Moonlight Short Film Festival (3)

Festival start: 20 December 2026      Festival end: 20 December 2026

Founded in 2024 Italy, the Moonlight Short Film Fest was born out of the passion of a group of film lovers and industry professionals. Our goal is to provide a platform for emerging filmmakers and the new generation of industry workers entering the world of cinema.

We firmly believe that the future of cinema lies in independent productions, characterized by freshness and originality, which often come from early short films. Our festival welcomes all types of short films, which is why the theme is open. We want each author to have the freedom to express themselves in their preferred way, without restrictions.

In each edition, the short films selected for the "Official Selection" will be announced. Among these, the finalists will be revealed, who will receive a laurel and be published on our social media channels.

Among the finalists, the winners of the respective categories will be selected:

- Best Director
- Best Screenplay
- Best Editing
- Best Original Soundtrack
- Best Cinematography
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Costume Design
- Best Sound
- Best Set Design
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress

The main award in each category:

- Best Short Film
- Best Experimental Short
- Best Animated Short
- Best Young Short (Student)
- Best International Short
- Best Script (for screenplays only)
- Best Documentary
- Best Videoclip
- Mares Short Film
- Best Moonlight Award 2026

Special Awards:

- Youth Jury Award
- Honorable Mentions
- Best Cast
- Best Troupe
- Best Young Troupe (Under 25)
- Best Poster (Audience Award, chosen by viewers)
- Best Special Effects
- Best Original Song
- Best Young Actress
- Best Young Actor
- Best A.I. (use of Artificial Intelligence)
- Best First-Time Filmmaker
- Best Make-Up
- Best Hair-Styling
- Best Look (Powered by Flashback Cameras
- Mares Photo Award
- Mares Undersea Award

All winners will receive their respective laurels, a personalized certificate for the category won, and a personalized letter of motivation from the jury. The winners will also be published on our official social media channels, with dedicated space and interviews.

The jury reserves the right to assign special awards, honorable mentions, and evaluation letters to short films that particularly reflect the values proposed by the Moonlight Short Film Festival.

Art. 1 - Short Film Admission Requirements
Short films must have a maximum duration of 40 minutes, including credits, and must be in Italian or a foreign language with subtitles in either Italian or English (or both).

Short films of any genre are allowed in all available categories/sections. Accepted formats include color, black and white, with dialogue, silent, or accompanied only by an extra-diegetic music track (including music videos with narrative or story), etc.

The submitted short films must have been made by the same person submitting the film to the festival or by a member of the crew involved in its production.

Entries for the Moonlight Short Film Fest can only be made through the "Festhome" platform.

By submitting the work to the festival, the applicant affirms that they possess all copyright rights for the work.

It is strictly prohibited to submit third-party short films or works where there is no proof of participation in the production.

Content that does not meet the eligibility criteria will not be selected.

Art. 2 - Admission Requirements for Participants
Participation in the competition is open to everyone.

Group participation is also allowed in the form of collective direction, provided it is not within a professional agency or company structure.

Participation in the festival requires a small contribution to be paid at the time of registration via the Festhome platform.

At the time of registration, the work must be entered into one or more sections.

The sections are:

Short Films
Experimental (Experimental Short Film)
Animated (Animated Short Film)
Young (Student Short Film)
International (International Short Film)
Best Script
Documentary (Best Documentary)
Mares (Mares Awards)
Best Videoclip

N.B.: To register in the Young (Student Short Film) section, the work must be marked as "Student" on Festhome. If the platform does not allow registration in that section, the film must be registered under the general "Short Films" section.

N.B.: If there are few short films registered in the various sections (from 2 to 5), the few participants will compete in their own category of registration but will still participate in the common category awards (see Art. 4).

Art. 3 - Registration Process
Those wishing to participate in the festival must register their short films via the Festhome platform.

Art. 4 - Selections and Awards
The competition consists of two phases:

PHASE 1: Official Selection
The submitted short films will be evaluated by the festival’s jury, who will select the works worthy of advancing to the final phase.

The main selection criterion will be the originality of the work, as we are constantly seeking innovative uses of cinematic language, although we also welcome traditional approaches.

PHASE 2: Winners Selection
The finalist works will be evaluated by a dedicated jury, which will award the following prizes:

Common awards across all sections:

Best Short Film
Best Director
Best Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Original Soundtrack
Best Cinematography
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Costume Design
Best Original Song
Best Set Design

Specific awards:

Best Experimental Short
Best Animated Short
Best Young Short (Student)
Best International Short
Best Script (for screenplays only)
Best Documentary
Mares Short Award
Best Videoclip
Best Moonlight 2025

Some selected works, carefully chosen by the Jury, will receive:

- Special Awards
- Honorable Mentions

The winners of each category will receive their respective laurels, a personalized certificate for the category won in vector PDF format, and a personalized letter with the jury’s motivation, explaining why the work was chosen for that particular category.

The winners will also be published on our official social media channels, with a dedicated space and the appropriate recognition.

Each selected work has the possibility of winning multiple awards in their respective common categories, but can only be eligible for the "Best Short Film" of their registered section.

(Ex: A short film registered in the "Experimental" section can compete for all common category awards. It cannot win the "Best Animated Short" award, as it is not part of that section.)

N.B.: If there are few short films registered in the specific sections (those from 2 to 5 in Art. 2), the few participants will compete within their registration category but will still participate in the common category awards.

In the case that only one short film is registered in a specific section (from 2 to 5 in Art. 2), it will still compete for the common awards.

Art. 5 - Artistic Direction and Jury
The jury responsible for PHASE 1 and PHASE 2 is composed of the artistic direction, enthusiasts, and professionals in the field.

The judgments of the jury are final and non-appealable.

A judge’s position is incompatible if they are a relative, family member, or regular companion of one or more participants.

Art. 6 - Online Festival and No Screenings
The Moonlight Short Film Fest is exclusively an online and awards festival. There will be no in-person or online screenings during the event. The entire process of the festival, from selection to awards, will take place through digital platforms, with no physical screenings of the short films.

Winners will be announced on our official channels and will receive their laurels via mail.

Art. 7 - Copyright
The Moonlight Short Film Fest is granted the rights to reproduce the works free of charge for distribution on communication channels as part of activities related to the various editions of the festival.

The copyright belongs exclusively to the filmmakers or those who submit the work to the festival.

By submitting the work, the Moonlight Short Film Fest DECLARES:

That it holds full ownership and exclusive rights to the use of the video and authorizes the festival's artistic direction to screen it — either in full or partially, and in the form of excerpts taken and screened during organized events or on their social media channels.

That they have requested and obtained releases from individuals appearing in the video or, in the case of minors, from the parents exercising parental authority.

That there are no third-party claims (actors/participants, authors/directors, music performers and publishers, etc.) related to the video distribution and that no prior action has been taken that would limit the authority granted to the Moonlight Short Film Fest's artistic direction regarding the video’s distribution.

To hold the Moonlight Short Film Fest, in its entirety, harmless from any claims or lawsuits from third parties, agreeing to reimburse the organization for any costs, legal fees, and/or damages incurred due to the video’s distribution.

To consent to the processing and communication of personal data for the purposes connected to the statements in this document, in accordance with the provisions of the Personal Data Protection Code (Legislative Decree 30 June 2003, n. 196).