DIFF 2026 - Call for Entries - ENG | Dorico International Film Fest

ENGLISH VERSION
Per la Versione Italiana CLICCA QUI

Submissions are now open for the National and International Short Film Competitions of the 23rd edition of Dorico International Film Fest

OFFICIAL TERMS AND REGULATIONS

Organizers

Dorico International Film Fest is a film festival co-organized by the Nie Wiem Association and the Municipality of Ancona with the support of the Marche Region and the Italian Ministry of Culture, as well as more than 30 further public and private partners.

Dorico International Film Fest is a member of AFIC – Associazione Italiana Festival Cinematografici. The 23nd Dorico International Film Fest will be held in Ancona from Dec. 2 to Dec. 8, 2026.

SHORT FILM COMPETITIONS

Established in 2004, Dorico IFF is co-directed by Daniele Ciprì and Luca Caprara, and aims to highlight and promote the varied and ever-changing universe of short films and their authors. The Festival’s mission is to research, promote and support new artistic views, poetics and visions. From narrative to experimental cinema, from documentary to animation, filmmaking for Dorico International Film Fest is cinema without discrimination of genre or format.

Active for more than 20 years now, it has consolidated over time as one of the best-known and most appreciated Italian festivals for both filmmakers and cinema-loving audiences, with as many as 7 days of programming each year (and many activities spread throughout the calendar year), made up of screenings of short and feature films, international guests and collaborations, activities with schools and universities, workshops, masterclasses, live performances and much more.

Part of the Festival’s official program for 2026 will be 6 competitive sections:

1) Corto Dorico – National Short Film Competition.
Organized since 2004, it is among the most renowned and respected short film competitions in Italy, and one of the most loved by the authors and most followed by the public. Reserved for short films by directors born and/or resident or domiciled in Italy, and for short films shot in the Italian language. Total prize money: €4,500.

2) Short on Rights – International Competition for Short Films on Human Rights.
Created in 2019, held annually with the collaboration of Amnesty International Italy. Reserved for short films of non-Italian production that deal with human rights issues.
Main Prize: €1,000.00 Young Jury Prize: € 250,00.

3) shortTEEN – International Short Film Competition for Children and Teenagers (ages 10–18).
Established in 2024, the competition is open to short films of all nationalities and genres, provided they are either created for a young audience and/or produced with the active involvement of children and teenagers.

The competition is divided into three distinct sections:

A) International Competition for short films suitable for children or teenage audiences (ages 10–18);

B) International Schools Competition, reserved for school projects from primary or secondary schools (lower and upper), as well as film schools for children and teenagers;

C) International Youth Competition, reserved for directors aged between 13 and 18 years old.

Total prize money: € 750,00.

4) Dorico Virtuale – International VR Short Film Competition.
Established in 2024, reserved for short films of all nationalities and genres, made with VR technologies in the VR 360 format.
Main Prize: €500.

5) Adriatic Award – International Competition for Short Films from Slovenia.
Adriatic Award is the section of Dorico IFF dedicated to short films from the Adriatic area. Established in 2022, its focus in 2026 will be on short films from Slovenia. Reserved for short films by Slovenian directors and/or in Slovenian language and/or Slovenian productions or co-productions.
Main prize: €500.

6) Dorico Altrove – International Competition for Short Films from Brazil.
Dorico Altrove is the section of Dorico IFF dedicated to short films from “far away” countries. Established in 2023, its focus in 2026 will be on the best short films from Brazil. Reserved for short films by Brazilian directors and/or in Brazilian-Portuguese language and/or Brazilian productions or co-productions. Main Prize: €500.

1) CORTO DORICO SHORT FILM COMPETITION – NATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

Conditions for participation

Each author may compete with a maximum of two short films.
Short films by authors residing or domiciled in Italy (Italian or foreign), or also Italian citizens residing or domiciled abroad (including works in a foreign language) are eligible for the competition. Lastly, short films by foreign citizens residing or domiciled abroad can participate, provided that the films are in the original Italian language.
Films admitted to the competition must meet the following requirements in order not to be excluded:

Have a duration of no more than 30 minutes including titles;
Have been completed after January 1st, 2025;
Have not already been selected in previous editions of the Dorico International Film Fest competitions;
Do not constitute advertising or industrial films.

