Introduction to the film festival
FILM SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 2026 EDITION - NOW OPEN!
In 2026 FERRARA FILM FESTIVAL will host its 11th edition!
The FERRARA FILM FESTIVAL is one of the most popular film festivals in Italy and stands out as the fastest-growing one in the country. It's a global film competition that drew in more than 40,000 attendees during its latest edition, culminating in the Golden Dragon Awards Ceremony. The event encompasses movie-themed collateral events, masterclasses, and entertainment shows.
The festival is hosted in the northern Italian City of FERRARA, a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The Ferrara Film Festival is an "IMDB Qualifier Festival" and "World CineX" eligible.
The Ferrara Film Festival had big movie premieres in its competition, attended by major Italian and international movie stars, as well as world-famous directors, such as GIANCARLO GIANNINI, DANNY GLOVER, JIM SHERIDAN, KEVIN REYNOLDS, PAUL HAGGIS, EDOARDO LEO, ABEL FERRARA, KABIR BEDI, JEREMY PIVEN, STEVEN BAUER, NASTASSJA KINSKI, CAROL ALT, MARTINA STELLA, BILLE AUGUST, ALESSANDRO HABER, STEFANO FRESI, JANE ALEXANDER, CRISTIANA DELL'ANNA, GABRIELE CIRILLI, ROBERTO CIUFOLI, MANUELA ARCURI and many more.
FILM CATEGORIES - IMPORTANT INFO:
At the Ferrara Film Festival all the selected films will be divided in specific categories by our Organization. Our categories reflect the global nature and relevance of our festival. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? When you submit your film, all you have to do is to choose between “Feature Film”, “Short Film” and “Documentary” then, IF YOUR FILM IS SELECTED, we'll independently put your film in the more specific category (see Awards & Prizes).
The awards of the Ferrara Film Festival are called Golden Dragons and they recall the legend and mythological figure of the dragon killed by St. George, which is the Patron Saint of Ferrara. For each edition of the Ferrara Film Festival 3 different juries will be assigned to choose the award winners in all categories. On top of it, special Career Achievement Golden Dragon Awards will be dedicated and given to prestigious personalities in the film Industry.
FILM CATEGORIES EXPLANATION
The motion pictures, both feature and short films, of a more commercial nature will be included in the category called PREMIERE EVENT, while those of a more authorial nature will be included in the category called PREMIERE AUTORE and the documentaries will fall into the PREMIERE DOCU category. The classic retrospective screenings program category will be called RETRO.
Explore our festival on www.ferrarafilmfestival.com
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Awards
The awards of the Ferrara Film Festival are called GOLDEN DRAGONS, which recall the legend and mythological figure of the Dragon killed by St. George (the Patron Saint of Ferrara).
For each edition of the Ferrara Film Festival 3 juries will be assigned to choose the award winners in all categories.
NOTE: Special Career Achievement Awards will be dedicated and given to prestigious personalities in the Film Industry.
The “Golden Dragon” awards will be assigned in the following categories:
FEATURE FILMS:
• Best Premiere Event
• Best Premiere Autore
• Best Premiere Docu
SHORT FILMS
• Best Short Film Event
• Best Short Film Autore
• Best Short Film Autore Junior (under 35)
• Best Short Film Emilia-Romagna Filmmaker
Further info on www.ferrarafilmfestival.com
Rules
RULES ON THE 11º FERRARA FILM FESTIVAL (2026 EDITION)
Feature Films (minimum runtime 60 minutes)
Short Films (maximum runtime 30 minutes)
• The Ferrara Film Festival does NOT pay any fees to screen any movies in our program. If you submit your film, you agree to this term.
• All selected FEATURE FILMS must be, at least, Italian premieres. Some exceptions are applied if a film is selected in another MAJOR film festival in Italy prior to Ferrara Film Festival (international festivals are OK).
