MedFilm Festival

<p>The 2026 official competition awards the Amore e Psiche / Eros and Psyche prize for best film (€2,000), the Special Jury Prize (€1,000), and the Artistic Expression Award. The international short-film competition awards the Methexis Prize (€1,000) and the Cervantes Rome Award for its most innovative film. International juries decide the competitive prizes.</p><p>Special distinctions comprise the Valentina Pedicini Award for a first or second feature or medium-length film across the official competition, out-of-competition programme and The Pearls; a Lifetime Achievement Award; and the Koiné Award for contributions to intercultural exchange. Partner awards include Amnesty International Italia's Human Rights Award, WWF Italia's environmental-film prize (€1,000), the European Commission Representation in Italy's Best Euro-Mediterranean Co-production Award for first and second films (€2,000), and the Institut Français–Centre Saint-Louis Ecumenical Award (€1,500) for a film addressing universal human values.</p><p>MedMeetings industry prizes include the MedPitching Award (€1,000 to a director, with an additional €1,000 for an Italian co-producer when the funding and co-production conditions are met within two years); the MedWIPs OIM Prize (€10,000); and the Stadion Video Prize for DCP creation (€3,500). These are award categories and conditions, without edition winners.</p>

<h3>2026 festival regulations</h3> <p>The 32nd edition takes place in Rome on 5–15 November 2026, in cinemas and online. The regulations set 12 September 2026 as the latest date for announcing changes to dates or venues. The structure comprises the official feature competition, the international short-film competition, MedMeetings industry calls, and non-competitive showcases: The Pearls for independent Italian fiction and documentaries of different lengths; Lux Film Days for European cinema with the European Parliament's Italian office; Glances from the Future for films by students serving on the short-film jury; and Voices from the Jails for works made by or with prisoners or in penitentiary settings. The special geographical focus is unannounced in the regulations.</p> <p>The official competition accepts works from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, completed after 1 January 2025 and lasting at least 40 minutes. The English regulations specify fiction and documentaries. Selected works cannot request screening fees. The festival describes a collaboration with Cineclub Internazionale to secure Italian theatrical exhibition for the edition's most awarded film. The short-film competition accepts works from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries completed after 1 January 2026, with a maximum duration of 30 minutes. Its international jury includes film-school students and prisoners from an Italian penitentiary. Each competitive section has an international jury, whose decisions are final. Award categories and amounts are listed separately under Awards and Prizes.</p> <p>Submissions to the festival competitions use FilmFreeway exclusively. The published regulations give the application period as 5 May–31 July 2026, with fees of €20 for the official competition and €10 for shorts. Entries must be in their original language with English, French or Italian subtitles. The Italian regulations specify notification by 4 October and publication of the complete selection by 25 October 2026. Selected works require a DCP and an H.264 1080p backup; alternative screening formats need the festival technical department's agreement.</p> <p>Screening copies with Italian and/or English subtitles are due at the festival office by 18 October 2026. The sender pays outward shipping; the English regulations also expressly place customs clearance costs on the sender. Each copy needs an accompanying document giving title, duration, DCP size or weight, owner and collection/return addresses. Copies travel door to door to the address supplied by the shipping coordinator, with a temporary-import declaration for cultural purposes and a symbolic declared value. Shipment details must promptly reach the festival. The festival organises return transport from Rome and pays for one journey only; forwarding to another festival is paid by the requesting recipient. Insurance applies during the event, with compensation for damage or loss capped at the cost of a standard copy, €500.</p> <p>Selected works supply a press kit with synopsis, filmmaker biography/filmography and director's notes; three high-resolution film photographs and one director photograph; posters and flyers when available; and a trailer. Without a trailer, the festival may assemble film excerpts. A submitted co-production is treated as the submitting organisation's contribution, with other co-producers' consent presumed. The festival may refuse copies that fail its rules or minimum projection conditions. Awarded works must display the festival logo and award name in publicity. Recipients of cash awards sign the award agreement within 30 days of notification; refusal counts as declining the award. Complaints about screening copies are accepted only within one month after return.</p> <p>Participation authorises screenings of submitted works in educational and information programmes within the festival's institutional network. Registration constitutes full acceptance of the regulations. The management resolves questions under the regulations following legal advice. In interpretation disputes, the Italian text prevails; the courts of Rome have exclusive jurisdiction. The published document concludes with place, date and signature acknowledging acceptance.