Salento International Film Festival is a cinematographic event held in the Salento region, in the south-east of Italy. This festival is dedicated to the promotion and celebration of cinema as an art form and as a vehicle for social change. Its deep-rooted connection with the culture of film appreciation indicates a deep commitment to recognizing and valuing cinema as an expressive and reflective medium. As an international showcase, the festival offers a stage to films from different parts of the world, highlighting the diversity and innovation present in the global film industry. This allows audiences to discover vibrant and thought-provoking cinematic works that might not otherwise be easily accessible.

Furthermore, the Salento International Film Festival's approach as a significant force for social change suggests that the selected films not only entertain, but also address important issues and promote social awareness. Cinema, in this context, becomes a powerful tool to spark reflections and discussions on society, culture and global issues.

In summary, the Salento International Film Festival represents a unique opportunity to explore the richness of contemporary cinema, embracing the diversity of cinematic voices and recognizing the potential of cinema as a tool for change and artistic expression.

Best Feature Film
Best Soundtrack
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Documentary
Best Short-Film: International Short | Italian Short | Women in Cinema

Art. 1
The 21th Edition of the Salento International Film Festival (SIFF) will take place from September 10 to 15, 2024 in the cozy and welcoming town of Tricase , Salento Apulia. The main aim of the Festival founded by Luigi Campanile in 2004 is to celebrate films and filmmakers, to promote international independent films, in recognition of the fact that movies are the most powerful form of cultural communication and link between cultures and peoples.

Art. 2
SIFF FEST 2024 will include the following sections:
- World Cinema - International Feature Competition
- The World in Short - International Short Film Competition
- Italy in Short - Italian Short Film Competition
- Women in Cinema - International Competition of short films directed by women
- A Window on the World - International Documentary Competition
- Special Events and Tribute
- Salento Award Show

Art. 3
Section World Cinema - Competition
Reserved for 8/10 international films. Priority will be given to films never shown in Italy, in other festivals or out of the European country of origin. The films will be judged by a Popular Jury based on their verdicts, the following awards will be assigned,
- Salento Cinema Award for Best Feature Film
- Salento Cinema Award for Best Actor
- Salento Cinema Award for Best Actress
- Salento Cinema Award for Best Short-Film | Int'l Short | Italian Short | Women in Cinema Short
- Salento Cinema Award for Best Documentary

Art. 4
Section SIFF - Tribute & Retrospective
SIFF 2024 pays homage to the art of one of the greatest Italian or international actor.

Art. 5
The movies of all sections will be selected by the Artistic Director Luigi Campanile, who will choose the dates for the films to be screened at the Festival.

2. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Art. 6
The movies of the sections mentioned in the previous articles will be presented in original version with Italian and english subtitles. The Italian movies will screen with English subtitles. All costs of the selected features pertaining to the subtitling operations into Italian, of the selected features will be covered by the participants; Italian films must have English subtitles.

Art. 7
The directors of the films selected will receive an official confirmation of the selection of the film. By signing the official entry form, the films' representatives officially communicate their acceptance to screen their films at the Salento Int'l Film Festival. The formats accepted for the screenings is HD file H264/mp4 and DCP for theater screening. Any other standard will not be accepted.

Art. 8
The following materials are requested for each film to be included in the catalogue:
- film stills (min. 10)
- director's picture
- director's bio-filmography
- short synopsis
- Subtitles with time code in English and Italian SRT format.

All enclosures must be sent by e-mail to info@salentocinema.com in order to be icludeed in the catalogue.

Art.9
If a film is selected for screening, the Festival will contact the entrant by phone, fax, or email for any additional material needed for publication purposes.

Art.10
The producer of the selected film will provide the presence of at least one member of the selected film cast and crew (director, producer, lead actor or actress) at the Festival. The film director and/or producer must attend the Festival and present the film. The Festival will cover accommodation for two nights for all present cast and crew members (1 persons at most), flight and any other expenses will not be covered.

Art.11
Award winners are expected to attend the Festival Closing Ceremony. Award winners are obliged to mention the award as announced, nationally as well as internationally, in all publicity and promotional material.

Art. 12
The Festival is authorised to use excerpts of the selected works (3 minutes maximum), made available by the producers, for promotional purposes.

Art. 13
Rights of the work
By presenting his work, the director / producer / user acknowledges that he/she is granting the rights of its work to the Salento International Film Festival (including trailers / teasers / posters / sequences etc.) for promotional and projection purposes.
To this end, the Salento International Film Festival promotes the works in competition by uploading the trailers / teasers / posters / sequences on the website www.salentofilmfestival.com and on the social media of its relevance, as well as with its partners.

