18° River Film Festival

29 May — 16 June 2024

River staircase of Porta Portello, Padua

The River International Film Festival in Padua – organized by the Researching Movie Cultural Association and supported by the Municipality of Padua, the Veneto Region and the Ministry of Culture – celebrates the richness of the international independent short cinema.

In the suggestive location of Porta Portello, on our floating screen anchored to the waters of the Piovego River, we showcase a selection of works directed by new talents of the contemporary audiovisual scene, with particular attention to emerging cinematography and social and environmental themes. The kaleidoscope of aesthetics, schools and styles that characterizes our programming reflects the fundamental values of the festival: creativity, freedom, dialogue, inclusiveness and internationalism.

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Categories in the competition

There are eight categories in the competition:

Cinema Schools, a careful selection of works produced by some of the most renowned universities in the world;
Italian gazes, a journey into the new trends of Italian short film; International horizons, a careful selection of works able to show the heterogeneity of “the cinema of the other”;
Animation, an eclectic radiography of languages and techniques from stop-motion to drawn animation, from computer graphics to digital rendering;
Documentaries, real life films interpreted by a polyphony of narrative and aesthetic poetics;
Queer Shorts, dedicated to the theme of queer culture, here interpreted as a fluid identity in continuous movement and change;
Virtual Reality – Immersive and Interactive, the most engaging and innovative film technology of the moment.
Anthropocene, a new section dedicated to human rights and climate change.
Theme in Focus, a new section dedicated to travels and borders.

Submit your film to the next edition

Besides the cinema

Concerts with popular artists or with less known collectives and emerging talents, talks and training on Virtual Reality, Q&A, art exhibitions, conferences and initiatives created on the occasion of major events, enrich the Festival.

Latest news

Giuseppe Tornatore

Italian Director

“The location of the River Film Festival is truly original. Projecting the films in competition on the waters of a river gives precisely the idea of a young and ever-evolving event that also knows how to look at the signs of the past.”

David Sassoli

Former President of the European Parliament

“I particularly appreciated this initiative, which aims to promote, through film, European values such as social cohesion, tolerance and conviviality between peoples.

The festival is a nice opportunity to highlight the creativity and filmmaking talent of young European artists. It also contributes to the enhancement of the Portello district in Padua, which has acquired a good reputation over time thanks to this cultural event.”

The participants

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How yo put it. This was a super great experience to be selected by River Film Festival. We received the honorable mention. Hospitality, quality of films and the venue is really splendid, on the river bank with a great story how this place was re-discovered again. I met friends there and I will never forget it. Submit your films! Truelly!
Rafał MałeckiRegista (da FilmFreeWay)

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I was not able to attend due to COVID restrictions but the festival organizers were very communicative through email and social media, and I had the chance to check what my VR film's screenings looked like. Thanks for showcasing my piece!
Sina DolatiRegista (da FilmFreeWay)

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we are very glad to be part of this amazing festival with our "Nuovo Cinema Para-Virus"! thank you so much!
Daniele PignatelliRegista (da FilmFreeWay)