Polbert International Touring Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 08 May 2026      Festival end: 10 May 2026

The Polbert International Touring Film Festival announces its 2026 edition, which will take place on May 8–9–10, 2026, at the Theatre of Savoy Beach Hotel & Thermal SPA, Bibione (Venice, Italy).

The Festival is organized by Polbert Cinema, with over 10 years of experience in the film festival industry.

The Festival was created with the aim of promoting national and international independent cinema, highlighting high-quality works, new talents, and contemporary cinematic languages.

Screening Fee Shorts: 15€

6. SPECIAL AWARDS – “SAN MARCO” PRIZES
In addition to the standard awards listed in the Festival regulations, the Polbert International Touring Film Festival will also present a series of Special Awards, named “SAN MARCO”, dedicated to the most prestigious categories of the Festival.
The SAN MARCO Awards are inspired by the symbol of Venice and honor excellence in cinematic achievement.
The SAN MARCO Special Prizes will be awarded to:

BEST SHORT FILM


BEST SHORT FILM – “EMERGING CINEMA” SECTION


Each winner will receive an official SAN MARCO statuette featuring the Wings of the Lion of Saint Mark.

The BEST SHORT FILM and BEST SHORT FILM – “EMERGING CINEMA” SECTION awards will receive a dedicated special prize, specifically designed for these categories.


The SAN MARCO Awards represent the highest recognition of the Festival and celebrate artistic quality, originality, and cinematic excellence.

1. FESTIVAL SECTIONS
The competition is divided into three distinct sections.
1.1 MAIN COMPETITION

The Main Competition is open to short films and feature films.

Running time requirements:
Short films: maximum 30 minutes, including opening and end credits.

Eligible genres:
Thriller
Drama
Comedy
Sci-Fi
Biographical / Historical
Action
Animation
Fantasy
Social-themed films
Pornographic, political, religious, or discriminatory content will not be accepted.

awards:
BEST SHORT FILM
BEST DIRECTOR
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST ACTOR
BEST ACTRESS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST EDITING

1.2 “EMERGING CINEMA” SECTION
This section is dedicated to short films with a production budget between €0 and €2,000.
Films submitted to the Main Competition may not participate in this section.
Running time requirements:

Short films: maximum 30 minutes, including credits.

Eligible genres:
Thriller
Drama
Comedy
Sci-Fi
Horror
Biographical / Historical
Action
Animation
Fantasy
Social-themed films

Pornographic, political, religious, or discriminatory content will not be accepted.

awards:
BEST SHORT FILM
BEST DIRECTOR
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST EDITING


2. SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Submissions must be made exclusively through Festhome, starting from January 14th, 2026.

Directors / producers / distributors may submit ONLY ONE WORK.

If two or more works are submitted by the same applicant, automatic disqualification will apply.

If selected for the Official Selection and screened during the Festival, a final screening contribution is required by April 13, 2026:
Short films: €10

NO DISTRIBUTION IS EXEMPT from paying submission fees, administration fees, or final screening contributions.
Note: Fees are required because the submitted works will be evaluated by industry professionals who are regularly compensated.

Payment methods:
Festhome

Bank transfer:
Polbert Cinèma – Banca del Piemonte
IBAN: IT74E0304830870000000084410
Reason: POLBERT INTERNATIONAL TOURING FILM FESTIVAL + FILM/SHORT TITLE
PayPal: segreteria.pitff@gmail.com

4. MATERIALS FOR FINALISTS
The internal selection committee of the Polbert International Touring Film Festival—entirely composed of professional film industry operators—will determine the Official Selection after reviewing the pre-selected works. The committee’s decision is final and unquestionable at all stages.
Selected works will be screened during the Festival and will compete for the official awards.
Finalists must send ALL the following materials to segreteria.pitff@gmail.com no later than April 13, 2026:
Short film in MOV or MP4, 1920×1080 - Original language with Italian subtitles (mandatory)
Trailer in MOV or MP4, 1920×1080 - Original language with Italian subtitles (mandatory)
3 JPG still photos
Poster (JPG)
Synopsis (max 1,000 characters)
Failure to submit even one required item will result in immediate disqualification.

5. SELECTION & JURY
The selection is carried out by an internal committee of industry professionals.
All decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
Only films screened during the Festival are eligible for official awards.
Italian winners of category awards must collect the prize in person during the Festival. Failure to attend the award ceremony will result in automatic disqualification.

6. SPECIAL awards – “SAN MARCO” prizes
In addition to the standard awards listed in the Festival regulations, the Polbert International Touring Film Festival will also present a series of Special awards, named “SAN MARCO”, dedicated to the most prestigious categories of the Festival.
The SAN MARCO awards are inspired by the symbol of Venice and honor excellence in cinematic achievement.
The SAN MARCO Special prizes will be awarded to:

BEST SHORT FILM


BEST SHORT FILM – “EMERGING CINEMA” SECTION


Each winner will receive an official SAN MARCO statuette featuring the Wings of the Lion of Saint Mark.

The BEST SHORT FILM and BEST SHORT FILM – “EMERGING CINEMA” SECTION awards will receive a dedicated special prize, specifically designed for these categories.


The SAN MARCO awards represent the highest recognition of the Festival and celebrate artistic quality, originality, and cinematic excellence.

7. PROMOTION
The Festival organizers may use materials related to selected works (including trailers, clips, images, posters, synopses, and technical information) for communication, promotion, and cultural dissemination purposes across press outlets, the official website, official social media channels, and current or future promotional materials, without time or territorial limits and without financial compensation.
Submission to the Festival implies full acceptance of these regulations, including this article. By submitting, participants expressly authorize unlimited use of submitted materials and waive any present or future claims.

8. ACCEPTANCE OF REGULATIONS
Participation in the Polbert International Touring Film Festival implies full, unconditional, and irrevocable acceptance of these regulations in all their parts. By submitting, participants declare that they have read, understood, and fully accepted all rules and conditions.

The staff of the Polbert International Touring Film Festival wishes all participants the best of luck.

Simone Poletto
President – Polbert International Touring Film Festival
President – Polbert Cinema