TARANTO ECO FILM FESTIVAL
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 2026
Taranto (TA) – PUGLIA, ITALIA
1) INTRODUCTION
Ella APS is organizing the fourth edition of TARANTO ECO FILM FESTIVAL, an international film festival to be held in Taranto (TA) in Italy, from the 23th to the 28th of November 2026.
The aim of the festival is to find and publicize films and documentaries that have the shared characteristic on the theme of the relationship between humans and the environments. The TARANTO ECO FILM FESTIVAL lays its foundations for a debate that places cinema at the center of cultural education, broadening the debate internationally and creating a meeting point between Puglia and the rest of the world on the issue of sustainability. TEFF will particularly pay attention to research and experimental works of international and local talents
The Festival also seeks to promote the identity of Puglia and its territory. Puglia is historically a crossing point, of “intersecting identities”, a place with open arms for the meeting of cultures.
2) COMPETITION CATEGORIES
TEFF has two competition categories:
1) OFFICIAL SECTION - TEFF: for full-length documentaries or feature films from all over the world, produced in the last two years.
2) INPuglia SECTION: for short documentaries or short films “shot in Puglia”, in the last three years, with a maximum length of 25 minutes.
Other awards (SCROLLS WITHOUT MONEY):
1) STUDENTS’ AWARD
The jury and the selection committee of TEFF are entitled to award special prizes or special mentions to films of particular value.
Only films participating in the Official Section can compete, with no distinction on nationality, for the competition category prizes (“Other awards”).
All prices will be awarded to the director of the films.
4) SELECTION COMMITTEE and JURY
The TEFF selection committee decides on the works to be presented at the Festival.
The jury will be made up of well-known experts from the cultural and film world.
The Festival organizers will appoint the official jury members who will assign the prizes for the competition categories.
The decisions of the selection committee and the jury are final.
The selection committee decides the number of audiovisual works chosen for the official screening.
If a film is selected, the Festival organization will officially notify the participants by email.
The films chosen will be posted online on the Festival website www.teff.vision.
In cases of dispute, the final decision will be made by the Festival organization.
5) ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS
The audiovisual works can be registered electronically through the on-line platform FILM FREEWAY
https://www.filmfreeway.com):
https://filmfreeway.com/TarantoEcoFilmFestival
SUBMISSION DEADLINES:
• OPENING DATE: 16 March 2026
• DEADLINE: 1 October 2026
• NOTIFICATION DATE: 27 October 2026
For this year registration is free.
The deadline for submissions is 1 October 2026 (23.59 – local time).
All the audiovisual works for the Official Section and the INPuglia Section must have been completed after 1 January 2022.
All genres are accepted.
There is no premiere policy.
Each director can submit a maximum of three audiovisual works.
In order to be considered for the Festival all the audiovisual works must be subtitled in English.
Participants must send final format of the film (as indicated below in “Requirements for screening”) to be shown at the Festival. No exceptions will be made.
Through Film Freeway the participants shall provide when subscribing the film:
1. Plot summary.
2. Photo of the director and a short bio.
3. Official copy of the audiovisual in high resolution (Apple ProRes; H264; .mov).
4. All foreign (non Italian) audiovisuals selected for official screening MUST be subtitled in Italian.
5. All Italian audiovisuals selected for official screening MUST be subtitled in English.
6. Digital press-kit.
7. Any other promotional materials.
6) GENERAL CONDITIONS
The Festival reserves the right to complete any information not provided by the participant, using any available source, and will not be responsible if incorrect information is given.
The TEFF reserves the right to add, modify, change, or cancel parts of the regulations at any time without prior notification.
The TEFF will provide the best possible screening quality but will not be responsible for any inevitable technical problem related to the quality of the screening. There will be no refunds of any kind in the above cases.
If selected for screening, the participants unreservedly grant the Festival the right to use scenes, stills and/or titles, and any additional information for promotional purposes.
Once selected for official screening, the audiovisuals cannot be withdrawn from their category.
The Festival organization reserves the right to modify or suspend the event.
The Festival organization has the right to assess individually and to take into consideration all cases not present in the Call for Submissions.
Participation in TEFF means that the Call for Submissions has been understood and accepted in all its parts.
The Festival organization declares that personal data will be used in accordance with D.Lgs. n° 196/2003 and subsequent modifications and that the data will be processed for the purposes of the Competition.
