Sentiero Film Factory 2026 (6)

Festival start: 18 September 2026      Festival end: 26 September 2026

Since 2021, in the heart of San Frediano and other locations across Florence, Sentiero Film Factory has been a festival dedicated to promoting young filmmakers and independent cinema, with a special focus on short films, feature films, and first and second works. Now in its sixth edition, the festival continues to grow, offering a unique experience for both audiences and industry professionals.

Over ten days of exclusive screenings, featuring more than 40 international titles, including national and world premieres, accompanied by special guests from around the world. A rich program of workshops, masterclasses, artistic residencies, and a dedicated space for young people and children.

A key event for emerging cinema, where directors, professionals, and film enthusiasts come together for talks, literary meetings, and many other immersive experiences in the world of cinema.

Cash Prizes: 6,000€

This year, 6,000 € in prizes await!

【SHORT FILM COMPETITION aka SENTIERO FILM FESTIVAL】
・Best Short Movie (3000 € artistic contribution* and trophy)
・Best Director (trophy)
・Best Cinematography (trophy)
・Best Actor (trophy)
・Best Actress (trophy)
・Best Screenplay (trophy)
・Best Editing (trophy)
・“Luciano Del Sette Award” for Best Soundtrack (trophy)
・Audience Award (trophy)
・Critics’ Award (trophy)

【STUDENTS SHORT FILM COMPETITION aka SENTIERO FILM SCHOOL】
・Best Student Short Movie (500 € artistic contribution* and trophy)

【SCRIPT COMPETITION aka SENTIERO FILM PITCH】
・Best Screenplay or Project (1000 € artistic contribution* and trophy)
・“Lupin Film Award” (1000 € to be granted only upon the actual realization of the short film & trophy)

【SUPER SHORT FILM COMPETITION aka SENTIERO CORTO ESPRESSO】
・Best Super Short Film Under 5 minutes (trophy)

【MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION aka SENTIERO FILM MUSIC】
・ "Erriquez” (Bandabardò) Award Best Music Video (trophy)

【DEBUT or SECOND FEATURE FILMS aka FUORI SENTIERO】
・ “Fuori Sentiero Award” (500 € artistic contribution* and trophy)
_____________________________________________________________
*Cash prizes are given in the form of a contribution to the proposing artist. The prize, net of taxes, will be cleared within 60 days after the award ceremony.

1. ORGANIZATION AND PROMOTION
SENTIERO FILM FACTORY is organized by Sentiero Film ETS. For its communication channels, the festival can use the images of the selected films for: catalog of the festival, flyers, press review, website, social network, etc.
An extract of less than 30 seconds of the selected short films will be used in social networks, websites or video monitors for the promotion of the event.
The acceptance of the terms & rules of the festival implies the acceptance of these rules.

2. DATE AND DURATION
The 6th edition of SENTIERO FILM FACTORY will be in Florence, in SEPTEMBER 2026.

3. SECTIONS OF THE FESTIVAL
The Festival has five sections:
• #SENTIEROFILMFEST: international short films competition
• #SENTIEROFILMSCHOOL: short films competition for film school students
• #SENTIEROFILMPITCH: short movie scripts competition
• #SENTIEROCORTOESPRESSO: international short films under 5 minutes competition
• #SENTIEROFILMMUSIC: music and experimental videos competition
• #FUORISENTIERO: debut or second feature films competition

