last update 23.09.2022
All online information as of 1.1.2023
UNICA 2022 Locarno Switzerland
- over 2000 cinema admissions during five days
- 122 Congress Card booked
- 51 ParticipantsEXCURSION Friends of UNICA, Centovalli
- 68 Participants EXCURSION TRIP 1, Verbano/Lago Maggiore
- 45 Participants EXCURSION TRIP 2, Ceresio/Lake Lugano
Admission to the cinema is free of charge
In a spirit of peaceful co-operation and friendship between peoples, UNICA promotes international understanding and cooperation, in particular in the field of art, culture, education and science, in accordance with the principles of UNESCO.
UNICA is an independent international organisation. She is a member of the CICT - International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication at UNESCO, which is an authoritative body. The supreme body of UNICA is the General Assembly where all member organisations have the right to participate and to vote. Executive power is held by a Committee composed of eleven members and selected for a three-year term by the General Assembly.
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom.
Kate's Filmclub short film QR project
This is the highlight of UNICA's annual meeting when each member presents a selection of films.
Prizes are awarded by an international jury.
The most interesting productions are awarded gold, silver or bronze medals.
Every year ICFT / CICT offers the UNESCO Fellini Medal (Delmiro de Caralt Prize) to be awarded to a work witnessing to the values of tolerance and peace fostered by UNESCO.
The Young UNICA competition is intended for young filmmakers up to the age of 25. It is included in the competition of the national programmes.
Any country may send 1 film of no more than 60 seconds long, including all titles and credits.
A country whose film was selected for the final 16 in the previous year, may send 2 films.
A jury, consisting of a chairman and 4 jurors, will be nominated by the UNICA-Committee.
At least one member of the jury must be a member of the UNICA-Committee.
The jury selects the best 16 films.
The sequence of films will be determined by drawing lots.
Finally the 16 films are judged by audience vote.
The purpose of the "Friends of UNICA“ is to support UNICA, to promote its work and contribute to a cheerful and positive development of the group.
When requested, UNICA supports national and international film festivals which commit themselves to the regulations of UNICA.
For these events a special UNICA prize is offered to be awarded by the organisers.
Are you an ambitious young filmmaker (age 18 - 25) who does not produce films professionally, nor studies full time at a film school?
Make sure you send in your film(s) to compete in a festival organised by your own country's National Organisation for non-commercial (amateur) film! They are the ones that give out the invitations!
UNICA's Film Library, established in 1938, currently has over 1200 works in the form of film and video. The oldest item dates from 1935.
The film and video copies in the library have been donated by their makers and the corresponding national organisations.
There is a digital catalogue on the Internet with detailed information on the titles of the films in the library.
We'd like to remind you that launching the videos will send some data to YouTube, Vimeo or other video servers.
The General Assembly (GA) is held once a year in the course of the UNICA Congress.
The GA is composed of the delegates, their deputies, the members of the Committee and the members of the existing special commissions. The GA is open to the public, except by a contrary decision of the GA.
Cine Museo 65 (1922-1987), CH-6997 Sessa TI.
This exhibition introduces you to the history of do-it-yourself films and shows you many contemporary documents such as amateur films, movie cameras, projectors and other devices. The formats range from 8, Super8, 9.5 up to 16 mm.
The golden age of Agfa, Bauer, Braun, Beaulieu, Bell & Howell, BOLEX Paillard, Kodak, Nizo, Pathé Baby, Zeiss Ikon, ...
WEBSITES with past information
Arie de Jong develops the first website for UNICA. Thomas Kräuchi had made a copy of this web page.
Dave Watterson created this site and maintains it to this day.
Dave Watterson is also the author of this independent, unofficial news site.
Rolf Leuenberger, former jury co-ordinator, takes over the presidency of UNICA, which had been held ad interim by VP Bernhard Lindner.
Four members were re-elected, the president was previously advisor from 2009 to 2015 and five members are new.
The committee usually meets three times a year: once during the UNICA Congress, once hosted by a committee member and once at the venue for the next UNICA Festival.
Elections are held every third UNICA Congress.
Decisions of the committee are mainly subject to approval by the next General Assembly.
Our team
Bold = present at UNICA2022
Jean-Claude Lejosne's crew
and some more
In 1931, five countries
organised the first international amateur film competition in Brussels.
UNICA was founded at the
World's Fair in Paris in 1937.
