Cittadella International Film Festival (2)

Festival start: 07 May 2027      Festival end: 09 May 2027

CIFF – Cittadella International Film Festival is an international film event held in the stunning medieval town of Cittadella (Padua, Italy)—a walled city rich in history, culture, and architectural beauty.

The festival is dedicated to promoting independent cinema from around the world, giving space to emerging filmmakers and established artists who craft stories that move, challenge, and inspire.

The prestigious Malta’s Tower Award (Premio Torre di Malta) is the festival’s top honor, awarded to the film that best exemplifies narrative innovation, visual impact, and artistic excellence. The award is named after the historic "Torre di Malta," a medieval landmark that stands as a symbol of the city’s cultural heritage.

CIFF welcomes short films, documentaries, feature films, experimental cinema, and animation, across all genres and languages. Screenings take place in spectacular historic venues, offering a cinematic experience deeply rooted in place and tradition.

CIFF is more than a festival—it’s a hub for exchange, with masterclasses, industry panels, Q&A sessions, and networking opportunities designed to connect creators and audiences worldwide.

Official Awards

The CIFF – Cittadella International Film Festival celebrates excellence not only in storytelling, but also in the many cinematic crafts that bring a film to life.

Malta’s Tower Award – Premio Torre di Malta
The festival’s highest honor: a handcrafted miniature replica of the Malta’s Tower, awarded to the Best Overall Film for artistic, technical, and narrative excellence.

Recognition Plaques
All winners receive engraved plaques with the filmmaker’s name, film title, and the award or recognition received.

Main Competition Categories:

- Best Feature Film (Tower of Malta Award)

- Best Short Movie

- Best Documentary

- Best Music Videoclip

- Best Animation

- Best Web Serie

- Best Ai Video

Technical & Artistic Awards:

- Best Director

- Best Screenplay

- Best Editing

- Best Soundtrack

- Best Actor

- Best Actress

Honorary & Special Awards:

- Career Achievement Award, given to film personalities for their extraordinary artistic contribution.

- Culture and Territory Award, for works that highlight local identities, historical memory, or landscapes.

- Social Commitment Award, for works that have particularly distinguished themselves for their social value.

- Future Visions Award, for works with a keen eye on the future.

- New Generation Award, for works by young people and aimed at new generations of filmmakers.

OFFICIAL CIFF REGULATIONS – Cittadella International Film Festival

Cittadella (Padua), Italy

Premio Torre di Malta – Malta’s Tower Award

1. ORGANIZATION AND MISSION

CIFF is an international festival dedicated to promoting independent cinema and highlighting new artistic voices, in a unique cultural and historical context: the walled city of Cittadella (PD). It is organized by Revolux Studios S.r.l., under the patronage of the Municipality of Cittadella and with the support of local cultural entities.

2. SUBMISSIONS AND CATEGORIES

Works produced after January 1, 2023, are eligible, regardless of nationality and language, provided they are subtitled in English or Italian.

Categories admitted in competition:
Feature Films
Short Films (max 30 min)
Documentaries
Animations
Web Series (episodes or pilots)
Music Video
AI Video

All selected works will be evaluated for technical and artistic awards.

3. DEADLINES AND ENTRY FEES

Submissions are open exclusively through the Festhome platform and are divided as follows:
Early Deadline – (until November 27, 2026)
Regular Deadline – (until December 25, 2026)
Late Deadline – (until January 29, 2027)
Extended Deadline – (until March 1, 2027)
Notification Date – (until March 20, 2027)
Event Date – (May 7 – 9, 2027)

4. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The following will not be accepted:

Works created before 01/01/2023
Absence of constraints with collecting societies
Works already distributed in any physical and digital form, on the web, and On Demand

Absence of SIAE/Third Party constraints:
The author (and/or the producer), by submitting the work, formally declares, under their exclusive civil and criminal responsibility, that the work itself (including images, texts, and soundtracks, whether original or not) is free from any protection constraints managed by the SIAE or similar collective rights management societies (e.g., SACEM, ASCAP, BMI, LEA, Soundreef, etc.).

Direct License:
By accepting these regulations, the author grants the organization a free and direct license for public screening, declaring to be the sole rights holder and to have full authority to dispose of them without the mediation of third parties.

Unlimited Indemnity:
The author undertakes to indemnify and hold the organization harmless from any financial claim, request for compensation, penalty, or fee advanced by the SIAE or other collection entities in relation to the screening of the work and the presence of partners or supporters of the Festival.

Liability for consequential charges:
Should the SIAE challenge the organization for omitted payment of copyright due to the author's failure to declare or incorrect declaration regarding their registration with protection entities, the author is obliged to reimburse the organization in full for any sum paid (including penalties, interest, and legal fees) within 15 days of the formal request.

Further exclusions:

Works already submitted in previous editions of CIFF
Amateur or basic school works
Works created by CIFF staff members
Works with illegal, discriminatory, propagandistic, and pornographic content

5. REQUIRED MATERIALS

Each submission must include:
Video file in .mp4 (h.264 codec), download enabled
Vertical A4 poster (300dpi JPG or PDF)
Short synopsis (200–350 characters)
Complete technical sheet: Direction, Cast, Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Music, Sound, VFX, etc.
Mandatory English subtitles for all works

The files must be uploaded to the Festhome Platform. No other methods of material delivery will be taken into consideration.

The incorrect submission of materials or non-compliant files may lead to exclusion.