In case of exclusion from the competition due to non-compliance with requirements (a), (b), (c), and (d), the entry fee in Article 4 below will not be refunded.

4. Participation in the competition requires an entry fee of:

– €6.00 (six euro/00) for the Earlybird Deadline
– €10.00 (ten euro/00) for the Regular Deadline
– €20.00 (twenty euro/00) for the Late Deadline

The fee allows the submission of up to 2 (two) short films and does not vary if you decide to submit only one film.If a producer and/or distributor submits the film(s), he/she will be required to pay as many fees as there are films entered, if they are each by different directors. In case the producer and/or distributor submits more than one short film by the same director (respecting the maximum limit of two films for each individual author), he/she may avail himself/herself of paying only one fee per pair of films.

In order to submit the second short film by the same director free of charge, it will be necessary to submit the first short film through the FilmFreeway platform and then contact submissions@cortodorico.it to request a fee waiver for the second short film. Under no circumstances can this process be done automatically by the FilmFreeway platform. Fees for which fee waiver codes have not been requested via email in the manner specified in these regulations will not be refunded.

2) SHORT ON RIGHTS COMPETITION – INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (NOT FOR ITALIAN FILMS)

Conditions for participation

Each author may compete with a maximum of two short films.
Short films by authors of any nationality and language are admitted to the competition as long as they are not Italian (the CORTO DORICO NATIONAL COMPETITION is dedicated to authors of Italian nationality / language). The short films admitted to the competition can be of any genre, as long as they deal, even in unconventional ways or forms, with themes related to human rights, their violation and/or their upholding, according to what is guaranteed to each individual by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Short films submitted into the competition must meet the following requirements in order not to be excluded:

Have a duration of no more than 30 minutes including titles;
Have been completed after January 1st, 2025;
Have not already been selected in previous editions of the Dorico International Film Fest competitions;
Do not constitute advertising or industrial films.

In case of exclusion from the competition due to non-compliance with requirements (a), (b), (c), and (d), the entry fee in Article 4 below will not be refunded.

4. Participation in the competition requires an entry fee of:

– €6.00 (six euro/00) for the Earlybird Deadline
– €10.00 (ten euro/00) for the Regular Deadline
– €20.00 (twenty euro/00) for the Late Deadline

3A) shorTEEN COMPETITION – INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR SHORT FILMS FOR KIDS AND TEENAGERS (10-18 YEARS OLD)

Conditions for participation

Each author may compete with a maximum of two short films.
Short films of any genre and nationality are admitted to the competition, provided they may be suitable for an audience in the pre-teen and teenage age group (10-18 years old).
Short films submitted into the competition must meet the following requirements in order not to be excluded:

Have a duration of no more than 30 minutes including titles;
Have been completed after January 1st, 2025;
Have not already been selected in previous editions of the Dorico International Film Fest competitions;
Do not constitute advertising or industrial films.

In case of exclusion from the competition due to non-compliance with requirements (a), (b), (c), and (d), the entry fee in Article 4 below will not be refunded.

4. Participation in the competition requires an entry fee of:

– €6.00 (six euro/00) for the Earlybird Deadline
– €10.00 (ten euro/00) for the Regular Deadline
– €20.00 (twenty euro/00) for the Late Deadline

The fee allows the submission of up to 2 (two) short films and does not vary if you decide to submit only one film. If a producer and/or distributor submits the film(s), he/she will be required to pay as many fees as there are films entered, if they are each by different directors. In case the producer and/or distributor submits more than one short film by the same director (respecting the maximum limit of two films for each individual author), he/she may avail himself/herself of paying only one fee per pair of films.

3B) shorTEEN COMPETITION FOR SCHOOL PROJECTS (PRIMARY SCHOOLS, SECONDARY SCHOOLS, FILM SCHOOLS FOR KIDS AND TEENS (10-18 YEARS OLD))

Conditions for participation

Each author may compete with a maximum of two short films.
Short films of any genre and nationality are admitted to the competition, provided they were made by primary and secondary school children as part of film-related projects, as well as by private film schools aimed at young filmmakers (aged 10 to 18 years old);
Short films submitted into the competition must meet the following requirements in order not to be excluded:

Have a duration of no more than 30 minutes including titles;
Have been completed after January 1st, 2025;
Have not already been selected in previous editions of the Dorico International Film Fest competitions;
Do not constitute advertising or industrial films.

