Creativity, freedom, dialogue, inclusiveness and internationalism.

19° River Film Festival
4th — 21th June 2025
River staircase of Porta Portello, Padua



Categories in the competition
There are nine categories in the competition:
- Italian gazes
- International Horizons (Fiction)
- Film Schools
- Animation
- Documentaries
- Queer Shorts
- Virtual Reality
- Anthropocene: human rights and climate change
- Science-fiction and Fantasy

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.



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.”