4. THE COMPETITIONS
-> SHORT MOVIES COMPETITIONS: SENTIERO FILM FEST, SCHOOL and MUSIC:
These sections are open to short films of any genre, maximum running time 30 minutes (credits included), made after January 1, 2023.
The owners of the short movies must send the materials requested in article 5 by June 1, 2026. In case of selection, the file for the screening (not less than HD) must reach the Festival no later than AUGUST 10, 2026.
The selection is carried out by and at the sole discretion of the Festival's Artistic Direction.
The Festival Direction and its collaborators will nominate a Jury of qualified professionals - directors, actors, journalists, film critics, producers, distributors, for the awarding of the following prizes:
Best Short Movie (3000 € artistic contribution), Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, “Luciano Del Sette Award" for Best Soundtrack, Best Student Short Film (500 € artistic contribution), Best Music Video.
-> SENTIERO FILM PITCH
This section is open to original Short scripts by screenwriters still looking for a production. The authors must send the materials requested in article 5 by JUNE 1, 2026.
The selection of the scripts is carried out by and at the discretion of the Festival's Artistic Direction. The authors of the selected screenplays will be invited to pitch their projects during the Festival. The authors cannot exempt themselves from this presentation under penalty of exclusion from the Festival.
The Festival Direction will nominate a Jury of qualified professionals - directors, journalists, film critics, producers, distributors - for the awarding of the following prizes: Best Screenplay or Project (1000 € artistic contribution).
The “Lupin Film Award” (1000 € to be granted only upon the actual realization of the short film) will be assigned by a jury composed of the Lupin Film board and one or more professionals nominated by Lupin Film.
-> SENTIERO CORTO ESPRESSO
This section is open to short films of any genre, maximum running time 5 minutes (credits included), made after January 1, 2023.
The owners of the short movies must send the materials requested in article 5 by June 1, 2026. In case of selection, the file for the screening (not less than HD) must reach the Festival no later than AUGUST 10, 2026.
The selection is carried out by and at the sole discretion of the Writing Monkeys community, which is in charge for the Best Super Short Film Award.
-> FUORI SENTIERO
This section is open to debut or second feature films of any genre, made after January 1, 2023. The owners of the movies must send the materials requested in article 5 by June 1, 2026.
In case of selection, the file for the screening (not less than HD) must reach the Festival no later than AUGUST 10, 2026.
The selection is carried out by and at the sole discretion of the Festival's Artistic Direction, who is also in charge of the "Fuori Sentiero Award" (500 € artistic contribution).
5. APPLICATION MATERIALS
All submissions to the festival must be accompanied by the following materials:
-> SENTIERO FILM FESTIVAL, SENTIERO FILM SCHOOL, SENTIERO FILM ESPRESSO, SENTIERO FILM MUSIC, FUORI SENTIERO:
FilmFreeway entry form properly filled (under penalty of exclusion from the competition)
Fill the credits related to Director, Producer, Screenwriter, DOP, Costume Designer, Set Designer, Editor, Composer and Sound Designer on FilmFreeway
Screener link - VIMEO is recommended - available on FilmFreeway
All films must have English subtitles if the original language is not English
-> SENTIERO FILM PITCH
FilmFreeway entry form properly filled (under penalty of exclusion from the competition);
Synopsis (max 1 page)
Script (max 20 pages)
Additional material (e.g. moodboard) optional
All the materials must be in Italian or English language

6. SELECTED FILMS/PROJECTS AND AWARD CEREMONIES
Selected FILMS from all the competition sections must send supplementary material when contacted by the festival management. All films will be screened during SENTIERO FILM FACTORY screening events in Florence.
For the competition SENTIERO FILM PITCH, 8 SCRIPTS will be selected. The authors will be invited to present their work during a live Pitch session of 5 minutes each. A jury of Screenwriters, Producers, Distributors, Directors will assign the award.
In order to access the award, participation at the Live Pitch is mandatory. The festival will offer each author a Pitch Training Session right before the Live Pitch event.
The Award Ceremony will take place in Florence during the Festival.

7. FILM SCREENINGS
The calendar and times of the screenings are decided by the Festival Artistic Direction, which will publish a general catalog of the works presented once the selection and call are closed.
The selected works will be screened in a compatible format as per regulation.

8. COLLATERAL EVENTS
The submitted films (excluding those included in the Fuori Sentiero section) can be used by the organization for collateral events and screenings, always under the Sentiero Film label. The rights holders agree to participate in these events without having anything to claim from the organization, only and exclusively for a first screening. For any subsequent screenings, the organization will have to contact the rights holders and agree on a screening fee. The organization must communicate the date and place of the screening to the rights holders.