San Benedetto Film Fest

SAN BENEDETTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
10th Edition – Year 2026
Best Short Film Award: 1,000 Euros

Summary:

Objectives

Dates

Contests and Sections

Jury and Awards

Selection Process

Participation Rules

Deadlines

Screenings

General Rules

Accessibility Note: The San Benedetto International Film Festival is accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Please send entries with Italian subtitles. Accessible subtitles (SDH), if available, are even more appreciated. Thank you.

1. Objectives
The mission of the "San Benedetto Film Festival" board is to enhance and implement the Festival by characterizing the event with high-quality, transversal prerogatives. Our ambitious goal is to promote the knowledge and dissemination of cinema at an international level in all its artistic forms. Through cooperation and dialogue, we aim for cinema to serve as a vehicle for knowledge, integration, and reflection on cultural and anthropic codes.

This approach focuses on the search for a global consciousness capable of navigating the complexity of modern society. Like the seaside city it calls home, the festival welcomes and supports new entities, paths, and communicative languages from all over the world, with particular attention to the cinematic poetics of disadvantaged countries and giving a voice to cultural microcosms that would otherwise lack a platform.

2. Dates
The 10th edition of the San Benedetto International Film Festival will take place from August 6 to august 9, 2026.

3. Contests and Sections
DYSTOPIAN FEATURE FILM: Feature film competition (minimum 50 minutes) with a dystopian theme.

SAN BENEDETTO IN CORTO: International short film competition (max 30 minutes). All genres and themes are accepted.

SPECIAL SECTIONS (Thematic areas for short films)
JUNIOR: Audiovisual products intended for children (content and language).

YOUNG ADULT: For audiences aged 12-18, featuring themes typical of this genre.

BRANDED CONTENT: Works designed to consolidate Brand values without explicit advertising. Must not infringe on trademarks (see FilmFreeway rule 8.1).

WEB SERIES: Fiction series (min. 3 episodes) created for the web/mobile. Must have a common theme or characters. Max 23 minutes per episode. (Trailers, demos, and TV pilots are excluded).

MOCKUMENTARY: Fictional events presented with a documentary style (max 30 min). Includes "found footage." No standard documentaries or docu-fictions allowed.

ANIMATION SHORTS: Any technique allowed.

POLITICALLY (in) CORRECT: Our mission is inclusivity. This section is for independent productions that defy "politically correct" clichés or mainstream trends. Irreverence is welcome, provided it does not incite hatred.

EROTIQUE: Exploring the meaning of Eros—passion, desire, and the "intriguing side of love"—through the game of seduction.

I LOVE YOU TO... DEATH: Addressing toxic relationships and violence (physical or psychological). We specifically welcome works exploring male victims of domestic violence to move beyond gender prejudice.

MYSTERY (Giallo): Includes Thriller, Noir, Hard Boiled, Pulp, Gangster, Spy Story, and Police procedurals.

CINE-INQUIRY: Focused on legality, citizenship, and collective memory. Cinema at the service of voices overshadowed by globalization.

4. Jury and Awards
A committee of experts will select the works. Finalists will be notified by July 1, 2026.

Awards:

Best Short Film (€ 1,000)

Best Animated Film

Best Director

Best Cinematography

Best Screenplay

"Alfredo Amabili" Award for Best Actor

Best Actress

Sybila Award (Myths and Legends)

Tenth Muse Award (Cinematic Poetics)

Note: The "Best Foreign Film" award is optional and does not include a cash prize. The € 1,000 cash prize is reserved for the overall "Best Short Film," which can be either Italian or Foreign. If a foreign film wins the cash prize, the specific "Best Foreign Film" award will not be conferred.

5. Selection Process
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Selected films can use the "Official Selection San Benedetto Film Fest 2026" laurel.

FINALISTS: Judges will narrow the selection down to Finalists. These films will be screened publicly during the festival.

WINNERS: Announced during the closing ceremony. Winners (or delegates) must be present to collect awards.

6. Participation Rules
Eligibility: Open to directors and production companies.

Year of Production: Films must be completed after January 1, 2018.

Submission: Via FilmFreeway or FestHome.

Materials: Finalists must provide high-res files (H.264, ProRes), posters, trailers, and a signed release form.

7. Deadlines
All entries must be submitted no later than May 31, 2026.

8. Screenings
Films are screened in their original language.

Non-Italian films MUST have Italian subtitles.

The schedule is managed exclusively by the Festival Direction.

9. General Rules
Entry Fee: € 15.00 per entry (non-refundable).

Location: Palazzina Azzurra (or other locations at the Direction's discretion).

Legal: Submission implies unconditional acceptance of these rules. The Court of Ascoli Piceno has jurisdiction; the Italian version of these regulations is legally binding.

New Awards Descriptions
Sybila Award: Named after local mountain mythology, it rewards films exploring myths, legends, and the "extra-scientific" background of world traditions.

Tenth Muse Award: For films that achieve "poetic narrative" through images—moving beyond technical perfection to touch the "invisible" emotion of cinema.

Best Director: For a "mise en scène" that conveys rhythm, action, and intensity with a vital message.

Best Cinematography: For a point of view that translates lighting and color into an impactful philosophy.

Best Screenplay: For writing that combines technical mastery with social complexity and emotional pathos.