MAIN COMPETITION
Notti di trecento ore
Directed by Michele Bernardi
Country Italy
Year 2026
Runtime 11′
A man dies. Right now. Along with him, the world collapses, suffocated by a collective trauma.
Ideologies, faith in progress, and trust in the future itself are consumed by silence, emptiness, and absurdity: the only response to humanity’s political and moral failure… Last breath. Last heartbeat. End.
Michele Bernardi
He began his animation career between the late 1970s and early 1980s in vibrant Emilia, collaborating with the Bignardi and GLM studios in Modena. There, he worked with animation masters like Altan for Pimpa and Osvaldo Cavandoli for La Linea, two iconic Italian animated series.
Around 1998, Bernardi started an enduring collaboration with Davide Toffolo and the band Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti. He has directed and animated over 50 music videos for prominent indie artists such as Punkreas, 24Grana, The Zen Circus, Le luci della centrale elettrica, Colapesce, and Prozac+. He has also produced video infographics and commercials for major brands including Barilla, Nestlé, Istat, Pomellato, and Zanotta.
Bernardi has directed several artistic animated short films, many of which have been selected at major festivals, including Annecy, Zagreb, Melbourne, Amsterdam, Tallinn, Istanbul, and Rio. Among his most notable works:
Mercurio (2018) – a nearly 10-minute digital 2D short film telling the story of a young man confronting fascist oppression; it won Best Animated Short Film at Animaphix, Fescimed in Madrid, Imaginaria, Animaevka in Mogilev, Tindirindis in Vilnius, Bcn Sport Film Festival in Barcelona, Sardinia Film Festival, Castelli Animati, Amarcort, Sciacca Film Fest, Metricamente corto, Lucania Film Festival, Youngabout in Bologna, and Pentedattilo Film Festival, while also receiving nominations for the Nastro d’Argento and the David di Donatello.
Tinnitus#3 won at the Janjira IFF in India.
Since 2019, Bernardi has taught digital animation at the Academy of Fine Arts in Palermo, L’Aquila, and Carrara.
Michele Bernardi is one of Italy’s most versatile and respected animators, seamlessly moving from classic TV series to auteur cinema, music videos, advertising, and teaching. His work is celebrated both nationally and internationally, having left an indelible mark on Italian visual storytelling.
