Pentedattilo Film Festival is one of the most important Festival for Short Movies in Southern Italy.
Pentedattilo Film Festival is held every year in the ancient ghost town of Pentedattilo, near Reggio Calabria. The village, defined by the nineteenth-century traveler Edward Lear "The strangest human dwelling place" is perched on a strange rock shaped as a giant hand, and it has recently experienced a cultural recovery that has made it one of the most significant destination for the spread of international short films.
You have to see it to believe it: a small town still injured by the abandonment, that gets filled with words, ideas images.
Every year Pentedattilo Film Festival opens to those insatiable travellers who explore unusual borders, dedicating them a 5 full time days of screenings, seminars, films, special events.

The PFF, born in 2006 in the ghost town of Pentedattilo, Italy, by a group of young filmmakers and promoted by Ram Film, aims to give visibility to the most recent production of short films and to foster ideas and artistic exchanges; whereas the awards are an encouragement to the authors who invade each year a place that represents an emblem of change and creative sharing.
It is actually during the days of the festival that the ghost town of Pentedattilo turns back to life: the sole source of light in the steep narrow streets is the light of the short films screened in the old houses.
We fill the ancient farmhouses, the small squares, the open spaces with the stories of hundreds short movies.
We annually recover an abandoned town to let it become a symbol of a virtuous union between cinema and territory.

Territory on the Move
Best Short Film € 250,00
PFF TROPHY

Animation Award
Best Animation Short Movie € 250,00
PFF TROPHY

Thriller
Best Thriller Short Film € 250,00
PFF TROPHY

Comedy
Best Comedy Short Film € 250.00
PFF TROPHY

Music Video
Best Music Video € 250,00
PFF TROPHY
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- Best Director
- Best Actress
- Best Actor
- Best Screenplay
- Best Cinematography
- Best Sound
- Best Soundtrack
- Honorable Mention

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GENERAL RULES

1) Short Films must have been completed after January 1, 2020

2) Short Films already submitted to previous PFF editions will not be accepted.

3) The Festival is divided into five sections, including:

Territorio in movimento (Territory on the move) – international short films competition without limitations about the topic. These works may last no longer than 30 minutes.

Animazione (Animation) – international animated short films competition. These works may last no longer than 30 minutes.

Thriller – international thriller short films competition. These works may last no longer than 30 minutes.

Comedy - international comedy short films competition. These works may last no longer than 30 minutes.

Music Video - international music video competition. These works may last no longer than 10 minutes.

4) Juries and Awards:

The jury panel of industry professionals (whose names will be forwarded at the deadline on the festival website) will award the following prizes:

Territory on the Move
Best Short Film € 250
PFF TROPHY

Animation Award
Best Animation Short Film € 250
PFF TROPHY

Thriller
Best Thriller Short Film € 250
PFF TROPHY

Comedy
Best Comedy Short Film € 250
PFF TROPHY

Music Video
Best Music Video € 250
PFF TROPHY

5) Fee
To submit your short there is a small fee:

Earlybird Deadline > December 31, 2022 $12,00
Regular Deadline > February 28, 2023 $15,00
Late Deadline > April 30, 2023 $18,00

6) How to Subscribe

Is mandatory the online entries submitted via FilmFreeway.com, which provides cost-saving, paperless submission to film festivals around the world. There’s no extra cost to you, and by submitting, you’ll join FilmFreeway’s global filmmaker community and stay in the loop about international exhibition opportunities. Go directly to www.pentedattilofilmfestival.net, or to FilmFreeway.com and search Pentedattilo Film Festival.
Don't print anything, don’t send us a DVD: we are a green festival!
Send us an online video, follow the instructions on FilmFreeway.com (through FilmFreeway you can also link a vimeo video with private password).
Ordinary mail with DVD will be not accepted.

7) Italian subtitles are not required but recommended, English subtitles are required.
If you will be selected, dialogue lists in English are due to be sent.

8) Selection
The short films will be selected by pre-selection committee of the festival. Selected authors will be notified by e-mail. If you will be selected, we prefer to download through Vimeo or others a private link of your movie. In alternative, you can send us a Quicktime (H.264) .mov or (H.264) .mp4 movie file 1920x1080p (Pal 25p or Ntsc 23.98p, 23.976p, 29.97p, 30p or 24p) or 2K - 4K H.264 or H.265 (HEVC) to pentedattilo@gmail.com

About Digital Cinema Package (DCP): if we need DCP for screening, we'll ask you by e-mail.

TERMS AND CONDITION

1) The decision of the Selection Committee is final. The Jury's decision is final.

2) The Pentedattilo Film Festival will provide free for the selected author (maximum of two representatives for each short) accommodation in the hostels Youth Pentedattilo. The participating will afford only for their travel costs. Furthermore, the authors or representatives of the short film selected can attend free of charge seminars film planned for the Pentedattilo Film Festival 2020.

3) The presence of the winners at the awards ceremony during the closing night of the festival is mandatory to the acquisition of prize money. Any delegation shall be allowed by the artistic direction of the Festival. In the absence of parties or delegates, the corresponding cash prizes will be allocated to the prize pool of the next edition.

4) After the submission deadline, on the website will be published the jury composition, screening times and selection calendar, all the information about the events to promote the Festival and the short films selected.

5) The competitors declare themselves the holders of all rights of use and copyright of the short film, relieving the organizers of the Film Festival from any claim made by third parties. They also declare that the contents of the short film do not violate any applicable law.

6) It is strictly forbidden to send short films with defamatory, racist, pornographic or extremely violent contents.

7) By submitting the entry form, participants authorize the Ram Film to the processing of personal data and information relating to the works submitted, solely for purposes related to the promotion and the conduct of Pentedattilo Film Festival. They also authorize the organizers to the screening of the short movie without any payment at Pentedattilo Film Festival 2020, for up to three projections, and the use of photos, video and data extract (max. 60 seconds) for the promotion of Pentedattilo Film Festival.

8) Films will be returned or destroyed only if requested by the submitter in writing, and return of films will only be made if a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope is provided.

9) The submission of the entry form implies full and unconditional acceptance of the Rules of the festival.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Matt Willis-Jones

    We were of course delighted to win Best Quarantine film - it's just a pity we were not able to attend what appears to be a delightful festival in an idyllic location!

    August 2022
  • Very good networking team and a professional festival of it's kind! hope to see you again! :)

    November 2019
  • I loved Pentedattilo and I’m so gratified to have screened my short THE PRINCE OF OLD HAVANA in 2017 in Pentedattilo — a truly magical and rugged ghost town filled with gorgeous sea vistas, great food and awesome people.

    My life has been consumed for the last four-and-a-half years with the making of my zero-budget feature length film WHEN IT RAINS (83 mins.) so it’s been tunnel vision for me and our Ciboney post production team. But we’re wrapping, thankfully, 134 multi-talented, multi-hatted cast and crew later, and “normal” life can resume. Thanks Emanuel and Alessia for hosting me — I had the most fun and the best memories ever from my experience in Reggio Calabria, Pentedattilo Internacional Film Festival. Grazie 😊 Migdia Skarsgård Chinea

    November 2019
  • Thank you so much for selected my music video "I want to Assassinate". This experience has been something very precious to me. Best wishes for your future success!

    October 2019
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for submitting your movie, we can't wait to see your future work!

  • PFF was really good. We sure want to be part of it again. Cheers.

    September 2019
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Welket, we were glad to screen your movie!