In case of exclusion from the competition due to non-compliance with requirements (a), (b), (c), and (d), the entry fee in Article 4 below will not be refunded.

4. Participation in the competition requires an entry fee of:

When submitting a film, the submitter must provide the name of the school that produced the project and the name of at least one supervising teacher and/or tutor.

3C) shorTEEN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR SHORT FILMS MADE BY YOUNG FILMMAKERS (AGED 13 TO 18 YEARS OLD)

Conditions for participation

Each author may compete with a maximum of two short films.
Short films of any genre and nationality are admitted to the competition, provided they are directed or co-directed by young filmmakers aged between 13 and 18.
Short films submitted into the competition must meet the following requirements in order not to be excluded:

Have a duration of no more than 30 minutes including titles;
Have been completed after January 1st, 2025;
Have not already been selected in previous editions of the Dorico International Film Fest competitions;
Do not constitute advertising or industrial films.

In case of exclusion from the competition due to non-compliance with requirements (a), (b), (c), and (d), the entry fee in Article 4 below will not be refunded.

4. Participation in the competition requires an entry fee of:

When submitting a film, the submitter must indicate the age of the director or co-director of the short film, and the biography field must be properly completed in order to verify their age.

4) DORICO VIRTUALE COMPETITION – INTERNATIONAL VR 360 SHORT FILM COMPETITION

Conditions for participation

Each author may compete with a maximum of two short films.
Short films of any genre and nationality are eligible for the competition, as long as they are made in the VR 360 format.
Short films submitted into the competition must meet the following requirements in order not to be excluded:

Have a duration of no more than 30 minutes including titles;
Have been completed after January 1st, 2025;
Have not already been selected in previous editions of the Dorico International Film Fest competitions;
Do not constitute advertising or industrial films.

In case of exclusion from the competition due to non-compliance with requirements (a), (b), (c), and (d), the entry fee in Article 4 below will not be refunded.

4. Participation in the competition requires an entry fee of:

– €6.00 (six euro/00) for the Earlybird Deadline
– €10.00 (ten euro/00) for the Regular Deadline
– €20.00 (twenty euro/00) for the Late Deadline

5) ADRIATIC AWARD COMPETITION – INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR SHORT FILMS FROM SLOVENIA

Conditions for participation

Each author may compete with a maximum of two short films.
Short films by authors born, residing and/or domiciled in Slovenia (Slovenian or foreign), or also Slovenian citizens residing or domiciled abroad (including films in languages other than Slovenian) are eligible for the competition. Finally, films by non-Slovenian citizens residing or domiciled elsewhere may participate, provided that the films are in the Slovenian language, and/or the film appears to be a Slovenian production or co-production.
Short films submitted into the competition must meet the following requirements in order not to be excluded:

Have a duration of no more than 30 minutes including titles;
Have been completed after January 1st, 2025;
Have not already been selected from previous editions of the Dorico International Film Fest competitions;
Do not constitute advertising or industrial films.

In case of exclusion from the competition due to non-compliance with requirements (a), (b), (c), and (d), the entry fee in Article 4 below will not be refunded.

4. Participation in the competition requires an entry fee of:

– €6.00 (six euro/00) for the Earlybird Deadline
– €10.00 (ten euro/00) for the Regular Deadline
– €20.00 (twenty euro/00) for the Late Deadline

6) DORICO ALTROVE – INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR SHORT FILMS FROM BRAZIL

Conditions for participation

Each author may compete with a maximum of two short films.
Short films by authors born, residing or domiciled in Brazil (Brazilian or foreign), or Brazilian citizens residing or domiciled abroad (including works in languages other than Brazilian-Portuguese) are eligible for the competition. Finally, works by non-Brazilian nationals residing or domiciled elsewhere may be submitted, as long as the films are in the Brazilian-Portuguese language, and/or the film appears to be a Brazilian production or co-production.
Short films submitted into the competition must meet the following requirements in order not to be excluded:

Have a duration of no more than 30 minutes including titles;
Have been completed after January 1st, 2025;
Have not already been selected from previous editions of the Dorico International Film Fest competitions;
Do not constitute advertising or industrial films.

