The Atena Nike Film Award, now in its fourth edition, is distinguished by the growing space it dedicates each year to emerging talents and debut works.
We are already working on the fourth edition, the 2025 edition: this year, as in previous years, both short films and feature films may be submitted.
As always, the theme is linked to social issues.
Date and location of the new edition:
9 July – Casa del Cinema, Rome
Submission deadlines
Feature films: 28 February 2026
Short films: 28 April 2026
Artistic Director: Giampietro Preziosa
Giampietro Preziosa
An architect and film producer, he has made his artistic flair into a profession, bringing his innovative ideas into the cinematic field. A skilled communicator and businessman, he is a key figure at INTHEL FILM S.r.l., a film production company with thirty years of experience. He has overseen the artistic direction of the Atena Nike Award in previous editions, giving the Prize a distinctly refined identity and high editorial quality.
Alina Trabattoni
Journalist and foreign correspondent with decades of experience at major outlets including CGTN Europe, TRT World, Reuters, Bloomberg, Associated Press, BBC, LA Times, CNN, CNBC, ABC, People Magazine, NBC, Eurovision, Standard & Poor’s Platts, Deutsche Welle, The Times, Screen International, the European Broadcast Union (EBU), International Herald Tribune, Euronews, and Montel News. She served as co-artistic director of the Globo D’Oro Film Award for six editions, beginning in 2018.
Artistic Management
Fabrizio Apolloni
(Artistic management and direction of the awards ceremony)
Actor, voice actor and dubbing director, Apolloni began working in theatre at a very young age, later moving into film and TV. Also active in education, he is currently a teacher at Action Academy. He is a member of the supervisory board of Nuovo Imaie and a founding member of RAAI – the Register of Italian Actresses and Actors.
Salvo Saverio D’Angelo
(Short Film Jury Coordinator)
Actor and music producer under the pseudonym SSd Project, he trained at Francesca De Sapio’s acting school and at Actors Planet. His eclectic personality has led him to work in TV, cinema and music. He has been a radio presenter, TV correspondent for Rai2 Notte, and TV host on Sky channels and for TV Cinquestelle. He has received various awards, including the Atena Nike Award.
Armando Pizzuti
(Artistic management)
One of the most respected casting directors in the Italian film scene, his career began in 2015 collaborating with major Italian and international productions, including the series The Young Pope directed by Oscar-winner Paolo Sorrentino. Since then, he has worked with renowned directors such as Ben Affleck, Derek Cianfrance, David Frankel, Terrence Malick, Simon Curtis, Edoardo Ponti and Michael Mann. In 2022 he received the Ischia People Award as Best Casting Director for his contribution to Italian cinema worldwide.
Academy
The work of the artistic management, co-directors and the foreign press jury is supported by an Academy selected for its experience and high artistic and professional qualification. It consists of five figures from the fields of acting, cinema, music and theatre.
Claudia Gerini
An eclectic and versatile actress, born in Rome, where she began her artistic career. After working in fashion and television, she gained public attention with Carlo Verdone in Viaggi di nozze and Sono pazzo di Iris Blond. Hollywood cast her in Under the Tuscan Sun and in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, where she played Claudia Procula, the wife of Pontius Pilate. In 2004 she appeared in Don’t Move by Sergio Castellitto. Many intense years followed with Nero bifamiliare, The Unknown Woman, My Tomorrow by Marina Spada, and the horror film Tulpa by Zampaglione. She returned to comedy in Love Is in the Air by Fausto Brizzi. She achieved international fame in John Wick 2 with Keanu Reeves and won the David di Donatello for Love and Bullets by the Manetti Bros. On TV she played Sara Monaschi in Netflix’s Suburra. She made her directorial debut in 2022 with Tapirulan and recently appeared in Il corpo by Vincenzo Alfieri.
