Cittador International Film Festival

1. AWARDS

Feature-length film:
Best INTERNATIONAL Film, Best EUROPEAN Film, Best AUSTRIAN Film
Also:
Best Action Film, Best Animated Film, Best Arthouse Film, Best Comedy Film, Best Coming-of-Age Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Drama Film, Best Environmental Film, Best Experimental Film, Best Family Film, Best Fantasy Film, Best Feminist Film, Best Historical Film, Best Horror Film, Best Inspirational Film, Best LGBTQ+ Film, Best Mystery Film, Best Romance Film, Best Sci-Fi Short, Best Thriller Film

Short film:
Best INTERNATIONAL Short, Best EUROPEAN Short, Best AUSTRIAN Short
Also:
Best Action Short, Best Animated Short, Best Arthouse Short, Best Comedy Short, Best Coming-of-Age Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Drama Short, Best Environmental Short, Best Experimental Short, Best Family Short, Best Fantasy Short, Best Feminist Short, Best Historical Short, Best Horror Short, Best Inspirational Short, Best LGBTQ+ Short, Best Mystery Short, Best Romance Short, Best Sci-Fi Short, Best Thriller Short

SPECIAL AWARDS for feature-length film and short film categories:
- Emerging Director Award
- Remarkable Screenplay Award
- Acting Art Award
- Cinematography Art Award
- Outstanding Editing Award
- Momentous Film Music Award
- Sound Design Art Award

2. JURY STATEMENT
The CIFF jury has made it its task to view each film several times and evaluate it carefully. The result of the evaluation process is a short public jury statement for each award-winning film. Each jury statement will be published on the Cittador Film Festival website and in the Film Festival Catalog. The jury statement can be reused as a quotation for promotional purposes with the source reference.

3. CERTIFICATE & LAURELS
All award-winning feature-length and short films (Best-of-Award and Special Awards) receive a printed Cittador certificate as well as the official CIFF laurel in digital form. The selected films that have received a status other than Best-of-Award or a Special Award will receive a Cittador certificate only in digital form together with the CIFF laurel.
The digital laurels will be sent out after the jury's decision has been announced.
Filmmakers who are unable to receive their printed Cittador certificate in person will receive it by post within one month of the end of the event. All other certificates will be sent by e-mail within one month after the end of the event.

4. INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKERS ON SUBMISSION
When submitting the film, a short written interview about the film with the filmmaker is requested. The questions are already predefined and only need to be answered during the submission process. Interviews with all filmmakers whose films are selected – regardless of award – will be published in our film festival catalogue.
This is a great opportunity for filmmakers to increase their visibility and give their voice in public. It is not just about showing films, but it is also important for us to hear the opinion of the filmmakers, to give space to their thoughts and to share their visions with the audience through an interview that the filmmaker did when submitting the film.

5. FILM FESTIVAL CATALOG
The CIFF film festival catalog includes interviews with filmmakers, details on selected and award-winning films, and the jury's statements on the award-winning films. The jury's statements will be available on the CIFF website until January 5, 2026. Please note that a complimentary author’s copy of the catalog is not provided to filmmakers. However, the catalog can be purchased online through our website.

6. SCREENINGS
The screening will take place from December 14 to 21, 2025, either as a live screening in the cinema or as an online screening. This means that all best-of awarded short films will be shown in the cinema and all best-of feature-length films will be shown online.
The full schedule will be published on the CIFF website.
After the screenings in the cinema, filmmakers, crew, cast members, and film enthusiasts in attendance will be invited to participate in video interviews. These videos will be featured on our website under “Cittador’s Talks” and shared on social media.
Please note that the festival does not cover travel and accommodation costs for attending the screening.

7. LIVE AWARD CEREMONY
The award ceremony will take place live at the Lugner Cinema on December 14, 2025. During the ceremony, the award-winning films will be presented, filmmakers will be invited to make a statement, and the official certificates will be handed out.

Filmmakers are requested to confirm their attendance at the award ceremony via email after the jury’s decision to ensure they are included in the program. Please note that travel and accommodation costs for attending the screening will not be covered by the festival.
Those filmmakers who cannot be present will be asked to send a video message (max. 2 minutes) to be shown during the ceremony.

The first part of the screening will follow immediately after the awards ceremony. As the festival also serves as a networking opportunity for industry professionals, a meet-and-greet will take place after the screening. During the meet-and-greet, filmmakers, team members, and film enthusiasts will be interviewed on video. These videos will be published on the CIFF website under the “Cittador’s Talks” series and shared on social media.

Filmmakers will receive further details about the awards ceremony via email, so we kindly ask you to ensure your contact details remain up to date.