In case of exclusion from the competition due to non-compliance with requirements (a), (b), (c), and (d), the entry fee in Article 4 below will not be refunded.

4. Participation in the competition requires an entry fee of:

– €6.00 (six euro/00) for the Earlybird Deadline
– €10.00 (ten euro/00) for the Regular Deadline
– €20.00 (twenty euro/00) for the Late Deadline

Conditions for Submission and Deadlines

All entries for each competition must be submitted from MARCH 31st, 2026 via the following online entry platform, where payment of the entry fee can also be made:

https://filmfreeway.com/Dorico_International_Film_Fest

Earlybird Deadline: no later than midnight on APRIL 30th, 2026

Regular Deadline: no later than midnight on SEPTEMBER 14th, 2026

Late Deadline: no later than midnight on OCTOBER 5th, 2026

Upon registration, it is required to fill in all the fields provided in the form (contact information, bio, synopsis, film photos, director’s photo, etc.).
Films entered in the National Short Film Competition CORTO DORICO in languages other than Italian always require subtitling in Italian.
Films entered in the SHORT ON RIGHTS, shorTEEN, DORICO VIRTUALE, ADRIATIC AWARD, and DORICO ALTROVE International Competitions must always have English and/or Italian-language subtitles available
Accepted formats: mp4 / Quicktime Apple ProRes HQ / H264.

General Terms

Film received as incomplete or illegible will not be considered.
The submitter of each film declares that he/she is the owner of all rights of use of the film and each of its components; he/she assures that its contents are within his/her disposal and do not violate the laws or regulations in force or the rights of third parties and in particular copyright, image rights, distinctive signs and patents for industrial inventions; he/she also assures and declares that the film does not have contents of a defamatory nature. In any case, the participant indemnifies the organization from all losses, damages, liabilities, costs, charges and/or expenses of any nature that may be incurred as a result of the content of the film and its public screening.
Submitted films will not be returned and will be part of the archival holdings of the Festival Organization. They may be shown for non-profit cultural and educational purposes. The Organization reserves the right to use the material received for any subsequent events with the obligation to cite the source and inform the authors or rights holders in advance.
Payment of prize money will be made within 120 days after the conclusion of the event.

AWARDS FOR THE 2026 EDITION

From all the short films received, the Selecting Committees will select a small number of finalist films for each competition to be screened on the Festival days of December 2-8, 2026.
The Selecting Committees of the CORTO DORICO and SHORT ON RIGHTS competitions will select the “semifinalist” short films that will be screened in the evenings called “Corto Slam.” At the end of each Corto Slam screening, the audience will vote for their favorite short film, and the winning short film of each screening will rightfully enter the final selection of its competition, joining the other finalists already selected. Then, Juries composed of professionals of national and international caliber will choose the winners of the Best Short Film Awards in each competition. These awards will be joined by others decreed by the partners of Dorico International Film Fest.

The total prize money for the 2026 edition will be €8,000.00.

Dorico International Film Fest’s awards will be revealed and presented during the award ceremonies and after the screening of the finalist films.
By tradition of the Dorico International Film Fest, since its first edition, aimed not only to present the works of individual authors but to support opportunities for meeting and confrontation between authors, jurors and audiences throughout the Festival, the finalists of the Corto Dorico section (National Short Film Competition) must be present at the screening and awarding of prizes. The presence of the author or, in exceptional cases, of a delegate who is part of the cast and crew of the selected film, is mandatory for the prize money to be awarded. Lodging and food expenses for the authors of the finalist short film from the section shall be covered by the Festival.
Attendance at the respective award ceremonies for the Short on Rights, shorTEEN, Dorico Virtuale, Adriatic Award, and Dorico Altrove competitions is also highly recommended, and in the case of proven inability of the director or his/her delegate to attend, it is requested that at least a video message be sent by the director accepting the Award he/she has won. Also in these cases, accommodation and food expenses for the authors of the finalist short films in each section will be covered by the Festival.