It is understood that with the submission of the work to the Salento International Film Festival the director / producer / holder of work rights cedes the use of the same for the diffusion on streaming platforms, on demand, SVOD and similar SIFF partners and that any emolument or remuneration in money for these benefits remains in the Festival coffers as mediator and / or distributor.
The individual or company presenting the work guarantees that it is authorized to commit the same for screening and accepts this regulation in all its parts.

Art. 14
The screening prints of the selected films must arrive no later than July 15, 2024

Art. 15
Round -trip shipping charges of the selected copies will be paid by the participants.

Art. 16
By signing the entry form, the candidates accept the above rules in full. Any controversy not solvable by the above rules and regulations will be submitted to the Festival Director, whose decision will be final and binding.

Art. 17
The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Salento International Film Festival 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.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Alessandro Salaorni

    Thank you very much for selecting our documentary I MILLE CANCELLI DI FILIPPO (The thousand gates of Filippo). We recommend the Salento International Film Festival to everyone!

    August 2023
  • Tiziana Caminada

    RESPONSE TU THE RESPONSE FROM FESTIVAL:
    I am sorry to have to contradict you.
    The film was already chosen and already announced in the programme when I told you about the 8 screenings in Salento.
    I told you about it spontaneously because I was never asked for an exclusive on the screenings!
    Screenings that were then far from your festival (200 km away).
    You never took it out of the programme and I never 'insisted' that it be there.
    You just withdrew it from the competition because you did not have her exclusive claim.
    And all this without looking at the intrinsic value of the film.
    I didn't react to the fact that it was no longer in the competition, because for me the important thing is that the film is seen, because it is a film for the purpose of social denunciation and active citizenship.
    But even there I was disappointed, because it was scheduled at a difficult time for the audience.
    Even the documentary that followed mine had no audience....
    Regarding the reception of other festivals, as you ask, there have been 3 festivals in the last two years that have given the film a good reception, won prizes and paid expenses.
    They are as follows:
    Life After Oil in 2021,
    Green Monténégro Film Festival (third prize), 2021,
    ApuliaWebFestival, 2022, Green award.
    The first two I was fully expenses paid and the third festival, I was invited to meals and seminars.
    At all three, the reception was warm both on the part of the organisers and the audience.
    Not to mention the contacts with professionals from the world of film and television.
    It was enough to be happy and that is what I missed at your festival.
    To my knowledge, I did not receive any invitations to seminars or even to communal meals at your festival.

    I am sorry if you know of any difficulties, of course cinema is currently going through a big crisis.
    Perhaps many things will have to be changed.
    But the medium matters little, it is the stories you tell that are important.

    Good luck to you!

    Poor reception, no meetings, poor audience.
    Apart from Rosalia, we saw no one from the festival and were offered no opportunity for professional meetings.
    I hope this is only the case this year, but I left this festival with a feeling of having wasted time and money.

    Poca accoglienza, nessun incontro, pubblico scarso.
    A parte Rosalia, non abbiamo visto nessuno del festival e non ci é stata offerta nessuna occasione di incontri professionali.
    Spero che sia così solo quest’anno, ma sono ripartita da questo festival con un sentimento d’aver perso tempo e denaro.

    September 2022
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Dear Tiziana,
    I'm sorry to read your criticism even though you know very well that I had refused the film because for a couple of months you made screenings all over Salento and half of Puglia, but you insisted so much that in the end I gave in with a lot of perplexity. Yes, unfortunately it is true of your film, I was told, that there was no one watching it, but that is not true about the rest of the festival programme.
    I also told you about the crisis that Film festivals are going through in this challenging and changing times, both at an economic level, and especially due to the lack of public at festival as well as all cinemas in general. And despite everything, we did not stop and we completed the 2022 edition with good success of public, especially in the evening. Out of 30 screenings, 19 had an average of 43 spectators for a total of 817 people, I don't think they were too few considering the period.

    I don't know what you expected and I would like to know which festivals you have attended in the last 2 years that have given you hospitality, reimbursed travel, meet distributors, professional meetings, seminars and more.

    We did it before the pandemic, we have 20 years of history behind us and not only in Italy but also in 14 cities around the world.
    I'm sorry you wasted your time and money!

  • Great festival, this is my second time, and I was happy to take part.

    September 2022
  • Great Festival 🎉 Thank you so much to accepted our film JUST LIKE WATER, for the International Short-film Competition 🎥 Warm greetings from Greece 💙

    August 2022
  • Mohammad ferajzadeh

    The Salento Film Festival is one of the most important and successful film festivals in the world.
    I am very happy to have my film at this festival

    September 2021