Lucia Sardo (Aurora Sardo)
Actress, director and screenwriter, she studied under major masters of experimental theatre such as Eugenio Barba, Peter Brook and Jerzy Grotowski. She founded the Institute of Theatrical Culture in Santarcangelo di Romagna and directed the prestigious Santarcangelo Festival, one of the most important experimental theatre events in Europe. She made her film debut in 1992, working with directors such as Aurelio Grimaldi, Giuseppe Tornatore and Marco Tullio Giordana in One Hundred Steps. Unforgettable protagonist of Picciridda – With Feet in the Sand by Paolo Licata and The Carousel by Giorgia Cecere, she reached Hollywood with the Netflix series From Scratch by Reese Witherspoon, alongside Zoe Saldana. Her collaboration with Franco Battiato, playing herself, is memorable. Recently she appeared as Lucia in It Happens in the Best Families and as Rosa Balistreri in The Love I Have, presented at the Torino Film Festival.
Lorenzo Urciullo & Antonio Di Martino (Colapesce & Dimartino)
The Sicilian singer-songwriters, best known as Colapesce and Dimartino, are among the most acclaimed names in contemporary Italian music. Since 2020 the duo has won over audiences and critics with songs such as Musica leggerissima and Splash, earning multiple awards: at Sanremo, the Lucio Dalla Press Room Award and the Mia Martini Critics’ Prize; a Nastro d’Argento; and Best Original Score at the Globo d’Oro Film Award. They are also active in cinema, with their first film La primavera della mia vita, accompanied by an album of the same name.
Federica Vincenti
Actress, theatre and film producer, singer and composer. In 2004 she founded Goldenart Production, an outstanding company producing numerous theatre shows, feature films and short films marked by strong artistic and emotional identity, earning her many awards. Since 2006 she has acted and sung in various theatre and film productions, working with directors such as Roberto Andò and Michele Placido, and performing alongside icons like Giorgio Albertazzi, Mariangela Melato, Moni Ovadia, Massimo Ranieri and many others. After playing Marta Abba in Michele Placido’s latest film Eterno visionario, she is currently preparing to star in the new theatre production Sissi, the Empress, directed by Roberto Cavosi, premiering in late February 2025.
Press Jury
For the 2026 edition, a press jury will again be introduced, composed of Italian and international journalists, experts in their field and passionate about cinema.
The Press Jury is chaired by Vera Naydenova, journalist and Italy correspondent for bTV Media Group. From 2018 to 2024 she was part of the Cinema Committee as Head of TV Series for the prestigious Foreign Press Award Globo d’Oro. She currently also serves as a Board Member of the Association of Foreign Press in Italy.
Short Film Section
Responsible:
Salvo Saverio D’Angelo
Jury President:
……………
Jury Members:
Matthew Gentile, award-winning director and screenwriter, known to the general public for his debut feature film American Murderer, which achieved significant success.
Paolo Licata, director, trained in film and theatre directing at Cinecittà; he made his film debut with his first feature Picciridda, awarded at the Taormina Film Festival. His latest film L’amore che ho will be released in theatres in spring.
Alessandro del Vigna, Italian-Romanian film producer and writer, executive producer of Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund), Siberia (Abel Ferrara) and The End (Joshua Oppenheimer).
Donatella Pascucci, expert in French cinema; she has worked for the Gan Foundation, and been involved in the organization of the Italian Film Festival, Comicittà, the Campidoglio Masters of Cinema Award, and the Barbaro Award for Best Cinema Book. She has served on juries for the Montre Leonard Festival du Film d’Amour in Mons, the Bolzano Film Festival, the Florence Short Film Festival, and Valdarno Cinema. She is a member of the Italy-France Co-production Commission of the Ministry of Culture (Cinema and Audiovisual Directorate).
Marianna Sciveres, Italian director, screenwriter and set designer, graduated in set design from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. In 2002 she made her first feature film Sara May, a work of national cultural interest. She has been a set and costume designer for numerous film and TV productions.
Heidrun Schleef, Italian screenwriter of German origin, studied directing at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. She has received three David di Donatello nominations and two Nastro d’Argento awards, and has worked with numerous masters of cinema.
