound.

An opportunity aimed at those who work with audiovisual language and wish to see their imagery dialogue with original compositions, by Saint Louis Composition and Film scoring students, performed by a large live symphony orchestra, in May 2026.

What is INK

Now in its 21st year, INK is the concert conceived and produced by Saint Louis College of Music that connects images and orchestral sound by involving students in the Department of Composition in writing original music for film. Over time, INK has established itself as a space for experimentation and research, capable of enhancing new narrative languages and taking music for images out of traditional educational contexts and into a performative and public dimension.

The new format INK 2026

With INK 2026, the project opens up even more. For the first time, artists from outside Saint Louis are called to enter into direct dialogue with the students of the Composition Department, who will write original music designed specifically for the selected short films.

The chosen subjects will become complete works – short films soundtracked with original music – and will be presented during the INK 2026 event with a live orchestral performance on stage at theAuditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone in Rome. A multi-voiced creative dialogue in which direction and music meet in a high-profile stage setting. During the evening, the projects will also be evaluated by a qualified jury, which will award the INK Prize for the best short film.

To whom the call is addressed

The call is open, without age or nationality limits, to:

Directors, filmmakers, authors and aspiring filmmakers
illustrators, animators and visual artists
individual or collective

Subjects are allowed for short live action, animation, stop motion or mixed techniques films with a strong visual and narrative vocation in relation to live orchestral soundtrack.

What the projects should look like

Selected subjects will result in short films:

with a maximum duration of 3 minutes and 30 seconds
original and unpublished
With a strong visual and narrative identity

After the selection, directors and composers will work in direct contact, building a coherent artistic path together, until the public presentation during INK 2026.

How to Apply for INK 2026

Applications must be submitted by February 25, 2026, via online form only, attaching:

subject of the short film (max 2 pages)
cover letter
artistic curriculum

Before applying your subject, you are advised to read the Call for Papers carefully by clicking below

READ THE INK 2026 CALL FOR FILMMAKERS AND VIDEOMAKERS

INK 2026 is a creative workshop that takes shape on stage, where cinema and orchestra meet live, in front of an audience, in one of the most representative places of the Roman cultural scene. An opportunity for filmmakers and emerging authors to confront other languages and present their work in a high-level institutional context.

Bando nazionale per registi e videomaker per Ink 2026

Bring your short film to the stage with a live symphony orchestra. Submit your subject for INK 2026 by filling out the form by Feb. 25, 2026

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FAQ

INK 2026 is an artistic project conceived by the Saint Louis College of Music that combines short silent films and original orchestral music performed live. The selected films are presented in a public performance with symphony orchestra in Rome during the XXI edition of INK.

The call is open to filmmakers, filmmakers, illustrators, animators and visual artists, regardless of age or nationality. Both individual authors and collectives can apply, with original subjects designed for a creative dialogue between images and live music.

Subjects for short silent films, live action, animation, stop motion or mixed techniques are allowed. Projects must be original, unpublished and have a strong visual and narrative identity, with a maximum duration of 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

The final event of INK 2026 will be held in May 2026 in Rome at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, with live performance of the original music by a symphony orchestra.

Applications must be submitted by February 25, 2026, via online form only. Submission of the subject of the short film (max 2 pages), a cover letter and artistic resume of the applicant or collective is required.