Rules 

1 | PRODUCTION DATE

Only films completed after January 1, 2023, are eligible for submission.

2 | INTERNATIONAL CHARACTER

Venice Film Awards is an international film festival open to filmmakers from all countries around the world.

3 | MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS

Applicants may submit more than one project. There is no limit to the number of films submitted by the same entity.

4 | LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Films that are not in English must include embedded English subtitles in the final screening version.

5 | ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Submissions may be made by registered companies, filmmakers, professional representatives, production companies and film schools.

6 | SCREENING FORMAT

Selected films must provide a high-quality MP4 file suitable for cinema screening. Failure to deliver the required format may result in disqualification. The festival will handle the DCP conversion process.

7 | DISQUALIFICATION CONDITIONS

The festival reserves the right to disqualify any project that violates the festival rules, contains false or misleading information, promotes extreme violence, pornography, hate speech or discriminatory content, or fails to meet the technical requirements.

Submission fees will not be refunded in the event of disqualification.

8 | PREMIERE STATUS

Premiere status is not required for participation.

9 | PROMOTIONAL RIGHTS

By submitting a film, participants grant the festival the right to use excerpts of up to two minutes, as well as trailers, posters, stills and other promotional materials, for marketing and publicity purposes across all media platforms, including television, local networks and the internet.

10 | IN-PERSON SCREENINGS

The festival includes in-person cinema screenings. Online screenings are not guaranteed.

11 | ORIGINALITY AND COPYRIGHT

All submitted projects must be the original work of the applicant and must not infringe upon any third-party rights.

The submitter confirms that all necessary permissions and licences for music, sound, images and other copyrighted materials have been properly secured.

12 | AI-GENERATED CONTENT

Content created using artificial intelligence is accepted. However, the use of AI must be clearly disclosed in the film's end credits.

Failure to disclose this information may result in disqualification.

13 | SUBMISSION FEES

All submission fees are non-refundable, and fee waivers are not available.

14 | CATEGORIES AND FILM LENGTH

The festival accepts:

• short films of up to 40 minutes, including end credits;
• feature films of more than 40 minutes, including end credits;
• documentary films;
• animated films;
• music videos;
• web series.

The final categorisation of each film will be determined by the festival organisers.

15 | AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

The organisers reserve the right not to award some or all prizes if deemed appropriate.

In the case of cash prizes, winners must request the invoicing details and send the relevant invoice to the festival's official email address within one month (30 days).

In the case of non-cash prizes, winners must contact the festival and submit a request to claim the prize within two months (60 days).

16 | SELECTION COMMITTEE

All decisions made by the festival selection committee are final and cannot be appealed.

17 | SCHEDULE AND PROGRAMME

The organisers have exclusive authority to determine screening schedules, venues, award categories and the overall structure of the programme.

Venice Film Awards may change, cancel or reschedule dates, venues, awards or categories without the prior consent of participants.

18 | LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION

By submitting a film, the applicant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Venice Film Awards, its organisers, partners, sponsors and affiliates against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities or expenses arising from the submitted project.

In the event of a legal dispute, full legal responsibility lies with the applicant.

19 | WITHDRAWAL POLICY

Once a film has been officially selected, it cannot be withdrawn from the festival programme.

20 | MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

By submitting a project, participants agree to receive marketing emails.

21 | VIP SPECIAL INTERVIEW

The published interview will remain available on the website for a maximum period of one year.