Filmsolt is a dynamic platform celebrating creativity in filmmaking through a series of curated competitions designed for emerging and independent creators. We offer five unique competition formats – Short Film, Music Video, Video Essay, Under-One-Minute, and Hilarious in 5 – each crafted to highlight different storytelling styles and formats.
From cinematic narratives to thought-provoking essays, punchy micro-stories to comedy skits, Filmsolt provides a stage for every kind of visual storyteller. With flexible submission windows, attractive prize pools, and a strong focus on originality and artistic expression, our competitions are open to filmmakers worldwide.
Participants benefit not only from visibility and recognition but also from a chance to be part of a growing creative community. Whether you're an aspiring director, a content creator, or simply someone with a story to tell, Filmsolt is your launchpad to shine.
The Canadian Independent Film Festival (CIFF) is an independent festival born in Canada, the land of diversity.
The vision of the CIFF is to establish Montreal as a center for local and international filmmakers to share global perspectives as well as independent thoughts to a large audience through film.
The mission of the CIFF is to promote independent film culture and encourage its development along side with empowering minorities.
No Premiere Status is required.
Rural FilmFest, member of Green Film Network (GFN) and Pantalla Federation, is an international itinerant film festival, which offers a current overview of international documentary film, fiction and animation in a short, medium and long format related to the rural world, ecology, sustainability and natural and cultural resources. Rural FilmFest is not a common film festival, it is a unique and unrepeatable event. It is a summer camp, with excursions, multi-adventure, geocaching awards ceremony (Yes, you read that right. As a filmmaker you will have to find your trophy at the closing gala via GPS coordinates), international coexistence, dance, party and lifelong friendships. It is the experience of your life and if you attend, you will not want it goes over and you will want to return next year... Just read the reviews to discover the opinions of other filmmakers who have attended the Rural FilmFest. If you have a fiction film, animation or documentary whether it is a short film or a feature film, do not hesitate to submit.
Puglia, southern Italy.
In 1945 the American army landed in southern Italy for the "liberation" campaign and suddenly passed through Molfetta, our base city. During their stay the allies reported some neighborhoods as "OUT OF LIMITS" due to the "social danger" of the people who lived there. In the first two editions, 2013 and 2014, our festival took place in two squares, Piazza San Michele and Piazza delle Erbe, near the areas still considered by many to be "out of bounds", in Molfetta.
The “Out Of Bounds” film event is run by filmmakers and focuses on empowering the best independent artists and encouraging all aspects of independent film production. We seek the unconventional, the unusual, the underground, the intuitive, the innovative and the true.
Subsequent editions took place in the cloister of the church of San Domenico, in the port area of the town and in the ancient arena of the castle of Barletta, an evocative and historic medieval place and at the Artists' Citadel of Molfetta.
The special sections chosen for this edition are "Dystopian shorts”, short films dealing with themes related to pollution, war, and the exploitation of resources, including dystopian scenarios, and “Shorts on gender equality, even those directed by a male director" (INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL).
There is no submission fee for short films from Iran, Palestine, Ukraine, Venezuela, Sudan, Yemen or a State in a critical political situation.
ACTRUM is a non-profit Cultural Association that works in all areas of the artistic sector.
In this festival, the finalist works will be screened online and it will be open to the public, who will have to vote through our website for their 3 favorite shorts/feature films from each section to award the public prizes.
Register your project! We accept any gender.
Short Cut is a short film festival dedicated to young filmmakers aged 10 to 21. The event celebrates the creativity and unique perspective of the new generation of storytellers.
For its fourth edition, the festival returns with the theme “Have a Great Weekend”, giving participants complete freedom to interpret and create around this idea.
The selected films will be screened on the big screen at Le Concorde Cinema in La Roche-sur-Yon, offering young talents the chance to see their work shown in a real movie theater.
Short Cut is a unique opportunity for the filmmakers of tomorrow to express themselves, create freely, and share their vision of the world through cinema.
