Welcome to the Genoa International Film Festival: where Independent Cinema meets the Italian Riviera!
We are a new, yet ambitious, international film festival, now working on its second edition, born to provide a high-quality platform for independent cinema. We invite you to join us in Genoa - the heart of the beautiful Italian Riviera - for four days of screenings, talks, and networking, all hosted in a historic cinema within the medieval city center.
For our 2027 edition, we are open to short films of any genre (including documentaries and animation), with a maximum runtime of 40 minutes, completed from 2025 onwards, and feature films up to 120 minutes.
We are incredibly proud of the achievements of our inaugural edition: we received over 300 submissions from more than 60 countries and welcomed people from all over the world over the span of three days. The program featured distinguished titles and filmmakers including Pantyhose (Oscar 2026 Shortlist); Ocean of Mothers (from Netflix director Leticia Prisco); I’m Glad You’re Dead Now (winner of the Palm d’Or for Best Short Film) as well as many more short film coming from Clermont-Ferrand, TIFF and other successful film festivals.
At GIFF, we truly care about filmmakers and their work. To show our support, we offer a transparent and straightforward submission model: a single entry allows your film to be considered for every main award category. No more multiple submissions or exorbitant fees. We do our best to stand by your side.
All selected films will be screened during the festival. The director, along qith one additional crew member, will receive full access to all festival events (screenings, networking events and caterign) as well as provided accommodation.
If your project focuses on specific themes — such as Environment, Gender Equality, or Youth & Education — you can submit to the dedicated category to compete for an additional award. This special focus adds an extra opportunity for your work without changing your eligibility for all other festival prizes. In other words: you don’t need to pay twice.
We are also proud to support new talent and our local film community through the Best Student Short and Best Italian Short Film categories. For both, the same rule applies: by entering the specific category, you receive a dedicated spotlight while remaining in the running for every single award the festival offers.
Send us your best work: GIFF is waiting for you!
