Roma Short Film Festival was founded in 2020 by several Iranian and Italian artists. From the very beginning, the festival’s aim was to act as a bridge: introducing Iranian short films to Italian cinema lovers and showcasing Italian cinema to Iranian film enthusiasts.
Over time, this mission grew and began to encompass a much broader range of countries. The festival started modestly by organizing small screenings in both countries and introducing filmmakers from each side to one another. Gradually, the number of non-Italian filmmakers increased, and the event gained a truly international dimension.
Today, filmmakers from all over the world submit their works to the Roma Short Film Festival, and we continue our efforts to serve as a bridge connecting Asian film audiences with European ones.

The festival aims to create an opportunity for emerging filmmakers. Our goal is to support low budget and underground films that create new experiences and narrate unique stories with limited resources. Understanding how filmmakers around the world work, how young filmmakers get creative to get past the obstacles of production, and how their attempts can lead to a new form of cinema are among the things we care about. We strive to play a small role in the emergence of the new generation in the world of independent filmmaking by helping young filmmakers, actors, cinematographers, editors and producers to be heard and to get their messages across.

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The Roma Short Film Festival, Worldwide
We are proud to announce that the Roma Short Film Festival, through inter-festival connections across the globe, has the opportunity to screen accepted films in a different country each time. This global tour of the Roma Short Film Festival provides filmmakers with the chance to share their works with a broader audience—viewers from all over the world, not just Europe. Our focus is on countries with a more diverse audience. We are thrilled to announce that the films of this edition of the Roma Short Film Festival (June 2025) will be screened in Asia, in the Middle East.

Best Short Film
Best MicroFilm
Best LGBT Film
Best Experimental Film
Best Film in Women Empowerment
Best Animation
Best Student Film
Best First-Time Filmmaker
Best Feature Film
Best Short Documentary
Best Feature Documentary
Best Script
Best Editing
Best Film Score
Best Sci-Fi
Best Horror
Best Thriller
Best Comedy
Best Music Video
Best T.V Series
Best Virtual Reality
Best Dance Film
Best Director
Best Actor/Actress
Best Cinematography
Best DisABILITY Film
Best Film in Religion & Faith
Best Sports Film

Each submission must be accompanied by a submission fee paid in full and a working screener in order to be considered. Once we have all the necessary materials, the submission will be marked “In Consideration”. It is the submitter’s responsibility to make sure that all submission requirements are met. If your film has not been listed “In Consideration” 7 business days after submission, please contact us to find out what is needed to move your film into consideration.

All projects must be submitted via a secure online screener - either as a password-protected Vimeo, link attached to your submission or uploaded directly to FilmFreeway. Online screeners must be available to stream; we do not accept any films that must be downloaded.

All foreign-language films must be submitted with English subtitles. If we discover a foreign-language submission is missing subtitles, we will attempt to email the submitter for an update. If the submitter fails to provide working subtitles by the final submission deadline, the project will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified without refund of submission fees.

Please review all submission categories carefully before submitting your project. All entrants are required to pay the submission fee of their film’s appropriate category. If you believe you have submitted your film to the wrong category, contact us immediately. While we can typically facilitate a change in category, the entrant will be responsible for any changes in submission fees. We cannot offer partial refunds for categories with a smaller fee. If the new category has a higher fee, the entrant is responsible for paying the difference.

Incomplete projects must be clearly listed as such. Films should be marked as either a “Rough Cut” or “Work In Progress/WIP”. All incomplete materials or changes to be made should be clearly indicated (ex: temporary score, missing VFX, no color correction) both in your cover letter and the film cut itself (ideally as a title card at the start of the film).

The submitter may update their screener up until the final deadline, as long as the link and password for the submission remain the same. Anyway, you should not submit your project if it is not complete enough to adequately represent the final product.

By entering your film for consideration to the Roma Short Film Festival, you authorize that your work is cleared for festival exhibition and accept full legal responsibility for the intellectual property therein. The submitter and all filmmakers associated with the project shall indemnify and hold harmless the Roma Short Film Festival Short Films Main Competition and any representative or affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

All films under 45 minutes in length are considered short films and all submissions are fairly considered by a broad team of programmers and the date of entry bears no relation to the selection decision.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Zac La Roc

    Salute to Roma! Great festiva with solid communication and a powerhouse lineup.

    April 2026
  • Kirene Bolsen-Long

    Thank-you for the oppotunity to present both of our films with you! Thank you for the honors.

    February 2026
  • Gianni Falbo

    A prestigious and well-organized festival with excellent communication and a genuine respect for filmmakers. Being selected with Il Rosso e Il Nero was an honor, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a high-quality cinematic platform.

    January 2026
  • Great communication. Lovely interaction. I was in good company. Thank you!

    December 2025
  • Roma Short Film Festival and Roma Cinephilia delivered an outstanding experience from start to finish. Communication was clear, timely, and thoughtful throughout the process, and the team demonstrated genuine care for both the filmmakers and the work itself.

    The accompanying review published by Roma Cinephilia was especially impressive — insightful, articulate, and deeply engaged with the film’s themes, symbolism, and emotional core. It’s rare to encounter a festival and publication that approach a project with such sensitivity, intelligence, and respect for artistic intent.

    Hospitality and professionalism were evident at every stage, and the festival’s commitment to meaningful curation and filmmaker support truly stands out. Roma Short Film Festival is a wonderful platform for artists working in poetic, experimental, and spiritually resonant cinema, and I’m honored to have been included.

    I would highly recommend Roma Short Film Festival to fellow filmmakers and look forward to engaging with them again in the future.

    December 2025