The screenlights Film Festival is a dynamic and evolving cinematic celebration now entering its THIRD year. Founded by filmmakers and visionaries Dinkar Jadhav and Omkar Jadhav, the festival aims to provide a platform for both emerging and established filmmakers to showcase their work. With an emphasis on innovative storytelling, diverse genres, and creative expression, the festival is quickly becoming a hub for independent cinema enthusias
Submit now while entry fees are at their lowest!
The most progressive and dynamic film festival in the world. We connect filmmakers with REAL DISTRIBUTION and MONETIZATION opportunities, helping them meet key players in the American film industry. Whether you're an emerging voice or an established storyteller, MVFF is a launchpad for the next big step. We welcome projects across a wide range of genres—from drama, comedy, and action to documentaries, animation, and experimental formats.
For over 12 years, we've been a vibrant hub for local communities, tourists, and students, celebrating creative voices from every background. In 2025 (actual fest is in 2026), we're proud to open our doors to a global audience through Festhome—bringing international creators to the heart of Miami. But this is more than just a showcase.
One of our strongest focuses lies on vertical series, feature films, and episodic drama.
In these categories, we offer exclusive awards and dedicated recognition, because we believe the vertical frame is more than a trend—it's the cinematic language of the new generation. Join us in Miami, where bold stories rise vertically and careers take flight.
Retrospective14 is an international student and independent film festival based in Vilnius, Lithuania, focused on showcasing emerging filmmakers and contemporary moving image practices.
The festival presents a curated program of short films across several categories, including fiction, documentary, experimental film, music video, and student works. We are particularly interested in bold, original voices and projects that explore visual storytelling in innovative ways.
Retrospective14 aims to support early-career creators by providing a platform for their work to be seen by an engaged audience and peers. Selected films will be screened during the festival event in Vilnius.
Submissions are open to filmmakers worldwide.
All genres and styles are welcome, with a preference for short-form content and recent productions.
Our Story
+4,500 films screened at our drive-in cinema
+2.3 million viewers over our 45-year history
+25,000 followers on Facebook
+18,500 followers on Instagram
+2,700 Google reviews
Welcome to the first edition of the AutoCine El Sur Mutxamel Film Festival, a unique open-air film event held at a historic drive-in cinema operating since 1980, located in Mutxamel (Alicante, Spain).
This event is organized and managed by the owners of the drive-in themselves, ensuring a professional and high-quality experience. With over 4,500 films screened and more than 2.3 million viewers over 45 years, we are committed to creating a truly memorable event for both filmmakers and audiences.
Our festival features an open theme, embracing both independent and commercial cinema, with the goal of showcasing a wide variety of creative voices from around the world.
Selected films will be screened on May 15, 2026, in a nostalgic drive-in setting where the audience will enjoy your work from the comfort of their cars, with food and drinks served directly to each vehicle.
All submitted projects will receive free promotion on our Instagram account, helping to increase visibility and reach.
We believe festivals should offer more value to filmmakers and screenwriters—this is our way of supporting you and showing appreciation for your work.
Why participate?
• Outdoor screening at a legendary Spanish drive-in cinema
• Exposure to both local and international audiences
• Free Instagram promotion for every submitted project
• Mixed programming: independent and commercial films
• Family-friendly atmosphere under the stars
What can you expect as a participating filmmaker?
Official Welcome: Starting at 8:00 PM, we will welcome all selected filmmakers and teams with accreditations, a formal reception, and a networking opportunity.
Double Screening Session: From 9:00 PM onward, your film will be shown on a giant screen in front of a live audience, in a retro, family-oriented setting. Sound will be broadcast via FM radio directly to the vehicles, while the audience enjoys food and drinks from the comfort of their cars.
Q&A (Questions and Answers): After each screening session, directors and teams will take part in a short talk with the audience, sharing insights about the creative process and connecting directly with viewers.
Audience Award: At the end of the event, attendees will vote for their favorite project. The film with the most votes will receive the Audience Award for Best Project of the Festival.
Guaranteed Promotion: All selected projects will receive visibility on our social media (over 25,000 followers on Facebook and 18,500 on Instagram), increasing the reach and exposure of your film.
