Bref International Short Film Festival

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1. The festival is structured in the following categories:

- International Short Film Competition: the competition is open to all short films (we accept animation, live-action and documentary, with no limitations on themes or genres).
- Midnight Program: dedicated to horror and fantastic cinema.
- Kids: a family-friendly program.
- Resistance Program: dedicated to films whose main subject revolves around the theme of resistance (this can be represented in various ways, including human and civil rights, feminism, antifascism, resilience, antispecism, and so on).
- Ciné-passage: dedicated to Francophone cinema.
- Super Bref: dedicated to short films with a runtime of less than 5 minutes.
- National program: dedicated to Italian short films

All short films must run up to 30 minutes, except for those in the Super Bref program. All films must be produced AFTER January 2026, expect for the Resistance program where all films produced after January 2025 might submit if the film is related to the theme.

Selected films will be included in one of these categories, according to the decision of the selection committee. You only need to submit your film to one category; if it qualifies for others, we will consider it automatically. If your film is selected for a different category, we will notify you and request your approval before finalizing the selection.

All sections are competitive and eligible for the awards specified in the "Awards & Prizes" section.

2. The festival aims to showcase high-quality films able to tell stories with significant social and cultural value. Eligible films must relate in some way to the following genres and themes: fictional or documentary short films, animated short films, experimental films, and works dealing with topics such as resistance, politics, feminism, antifascism, antispecism, and more.

3. Each author is responsible for the content of their work.

4. If the film’s dialogues are not in Italian, it must include Italian or English subtitles. If Italian subtitles are not available, in case of selection, it is mandatory to provide the festival with an .srt file of the English subtitles and/or a time-coded dialogue list, along with a low-resolution file of the film. This will allow the festival to create the Italian subtitles.

(IMPORTANT: The low-resolution file used for subtitling must be identical to the screening copy).

PLEASE don't change your screener password once submitted.

PLEASE submit your film using a Vimeo link, we often have problems watching films submitted using FilmFreeway streaming service.

5. In case of selection, we will contact participants privately to request all required materials for marketing, subtitling, and screening purposes.
The screening copy of the films must be provided to the festival at least three weeks before the event begins, either via digital download or shipment.

Accepted formats: H264
If a physical shipment is required, the festival will cover shipping costs both ways, unless the package is to be sent directly to another festival after the Bref International Short Film Festival. In such cases, the recipient must cover the shipping costs.

6. Once selected, a film cannot be withdrawn from the competition.

7. Selected films that fail to provide the requested materials and documentation, or provide them after the specified deadlines, may be excluded from the selection.

8. The festival will not handle the shipment of trophies or awards if the winners are unable to attend the award ceremony.

9. The festival will not pay screening fees to the authors/distributors of selected films in competition.

10. Applying for participation in the Bref International Short Film Festival constitutes full and unconditional acceptance of these regulations.