The closing evening on June 20 brought together the full international jury in Padua, along with four award winners who attended the ceremony: Philip Schafferhans for Nice Guy, Andrea Orsenigo for La Macchina di Renato, Carlo De Togni for Silent Echoes, and Claudia Gravagna representing Alessandra Usai, director of Beyond the Skin, who was once again engaged on set.
The festival’s conclusion also offered the opportunity to revisit She by Parsifal Reparato, the film that opened the festival on May 24 at the Centro Culturale San Gaetano. The work was presented on the Piovego by its director, who traveled specifically to Padua for the occasion.
Padua, June 21, 2026 – The twentieth edition of the River Film Festival came to a close on Saturday, June 20, against the historic backdrop of the Porta Portello staircase and the floating screen on the Piovego River. The festival is an international event dedicated to short films, audiovisual experimentation, and new forms of cinematic storytelling.
The closing evening brought the festival back to the place that most strongly embodies its identity: the banks of the Piovego, where for twenty years cinema has met the city in an open, free, and deeply participatory setting. Before the festival audience, the winners of the Golden River 2026 Awards were announced, honoring the most significant works of this edition as selected by both the jury and the public.
The closing event also represented a symbolic return to the festival’s starting point. During the evening, She by Parsifal Reparato was screened once again. The film had inaugurated the twentieth edition of the River Film Festival on May 24 at the Centro Culturale San Gaetano. Focusing on labor conditions and the exploitation of women in Vietnam’s largest electronics manufacturing center, the film was presented on the Piovego by the director himself, who traveled to Padua specifically for the event, offering audiences the chance to reconnect with one of the edition’s most emblematic titles.
La Giuria internazionale del River Film Festival 2026. Da sinistra a destra: Shin D Kim, Reinhold Jaretzky, Brigitta Portier (Presidente di giuria), Alessandro Masi, Dubravka Lakić.
The awards ceremony was attended by the full international jury, composed of leading figures from the fields of cinema, criticism, distribution, and research. Jury President Brigitta Portier is an international publicist and founder of Alibi Communications, with more than thirty-five years of experience in the film industry and film promotion at major international festivals. Shin D. Kim is a scholar and professor specializing in cinema, media, creative industries, and cultural policy, President of the Korean Association for Public Diplomacy for 2025, and Editor-in-Chief of the Korean Social Science Journal. Alessandro Masi is an international producer and distributor, founder of FlexyMovies, and a professional active between Italy and the United States in international sales, distribution, and film business development. Dubravka Lakić is a journalist and film critic, member of the European Film Academy, FIPRESCI, and the Executive Council of FEDEORA. Reinhold Jaretzky is an author, documentary filmmaker, television journalist, and founder of the production company Magic Mountain Film Berlin.
Alongside the jury, four award winners attended the ceremony: Philip Schafferhans, winner of the Cinema Schools section with Nice Guy; Andrea Orsenigo, winner of the Italian Perspectives section with La Macchina di Renato; Carlo De Togni, winner of the Artificial Intelligence section with Silent Echoes; and Claudia Gravagna, who accepted the award on behalf of Alessandra Usai, director of Beyond the Skin, who was unable to attend due to filming commitments with Nical Films.
The twentieth edition of the River Film Festival once again confirmed its international vocation and its commitment to cinema capable of crossing languages, geographies, and the urgent issues of our time: from human rights to memory, from the climate crisis to bodily freedom, and from the relationship between technology and authorship to the new frontiers of artificial intelligence.
The Golden River Award, the festival’s symbolic prize presented to the winners, is a Murano glass Osella crafted by master glassmakers and adorned with 24-karat gold leaf, featuring the River Film Festival logo. The award connects the artistic tradition of Venice with the contemporary research and innovation of international cinema.
River Film Festival 2026 Awards
In the Feature Films section, both the Jury Award – Golden River 2026 and the Audience Award – RiFF 2026 were presented to Beyond the Skin by Alessandra Usai. The Italian documentary follows the mission of a Friulian doctor who treats women who survived acid attacks, helping restore their faces, dignity, and prospects for the future. Claudia Gravagna accepted the award on behalf of the director.
In Cinema Schools, the Jury Award – Golden River 2026 went to Nice Guy by Philip Schafferhans, a German film that thoughtfully explores toxic masculinity, loneliness, and online radicalization. The Audience Award – RiFF 2026 was awarded to Just Say Hi by Olga Smelova.
In Italian Perspectives, the Jury Award – Golden River 2026 was presented to La Macchina di Renato by Andrea Orsenigo, a debut feature addressing illness, end-of-life issues, and the bond between father and son with great sensitivity. The Audience Award – RiFF 2026 went to Goodbye Baghdad by Simone Manetti, dedicated to the rescue of Giuliana Sgrena.
For International Horizons, the jury selected Too Far, Too Late by Reza Daghagh, while the audience chose Full Fat by Amir Honarmand.
In the Documentaries section, The Last Puestero by Belle Casares received both the Jury Award – Golden River 2026 and the Audience Award – RiFF 2026, making it one of the most acclaimed works of the edition.
For Anthropocene, the Jury Award – Golden River 2026 was presented to Ice Ice Bye Bye by Sébastien Abdelhamid Godelu for its compelling contemporary perspective, while the Audience Award – RiFF 2026 went to A Friendship Beyond the Border (Un’amicizia oltre il confine) by Antonio Collesei.
In Animation, Rukeli by Alessandro Rak achieved a double victory, receiving both the Jury Award – Golden River 2026 and the Audience Award – RiFF 2026.
For Queer/LGBTQIA+, the Jury Award – Golden River 2026 was awarded to Sante by Valeria Gaudieri, while the Audience Award – RiFF 2026 went to Uniformed (Fardado) by Dan Biurrum.
In Science Fiction, the jury honored Candido by Giorgio Clementelli, while the audience selected Tanti Auguri by Samuel Di Marzo.
Particular attention was devoted to the Artificial Intelligence section, dedicated to the opportunities and questions raised by the use of AI in cinema. The Jury Award – Golden River 2026 was presented to Silent Echoes by Carlo De Togni, a work that explores the relationship between human authorship, the memory of silent cinema, and algorithmic collaboration. The Audience Award – RiFF 2026 went to I Don’t Trust Artists by Salvatore Frisina.
Completing the awards list were the Audience Award – RiFF 2026 for Virtual Reality, awarded to Toward Entropy 360 by Jaewook Lee, and the Audience Award – RiFF 2026 for Venetian Perspectives, awarded to L’Ospite by Alberto De Grandis.
With its twentieth edition, the River Film Festival reaffirms its role as an international observatory on independent cinema and the evolution of audiovisual language. Born and raised in Padua on the banks of the Piovego, the festival continues to serve as a meeting point for emerging filmmakers, film schools, new technologies, audiences, and the city itself.
