Bando 2026 – VerticalMovie Festival IX Edizione

VerticalMovie Festival 2026

9th Edition – Official Call for Entries

The Grand Prize winner will receive a professional digital cinema camera produced by Canon, Main Technical Sponsor of the festival. Canon EOS C50, valued at € 3.800, offered by Canon as the festival’s technical sponsor

Submissions for the 9th edition of VerticalMovie, the international festival dedicated to vertical-format cinema (9:16), are open.

The festival celebrates innovative storytelling and visual experimentation, encouraging filmmakers to explore the creative possibilities of vertical cinematic language.

The event brings together filmmakers, artists, and audiovisual professionals in a space where creativity, technology, and new narrative forms converge.

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Novità 2026 — Vertical Talent – Powered by Canon

The 2026 edition introduces Vertical Talent – Powered by Canon, a special non-competitive section
reserved for authors residing in Italy. A selection of 25 projects will gain access to an exclusive
online masterclass with Canon, and 5 authors will produce their own short film using the Canon EOS C50
camera on a free loan basis.

📌 Sezione fuori concorso, non è prevista l’assegnazione di premi.
📅 Iscrizioni: 26 aprile – 30 giugno 2026

Discover Vertical Talent → Vertical Talent
Apply to Vertical Talent → Apply to Vertical Talent

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Festival Dates

Rome - Casa del Cinema

From September 29 to October 1, 2026

Submission open:

April 26, 2026

Submission Deadlines

Competition Sections

August 31, 2026

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Competition Sections

The official sections of the festival are:

Vertical Green

Works dedicated to themes of the environment, sustainability, and renewable energy.

Vertical Voices

Stories dedicated to inclusion, civil rights, and the promotion of diversity.

Vertical AI

Works created with the use of artificial intelligence.

Vertical Open

Open theme section.

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Technical Requirements

Maximum running time

maximum duration: 10 minutes (end credits excluded)

Format

• format: vertical, 9:16 aspect ratio or equivalent

Accepted resolutions

•1080 × 1920 (Full HD)

•2160 × 3840 (Ultra HD)

• or higher resolutions

Video Formats

Codec

H.264 / H.265

Container

MP4 / MOV

Films may be created using any recording device, including:

• digital cinema cameras

• cameras

•smartphone

• other recording systems

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Awards

The festival presents the following awards:

• Best Director

• Best Screenplay

• Best Cinematography

• Best Editing

• Best Original Soundtrack

• Best Story

• Best Vertical AI Film

• Best Vertical Green Film .

• Best Vertical Voices Film

• Best Vertical Open Film

Best VerticalMovie Festival Film

This award represents the festival’s main recognition.

The jury may also assign special awards and mentions.

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Jury

The jury will consist of film professionals, artists, and audiovisual industry experts.

The jury’s decisions are final.

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Promotion Rights

The festival reserves the right to use excerpts, images, and trailers of the selected works for promotional and cultural purposes related to the festival’s activities, for a maximum period of one year.

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Copyright

Authors declare that they hold all rights to the materials used in their works, including:

• music

• images

• texts

• audiovisual content

The festival organization is not responsible for any copyright violations.

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Submission Guidelines

Entries can be submitted via the FilmFreeway platform:

https://filmfreeway.com/VerticalMovie

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Submission Fees

Submission fees are divided according to the following deadlines:

🟢 Early Bird

April 26 – June 15, 2026

* Standard fee: €10

* Students: free

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🟡 Regular Deadline

June 16 – August 10, 2026

* Standard fee: €15

* Students: free

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🔴 Final Deadline

August 11 – August 31, 2026

* Standard fee: €20

* Students: free

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Participation Conditions

* Fees apply per submitted work

* Free submission is reserved for students currently enrolled in schools, universities, or training institutions (proof may be required)

* Each student may submit only one work free of charge

* Discounts cannot be combined

* The festival reserves the right to verify the declared requirements and to disqualify non-compliant entries

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Notes

The organization reserves the right to modify fees and deadlines for organizational reasons.