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20. River Film Festival
Padua, 24.05 — 20.06.2026
River staircase of Porta Portello
20. River Film Festival
Padua, 24.05 — 20.06.2026
River staircase of Porta Portello
Creativity, freedom, dialogue, inclusiveness and internationalism
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There are eleven categories in the 2026 competition:
- NEW – Feature films
- International Horizons
- Italian gazes
- Film Schools
- Animation
- Documentaries
- Queer Shorts
- Anthropocene: human rights and climate change
- Virtual Reality
- Science-fiction and Fantasy
- NEW – AI: Articial Intelligence
Feature Films in Competition
RiFF celebrates its twentieth anniversary with a major step forward that marks its maturity and growing significance: the introduction of feature films in competition. It’s a commitment—and a bold bet—that gives filmmakers a screen and direct contact with the Festival audience, offering the chance to engage with viewers in a welcoming, open, and hospitable environment.
AI in Competition: Introducing AI Shorts
Artificial Intelligence enters the competition. After its 2025 debut—with short films included in the animation category and the preview screening of the first feature film created entirely with AIGC—RiFF launches the AI Shorts category. In a landscape of rapid technological and creative change, we believe it is essential to follow and engage with how filmmakers are using this tool: powerful, widely discussed, and as fascinating as it is unsettling.
Virtual Reality: A Must-Have Section
A “historic” RiFF section since 2019, Virtual Reality has become an essential part of the competition. Alongside the opportunity to explore new worlds through immersive viewing, audiences can now also experience them: interactive works, participatory formats, and constantly updated equipment made available to the public—expanding, in a tangible way, the boundaries of the cinematic experience.
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.”