Cinema explores design

Thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture, in 2026 the Contemporary Design Film Award strengthens its path toward independence from the Ennesimo Film Festival and arrives in London for the first time.

A bridge between cinema, design, and architecture. This is the identity of the Contemporary Design Film Award, founded in the Modena Ceramic District and reaching its seventh edition in 2026, making it the longest-running active Italian award dedicated to the relationship between cinema and design. Promoted by TILT Associazione Giovanile, the Award originated as a special section of the Ennesimo Film Festival and, over the years, has steadily consolidated its identity—built at the intersection of film, design, education, and the promotion of industrial and cultural heritage linked to design.

An identity deeply rooted in the territory where the project developed: the Modena Ceramic District, where manufacturing excellence and cutting-edge design converge, creating a unique industrial heritage accounting for 82% of national ceramic production. It is precisely from this context that the dialogue between cinema and design emerges—two languages united by their ability to observe, interpret, and portray the transformation of places, communities, and society. Edition after edition, the Contemporary Design Film Award has embarked on a journey of progressive independence and growth, which in 2026 received a major boost thanks to the Ministry of Culture’s call for special projects in cinema and audiovisual media.

Support from the Ministry of Culture enabled the expansion of the program and, for the first time, brought the Contemporary Design Film Award abroad. In June, the Award landed in London at The Garden Cinema in Soho as part of the London Festival of Architecture, featuring a screening of the 2026 selection and the talk Framing Cities: Design Beyond Borders, hosted in collaboration with the London-based format Site&Sound.

An important milestone for a project born in the heart of the Modena Ceramic District that is now capable of engaging an international audience. The London event marked the climax of a journey in 2026 that encompassed various regions and audiences—from the screening in Fiorano Modenese as part of the Ennesimo Film Festival (April 26 – May 3) to the subsequent showcase in Milan. The winner of the Contemporary Design Film Award 2026 was The Little Ancestor, an animated Canadian short film by Alexa Tremblay-Francoeur, which traces the evolution of 20th-century architecture through a Quebec ancestral home.

“Over the years, the Contemporary Design Film Award has grown increasingly independent,” explains Federica Ferro, president of TILT, “focusing on education—with prominent guests like Mario Cucinella, Riccardo Falcinelli, and Paola Antonelli—and on film quality, exploring themes such as belonging, diversity, and urban identity through cinema. The support of the Ministry of Culture allowed us to strengthen this path and test an international dimension for the very first time.”

Education is indeed a core pillar of the 2026 project, which engaged the “Wannabe Designers”—students from the Departmental Center for Research in Cultural and Creative Industries at the University of Bologna and the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano. Guided by educators from Ennesimo Academy, participants experienced firsthand where architecture and design come alive: visiting the Ceramic Museum of Fiorano Modenese, the International Museum of Ceramic Design in Laveno, and the production facilities of Ceramiche Marazzi. They then attended thematic masterclasses with Mario Cucinella’s School of Sustainability and engaged in video production alongside director Francesco Clerici.

Looking ahead to its next edition—the eighth, scheduled for May 2027—the Contemporary Design Film Award aims to consolidate its path toward independence, expand educational and dialogue opportunities, and continue portraying Italian design and urban transformations through cinema.