• All selected SHORT FILMS must be at least regional premieres, meaning that a film can't participate to other film festivals in the Region of Emilia-Romagna, before Ferrara Film Festival.
• Films but must NOT have a public distribution (theatrical, streaming, online) prior to the current edition of Ferrara Film Festival.
• Each film can be any genre and from anywhere in the World.
• Films are accepted only if they are completed in the year of 2025 or 2026.
If you are a filmmaker from the Italian region Emilia-Romagna you have a 50% discount on your submission fee. For inquiries please write to:
PLEASE READ THE RULES CORRECTLY! The submission fee, once your film is submitted, cannot be refunded.
Previous Shortlisted And Award-winning Films
| Jury Name | Judge photos | Jury Profile |
|---|
Authorization type
Duration (several sessions)
Film Festival Features
Dates & Deadlines
2025-10-01
Submission start time
2025-10-31
Early Deadline
2025-11-30
Fall Deadline
2025-12-31
Holiday Deadline
2026-01-31
New Year's Deadline
2026-02-28
Valentine's Deadline
2026-03-31
Spring Deadline
2026-04-30
Late Deadline
2026-05-31
Final Deadline
2026-06-30
Extended Deadline
2026-06-30
Submission end time
2026-07-23
Finalist notification start time
2026-07-23
Finalist notification end time
2026-09-23
Award ceremony start time
2026-09-27
Award ceremony end time
Categories and fees
2025/10/31
Early Deadline
Standard: 20 Dollar
Student： 20 Dollar
2025/11/30
Fall Deadline
Standard: 6 Dollar
Student： 6 Dollar
2025/12/31
Holiday Deadline
Standard: 7 Dollar
Student： 7 Dollar
2026/01/31
New Year's Deadline
Standard: 8 Dollar
Student： 8 Dollar
2026/02/28
Valentine's Deadline
Standard: 9 Dollar
Student： 9 Dollar
2026/03/31
Spring Deadline
Standard: 10 Dollar
Student： 10 Dollar
2026/04/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 12 Dollar
Student： 12 Dollar
2026/05/31
Final Deadline
Standard: 14 Dollar
Student： 14 Dollar
2026/06/30
Extended Deadline
Standard: 16 Dollar
Student： 16 Dollar
2025/10/31
Early Deadline
Standard: 16 Dollar
Student： 16 Dollar
2025/11/30
Fall Deadline
Standard: 4 Dollar
Student： 4 Dollar
2025/12/31
Holiday Deadline
Standard: 5 Dollar
Student： 5 Dollar
2026/01/31
New Year's Deadline
Standard: 6 Dollar
Student： 6 Dollar
2026/02/28
Valentine's Deadline
Standard: 7 Dollar
Student： 7 Dollar
2026/03/31
Spring Deadline
Standard: 8 Dollar
Student： 8 Dollar
2026/04/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 9 Dollar
Student： 9 Dollar
2026/05/31
Final Deadline
Standard: 10 Dollar
Student： 10 Dollar
2026/06/30
Extended Deadline
Standard: 12 Dollar
Student： 12 Dollar
2025/10/31
Early Deadline
Standard: 20 Dollar
Student： 20 Dollar
2025/11/30
Fall Deadline
Standard: 6 Dollar
Student： 6 Dollar
2025/12/31
Holiday Deadline
Standard: 7 Dollar
Student： 7 Dollar
2026/01/31
New Year's Deadline
Standard: 8 Dollar
Student： 8 Dollar
2026/02/28
Valentine's Deadline
Standard: 9 Dollar
Student： 9 Dollar
2026/03/31
Spring Deadline
Standard: 10 Dollar
Student： 10 Dollar
2026/04/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 12 Dollar
Student： 12 Dollar
2026/05/31
Final Deadline
Standard: 14 Dollar
Student： 14 Dollar
2026/06/30
Extended Deadline
Standard: 16 Dollar
Student： 16 Dollar
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