Logo of River Film Festival

Deadline
31 Mar 2026


Published: 10 Oct 2025
 Has submission fees
Short films
Feature films


Banner River Film Festival

River Film Festival

Padova, Italy


The 20th River Film Festival is an international film festival that will take place in Padua, Italy, from 3 to 20 June 2026.

The Festival is organized by the Cultural Association Researching Movies and is supported by the Padua City Council, the Veneto Region, and the Italian Ministry of Culture.

Padua has recently been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List thanks to Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel and the city’s 14th-century fresco cycles, making it a truly special art city that attracts tourists and creative minds from all over the world.

All screenings are free and open to the public — no ticket required.

The selected films will once again be screened on a floating screen placed in the middle of the 16th-century fluvial port at Porta Portello, the historic city gate once used for trade between Padua and Venice. This magical setting is just one of the many reasons why audiences return to RiFF year after year.

Over the course of the 18-day festival, directors and their crews will have the opportunity to present their films and engage in post-screening Q&A sessions with the audience.


International Festival

Short film festival

Feature film festival


 Fiction  Documentary  Animation  Fantastic  Terror  Other