Vertical Movie

VerticalMovie Festival 2026

9th Edition – International Call for Entries

🏆 Main Award
The overall winner of the VerticalMovie Festival will receive a professional digital cinema camera Canon EOS C50 (value €3,800), offered by Canon, the festival’s Technical Sponsor.

🎬 VerticalMovie+ — the platform The festival doesn't end with the screening.

VerticalMovie is about to launch VerticalMovie+, the first streaming platform dedicated to author-driven vertical cinema. Your work can keep living and reach audiences across 100+ countries. Participation is entirely optional and revocable at any time, and any revenue the platform generates will be shared with authors as royalties.

The VerticalMovie Festival is an international film festival dedicated to the exploration and promotion of vertical cinema (9:16 format).

The festival celebrates narrative innovation and visual experimentation, inviting filmmakers from around the world to explore the creative potential of vertical storytelling.

It is a meeting point for creativity, technology, and new audiovisual languages, fostering emerging talent and highlighting authors and professionals from the industry.

What’s New in 2026

Vertical Talent – Powered by Canon

Special Out-of-Competition Section

The 2026 edition introduces Vertical Talent – Powered by Canon, a special non-competitive section dedicated to the development of vertical short film projects.

👉 Only for residents in Italy

This program offers a unique opportunity to turn an idea into a real production, working closely with industry professionals and using advanced filmmaking technology.

From Training to Production

* 25 selected projects will access an exclusive online masterclass
* Focus: vertical storytelling & professional use of Canon Cinema EOS C50
* Training led by a Director of Photography (DOP) or industry professional
* Developed in collaboration with Canon

From Theory to Practice

* 5 selected projects will move into production
* Each filmmaker will receive a Canon Cinema EOS C50 (lens + battery included)
* Equipment provided free of charge (loan agreement)

Completed films will be automatically eligible for future editions of the festival.

Participation Conditions

* Submissions open: April 26, 2026
* Project deadline: July 5, 2026
* Equipment usage: up to 3 days
* Production period: July 10– September 10, 2026
* Exclusion period: August 7–16, 2026
* Final delivery: September 30, 2026
* Shooting location: Italy
* Schedule: defined with the organization

⚠️ Equipment is provided completely free of charge, exclusively for production purposes.

📌 This section is non-competitive and does not include awards.