From Fiorano to London: A New Identity for the Ennesimo Film Festival Design Award
An international confirmation. Among the highlights of the eleventh edition of the Ennesimo Film Festival—which from April 26 to May 3 will transform Fiorano Modenese into the capital of short film—is the Contemporary Design Film Award (CDFA). This year, the award returns with a renewed identity, solidifying its unique position within the national festival circuit as a dedicated space for short films that maintain a structured focus on architecture and design.
Deeply rooted in the heart of the Modena Ceramic District—a territory responsible for 82% of Italy’s ceramic production—the CDFA has evolved over time into a critical observatory of design through the lens of cinema, becoming an itinerant format with an international calling. In 2026, this journey reaches a significant milestone as the award—which features a specifically curated selection of short films in competition—lands in London for the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) with the program “Framing Cities: Design Beyond Borders.” In collaboration with the London-based format Site&Sound, the screening will take place in June at the Garden Cinema in Soho, showcasing a selection of the best international short films centered on the themes of belonging and urban identity.
As mentioned, Ennesimo Film Festival returns to Fiorano Modenese from April 26 to May 3, with the Teatro Astoria serving as its base of operations. This edition reaffirms the festival’s dual vocation: bringing cinema closer to the community and celebrating the short film as a true art form. This year’s guests include Greta Scarano, Benedetta Porcaroli, and Carolina Cavalli, alongside Palestinian director Aesha Balaha, protagonist of the Artist Residency, who will introduce The Voice of Hind Rajab on April 29. Ennesimo Academy, the educational program involving students from preschool to high school, also remains a central pillar of this edition.
«Bringing the CDFA to the London Festival of Architecture is a strategic step for us,» states Federica Ferro, President of Tilt, the youth association behind Ennesimo Film Festival. «It places the award within one of the most prestigious global stages. London is a world capital of architecture and design, making the LFA the perfect context to tell the story of what happens when a territory like the Modena Ceramic District chooses to explore design through the lens of cinema.»