Cisterna Film Festival - Festival Internazionale del Cortometraggio (12)

Festival start: 17 July 2026      Festival end: 19 July 2026

The Cisterna Film Festival is an international short film festival held annually in July in Cisterna di Latina, Italy. Over the years, the festival has established itself as a vibrant meeting point for contemporary short cinema, showcasing outstanding works by emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. The festival is organized by the cultural association MOBilitazioni Artistiche and promoted by Municipality of Cisterna di Latina, with artistic direction by Cristian Scardigno.

From 2015 to 2025, the Cisterna Film Festival presented a wide selection of national and international premieres, including films showcased at major festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, and Clermont-Ferrand, as well as award-winning works recognized by the most prestigious film honors, including the Academy Awards, David di Donatello Awards, César Awards, and Goya Awards.

Since 2017, the festival has featured a “Focus” section dedicated each year to a specific country, fostering cultural exchange and international dialogue through cinema. The section was inaugurated in 2017 with a focus on Poland, supported by the Polish Institute in Rome, followed in 2018 by Ireland, in collaboration with the Irish Film Festa and the Irish Embassy. In 2019, the festival turned its attention to Germany, with the support of German Films and the German Embassy in Rome, and in 2021 to Greece, in collaboration with the Drama International Short Film Festival, an Academy Award–qualifying festival.

In 2022, the Cisterna Film Festival presented a curated selection of short films from Croatia with the support of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre. In 2023, the festival hosted a focus on short films by Palestinian filmmakers, in collaboration with the Consulat Général de France à Jérusalem and the Palestinian Ministry of Culture. In 2025, the festival hosted a focus on Cuba, in collaboration with the Festival de Cine Ínstar in Havana.

Each year, the Cisterna Film Festival welcomes leading figures from the international film and entertainment industry and enriches its program with a variety of collateral events, including book presentations, workshops for teenagers, and photography exhibitions, confirming its role as a dynamic cultural hub for cinema and the arts.

www.cisternafilmfestival.com

Cash Prizes: 700€

Best Film in competition - Jury Prize - € 700

Best Director - Jury Grand Prix

Audience Award

Best Performance - Mobilitazioni Artistiche Award

Best Italian Short Film

There are no limitations regarding theme or genre. Fiction, experimental, animation, and documentary short films are accepted, whether shot on film or digital formats. Industrial, promotional, propaganda videos, and music videos are not eligible. Gratuitous violence or vulgar content will not be accepted under any circumstances.

The Festival reserves the right to reject submissions that do not meet the minimum technical standards required to ensure proper public screening.

Each short film must not exceed 20 minutes in length, including end credits. However, in exceptional cases and at the sole discretion of the Festival’s Artistic Direction, short films with a running time of up to 21–22 minutes may be considered, as has occurred in previous editions.

Short films produced from January 1st, 2024 onwards are eligible to participate.

Short films in languages other than Italian or English must include Italian or English subtitles.

Short films that have already been screened or awarded at other festivals may be submitted, provided they have not been selected in previous editions of the Cisterna Film Festival.

The Organization reserves the right to screen the winning short films at related or subsequent events, up to a maximum of three additional screenings beyond the official screenings of the current edition.

The Festival reserves the right to modify dates and details indicated in these regulations. Any changes will be promptly communicated through press releases and online announcements published on the official website and social media.


SUBMISSION DEADLINES AND ENTRY FEES

Earlybird Deadline – 15 February 2026
-Standard Fee: €6

-Distribution Companies: please contact us to request a discount code
-“Share CFF Festhome Page on Facebook” Fee: €3.50 (contact us to receive the discount code)

Regular Deadline – 15 April 2026
-Standard Fee: €8

-Distribution Companies: please contact us to request a discount code
-Distribution Companies: please contact us to request a discount code