Additional Information for Participants:
• The event is organized and run by the drive-in owners, with extensive experience in film exhibition.
• The festival is pet-friendly and offers free parking.
• There is an on-site bar and restaurant available.
Experience your film like never before: outdoors, under the stars, on a giant screen, in front of a real audience.
Connect, share, and celebrate your cinema at a festival made by and for people who love telling stories.
Be part of a different kind of festival — retro, authentic, and unforgettable.
Celebrate your film on the big screen under the stars and connect with the audience in the most classic way.
The International Short Film Festival Psarokokalo is an annual festival held in Greece since 2007. The festival aims to provide a showcase for the work of new filmmakers from around the world and to promote the diversity and richness of the short film. The festival is part of a project aiming to research, promote and develop the art of filmmaking. The festival program includes screenings of short films from Greece and abroad as well as audiovisual events, lectures, masterclasses, exhibitions, and live concerts. The quality of its screenings, lectures, exhibitions have managed to make it a reference point for cinephiles, filmmakers, professionals, and new artists. Each year the activities of the festival expanded, receiving more participation from different countries and getting bigger support from filmmakers and professionals. The festival aims to travel across borders to develop a spirit of friendship and cooperation with international festivals and filmmakers from all over the world. Psarokokalo International Short Film Festival is run by Kyklos a nonprofit organization based in Athens whose purpose is to promote actions relating to cinema and public awareness of environmental issues. ‘Kyklos’ in Greek means cycle and the vision of the cycle is the respect for fundamental rights including freedom equal opportunities and cultural diversity
INTRODUCTION
Valdivia International Film Festival showcases Chilean and international cinema in five competitive categories: Feature Competition, Youth Feature Competition, Latin American and Caribbean Short Film Competition, Latin American and Caribbean Children’s Short Film Competition and Chilean Short Film Competition for Film Students. Its non-competitive program includes historical retrospectives, contemporary filmmakers’ retrospectives, social cinema, avant-garde cinema, genre, and a children-family oriented cinema slot.
1.- OBJECTIVES
The festival aims to offer Chilean and foreign filmmakers a place to screen and to compete, and by doing so, promoting national and international film works of artistic quality.
2. DATES
The festival will be held from October 12th to 18th, 2026, in Valdivia, Chile.
The CINALFAMA FILM OBSERVATORY, held in a historic neighborhood, emerges as a transformative cultural initiative that strengthens the community network. By showing independent films, the project not only widens access to alternative and innovative narratives but also stimulates cultural engagement among residents, fostering a sense of identity and belonging.
This regular event, which takes place at Museu do Fado Auditorium, becomes a meeting point where generations cross paths, sharing experiences and reflections that transcend mere film viewing. In addition, by being located in a neighborhood with a rich historical heritage, the observatory revitalizes the urban space, attracting visitors and enhancing the appreciation of the local heritage, generating a very positive cultural dynamic
The Cinalfama Film Observatory is a regular cinema competition in January, April, and October.
The winning films of each of the three editions (Jan, Apr, Oct), will be showcased in our annual outdoor cinema event, Cinalfama Lisbon International Film Festival, in July 2025.
Aqua Film Festival – International Film Festival organized by UNIVERSI ACQUA , Association with environmental, social, and territory enhancement purposes – selects short films, of any category and nationality, focused on the theme of WATER, and able to use the language of cinema to illustrate and interpret the social, ecological, cultural, naturalistic, and artistic aspects of this extraordinary and vital element.
The Eighth edition of Aqua Film Festival will take place from June 6th to 9th, 2024.
The films will be screened on Mymovies; The award ceremony will take place in Rome, on June 8th, in live streaming.
The INVITATION to participate to the selections of the Eighth edition of AquaFilmFestival is open from September 15th, 2023; deadline to send works is April 11th, 2024.