</p> <h3>2026 MedMeetings industry calls</h3> <p>MedPitching and MedWIPs take place on 9–10 November 2026. Their separate call documents and application forms govern participation. The current industry call and both specific regulations set the application deadline at 30 August 2026, superseding the general festival document's industry-call reference to 31 August. Applications, supporting documents and acceptance declarations go to professional@medfilmfestival.org. Notifications are due by 30 September; selection remains confidential until the festival announces it.</p> <p>MedPitching selects up to ten fiction features in development or financing, at least 75 minutes long. A director and producer must be attached; both must be citizens of or based in the wider Euro-Mediterranean region or Middle East. Projects seek international co-production, financing, sales or distribution and an Italian co-producer. Graduation and student films are ineligible. Producer and director present to industry professionals and attend the entire 9–10 November event. A possible mid-September Zoom interview precedes final selection. Pitching is followed by individual meetings, which can extend online, with panels and lectures on Italian co-production.</p> <p>The MedPitching application requests project titles, production/co-production countries, expected completion, languages, genre, a logline of up to three sentences, debut status, director and producer details, a synopsis and director's statement of up to 500 characters each, financing sources and their status, existing partners, other market submissions or participation, motivation of up to 300 characters, director/producer/company profiles and filmographies of up to 500 characters each, and submission contacts. Supporting documents are emailed as attachments.</p> <p>The MedPitching audience votes on the public presentations for a €1,000 award paid to the director for artistic development. A further €1,000 goes to an Italian co-producer if the project becomes an Italian co-production within two years of pitching and documents an application to a recognised Italian funding scheme. Selected projects must put the festival logo and their 2026 MedPitching official-selection credit in opening titles. Awarded projects must also credit the festival's 2026 support and MedPitching Award in opening titles and all materials about the completed film; breach requires repayment.</p> <p>MedWIPs accepts fiction features and creative documentaries in post-production from Italy, Mediterranean countries and the Middle East. The submitted rough cut must run at least 40 minutes and have English subtitles. Director and producer discuss the project with the international jury and join individual industry meetings. The application requires original/international titles, submitted and expected final durations, country, languages and production details; a synopsis and director's statement of up to 250 words each; an English-subtitled rough-cut link; a detailed post-production budget and financing plan identifying unfunded work; director and producer biographies, contacts and online previous works.</p> <p>MedWIPs awards comprise the €10,000 OIM Prize and the Stadion Video Prize for DCP creation, valued at €3,500. Selected projects include the festival logo and 2026 WIPs official-selection credit in opening titles. Winners additionally display the festival's 2026 support and relevant prize name/logo in opening titles and film-related documents, with repayment as the sanction for non-compliance. The rules contain older 2024 example credits, while the operative credit clause identifies 2026.</p> <p>For both industry calls, the application form forms part of the rules and registration signifies unconditional acceptance. Forms authorise Methexis to process submitted personal data for selection and related initiatives, including computerised processing and possible disclosure to third parties; they describe rights to access, correct, update, erase or object to processing by registered letter. The published forms retain inconsistent older edition/year and address references. Applicants attest that submitted material is free of third-party claims and indemnify the organiser against participant claims. Separate declarations require applicant identity/contact details, acknowledgement and acceptance of the rules, possession of a paper copy, signature/date and consent to data processing under the GDPR. Italian regulations prevail in interpretation disputes, with exclusive jurisdiction in Rome.</p> <p>The FilmFreeway listing differs from the binding Italian festival regulations on short-film eligibility (2025 versus 2026), submission opening (4 versus 5 May), selection notification and programme-publication dates. The main regulations and industry forms also contain inconsistent historical references. The conditions above follow the binding Italian festival document and the specific 2026 industry calls; applicants should confirm discrepancies with the organiser.</p> <p>Official documents: <a href="https://www.medfilmfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/REGOLAMENTO-ITA-2026.pdf">Italian festival regulations</a>; <a href="https://www.medfilmfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/REGOLAMENTO-ENG-2026.pdf">English festival regulations</a>; <a href="https://www.medfilmfestival.org/it/call-for-projects-medmeetings-26/">MedMeetings rules, application forms and declarations</a>.</p>