La Valle dell’Eden (No. 50)

Deadline: October 15, 2026

The short form has always existed in a state of inherent uncertainty. Far from being a limitation, this paradoxical nature represents an invitation to examine the audiovisual short form today as a theoretical object, an artistic practice, and an industrial segment.

In the current media landscape—marked by digital disruption and platform convergence—short formats have gained renewed prominence. This constellation encompasses both traditional screen culture (short films, music videos, video art, fashion films, animation, screendance) and the new media ecosystem (vertical video dramas, reels, stories, GIFs, bumper ads).

This special issue of La Valle dell’Eden aims to provide a comprehensive mapping of contemporary short forms by intersecting interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks with media industry perspectives, stylistic analyses, and pedagogical practices.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

Theories and genealogies of short forms: Continuities, ruptures, and specificities of short audiovisual content in relation to historical expressive forms.

Writing practices for short audiovisual forms: Analytical models, structural strategies, and narrative configurations in self-contained and serialized short forms.

Aesthetics of density and visual configurations of short forms: Formal intensification strategies, visual rhythm, verticality, smartphone filmmaking, and new poetics of vision.

Circulation, festivals, and the curation of short forms: Distribution circuits, short film festival ecosystems, exhibition networks, and digital-native platforms.

Production cultures of short forms: Industrial logics, monetization models, creator economy dynamics, and professionalization processes.

Platforms, algorithms, and bit-sized formats: Streaming platforms, social media environments (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube), and the reshaping of artistic vs. user-generated content.

Authorship and identity: The short form as an aesthetic laboratory, space for experimentation, and site for condensing individual poetics.

Pedagogies of and with short forms: Educational functionalities, adaptability in teaching, and methodologies for training in audiovisual languages.

Key dates:

• Abstract submission deadline: October 15, 2026
  
• Notification of acceptance: October 30, 2026
  
• Full paper submission deadline: February 28, 2027
  

Submission guidelines:

To propose an article, please submit an abstract (max. 2,500 characters) in English or Italian, accompanied by up to 5 essential bibliographic references, 5 keywords, and a short bio (max. 1,000 characters). Submissions must be sent to the editors at mariapaola.pierini@unito.it and enrico.nicolosi@unito.it, as well as to eden@unito.it.

Full details of the Call for Papers can be found here: https://ojs.unito.it/index.php/vde/announcement/view/266