We are setting up a unique 5th YEAR , iDEAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL iIFF in the world famous state of Maharashtra (INDIA), at city located close to the Ajanta Caves. and the birthplace of saints/artists. Keeping this in mind that this will be a separate platform for small and big artists, efforts will always be made to take the ideal festival to new heights. iDEAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL iIFF is established to cherish the emerging talent in the fields of art and films. The main objective is to give platform to the All artists and actors to potray their talent. iDEAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL has a modern theme. Films in various categories such as World Competition, Marathi Competition, Global Cinema, Country Focus and Retrospective, from various countries and cultures are introduced. A recognised jury panel decides awards for films in the competitive sections.
iDEAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL looks forward for participation of actors,film makers as well as the emerging artists to platform their talent to the world.
ENTRETODOS 19 - Is a free entrance Festival dedicated to the exhibition and award of short films, with up to 25 minutes, of all genres and formats, that addresses issues related to Human Rights.
The Festival takes place in São Paulo. Produced by Prefeitura de São Paulo, Spcine and ESTATE Produções.
ENTRETODOS Festival team.
PHILOSOPHY
What drive us:
A contest dedicated to transcendental free cinema, at its several meanings, including philosophic, psychological, scientific, anthropological, spiritual and poetic cinema.
Because transcendence in the man and the world, might be eventually ineffable and, on this, cinematographic art has certain advantages, and a huge responsibility.
FREE CINEMA
All cinematographic possibilities are welcome, with a major interest on rareties
WITHOUT TIME
Cinemística as an open space-time, with non restrictive features, enabling the authors to develop their own language: all formats, duration, nationality, year of production, etc. are accepted.
A REFUGE
An international refuge for films that intend, technically or with the plot, an approaching to the big mystery of world representation, in the art and in the man. Without dogmas, under any individual or collective perspective, from faith, but also from agnosticism, spiritual atheism and scientific thought.
A POETIC CINEMA OF CONTEMPLATION
Filmmakers' looks, in all their socio-cultural diversity, interested in any film as a result of personal discovering, researching or experimentation, inspiration and work, from revelation or introspection of the authors. Quotidian, ecstasy and disparity as structures to create depth on the film treatment.
ASCETICISM
Mysticism and asceticism in film production represent, probably, a more absolute estate compare to others, because a cinema with huge budget and more technical complexity could be done, but sometimes the most humble and simple film is, however, universal.
THE STILL
Impermanent cinematographies, from the still, from 'amateur' cinema (from French verb aimer), define directors not only by what they show and how they do it on screen, but by what they decide not to show.
PHENOMENOLOGY
What appears and disappears, topologies emergence, materials or conscious, and their invisibility or subsequent expiration. The sequential surroundings of emptiness, of matters and time. Shafts at the discourse, eloquent, everyone can understand it by himself. Absence and miracle: Mystic as a possible cohabit together.
CORDIALITY, COMMUNICATION & COLLOQIUMS
Great importance of the colloquiums and live interaction between spectators and filmmakers. maximum communication, respect, sympathy and closeness from the organization to the filmmakers, artists and directors who come to present their films.
The first and the most important Freak Festival in Spain. We also accept horror and fantastic film. With an audience of 2.000 people every day from monday to friday and we would love to screen your shortfilms.
Around International Awards ✈ Barcelona ✈ Paris ✈ Amsterdam ✈ Berlin.
Annual Independent event with 4 major programs for all Features, Shorts, Documentaries, Experimental, Commercial, Music Video, Animations, Student Films, TV, Series, and New Media. The international community evaluates the all-genre creations to serve ARFF Official Laurels and to certify the awarded filmmakers at the end of the annual festival run. Thus, all the ARFF Finalists will be mentioned multiple times to have the best out of the entire year altogether. Submit today to participate in all 4 programs, regarding the unique system of ARFF International.
Submissions made via Festhome are getting evaluated and selected, directly for the yearly festival run and participating in the Official Certificate Program exclusively. Monthly selection is available on other associated platforms. Regarding the Unification Program of ARFF International, all 4 editions will gather at Amsterddam November/December 2024, till then Barcelona, Paris & Berlin editions will take place online.
See you Around & Fest Regards