6. SELECTION

The works will be examined by a technical committee and, if deemed suitable, admitted to the official selection (announcement: April 16, 2026). An external artistic jury will award the prizes.

"Selected" on Festhome does not automatically mean being officially selected for the festival, with the consequent screening of the work, but that the work is of suitable quality and is under evaluation by the jury.

The DEFINITIVELY SELECTED works will receive an OFFICIAL DEFINITIVE CONFIRMATION email, with a request to confirm their presence at the festival, for screening, and potential delivery of awards and certificates.

An external artistic jury will award the prizes. The jury's decisions are final.

7. AWARDS

The winners will be awarded during the final ceremony with:

- Premio Torre di Malta – Miniature of the medieval tower
- Customized plaques with name and category

Main Awards:

Best Film (Premio Torre di Malta)
Best Short Film
Best Documentary
Best Animation
Best Web Series
Best Music Video
Best AI Video

Technical and artistic awards:

Best Director
Best Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Soundtrack
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor

Honorary Special Awards:

Award for Artistic Excellence
Culture & Territory Award
Social Commitment Award
Future Visions Award
New Generation Award

In case of absence at the ceremony, prizes will be shipped (costs at the recipient's expense, within 6 months).

8. SCREENINGS

The festival will take place in person, with a potential online section at the organization's discretion. The files for the screening must comply with the technical requirements communicated during the selection phase.

9. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

By registering, the author:

Declares to be of legal age and the holder of the rights to the work
Relieves CIFF from any legal responsibility regarding copyright and content and previous contractual regularity between the authors, producers, and creators of the work
Authorizes the non-commercial use of clips and materials for the promotion of the festival

10. ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS

The festival does not cover travel/accommodation expenses, but will offer partnerships with partner structures
If there are fewer than 3 eligible works in a category, the section may be canceled (fee refunded)
Works out of competition must still fully accept these regulations

11. GROUNDS FOR EXCLUSION

CIFF reserves the right to exclude or disqualify works in case of:
Submission of works already distributed in any way
Missing or non-compliant materials
Unclear, partial, or misleading information in communication and infographics
Objectively mediocre or poor quality graphic communication of the project
Content contrary to the law or inciting hatred
Violent behavior or misconduct towards the festival
Attempts to influence the jury
Falsehoods in the information provided
Lack of previous contractual regularity in the productions that submit their works. Random checks may be requested to demonstrate contractual regularity between the parties that created the work, proving legal production, remuneration between the parties, and contractual and wage regularity. The standard documentation required by distributors before the distribution process will be requested for viewing, i.e., the contract for the assignment of rights of the screenplay between the author and the production house, director's appointment contract, standard contract for staff and technical operators, and standard contract for actors/extras.
RIGHTS

Ownership of rights
The author/participant declares and guarantees to be the exclusive holder of all economic exploitation rights on the submitted work, or to have acquired from third parties all necessary rights for its full and legitimate use within the Festival.

Absence of constraints with collecting societies
The author declares that the submitted work, including all its components (by way of example but not limited to: music, images, texts, voice-over), is not administered by the SIAE nor by other collective copyright management societies, or, alternatively, to have obtained all authorizations necessary for the public screening of the work within the Festival, without charges to the organization.

Music and third-party content
The author guarantees that: all music used is original or royalty-free or has licenses suitable for public use; any third-party content (images, video, texts, sounds) has been used with the regular authorization of the respective rights holders.

Indemnity
The author undertakes to indemnify and hold the Festival organization harmless from any request, claim, action, or demand by third parties, including the SIAE or other collecting societies, relating to the use of the work.

Responsibility
All responsibility regarding any copyright violations, related rights, or third-party rights remains exclusively with the author/participant.

Acceptance
The organization reserves the right to exclude works that do not meet these requirements or for which adequate documentation proving the declared rights is not provided.

12. ACCEPTANCE

Registration for the CIFF implies full acceptance of all the clauses present in the regulations.

13. ACCESS FOR SPECTATORS

Registration for the CIFF implies full acceptance of all the clauses present in the regulations.

14. OFFICIAL JURY EVALUATION CRITERIA

Each film will be evaluated with a score from 1 to 10 for each criterion. The final score will be determined by the weighted average.

1. DIRECTION (20%):
Artistic vision and stylistic consistency, Narrative management and rhythm,
Directing of actors,
Use of cinematic language

2. SCREENPLAY (15%):
Originality,
Narrative structure,
Character development,
Quality of dialogue

3. PERFORMANCE (15%):
Quality of performance,
Emotional intensity,
Credibility of characters

4. CINEMATOGRAPHY (10%):
Composition,
Use of light and color,
Visual impact

5. EDITING (10%):
Fluidity,
Rhythm,
Temporal consistency

6.SOUND AND SOUNDTRACK (10%):
Sound design,
Musical integration,
Technical quality

7. ORIGINALITY AND INNOVATION (10%):
Formal research,
Experimentation,
Ability to stand out

8. CULTURAL IMPACT (10%):
Social relevance,
Universality of the message,
Ability to stimulate reflection

PREMIO TORRE DI MALTA (Malta’s Tower Award)

Assigned to the film that represents:
Overall artistic excellence,
Strong authorial identity,
Lasting emotional impact,
Cultural and symbolic value

Guidelines:

Impartiality and independence of the jury, Full viewing of the works, Declaration of any conflicts of interest, In case of a tie, the Jury President’s vote is decisive.

For information or clarification: cittadellafilmfestival@gmail.com