Rules and Regulations

The Aqua Film Festival aims to highlight the element of Water as a source of life, energy, well-being, and health, and to promote respect, knowledge, and love for it through the medium of moving images and audiovisual media. It seeks to research and stimulate the production of films capable of representing Water and interpreting its many aspects, from social, cultural, ecological, and naturalistic to engineering, energy, and functional, economic, historical, futuristic, sporting, artistic, and aesthetic. By drawing the attention of both filmmakers and the public to this unique and indispensable element, the Aqua Film Festival aims to raise awareness and spread the knowledge that Water is an incredibly rich element of intrinsic beauty, a marvelous source of life, a common yet limited resource that must be safeguarded, defended, and equitably redistributed, and can tell us about time and history.

To this end, the Aqua Film Festival will select works by directors from around the world and will also promote its themes among young authors, inviting students from schools and universities to experiment and engage with this vast source of inspiration, especially using new, easily accessible, “lightweight” technologies.

The Aqua Film Festival is divided into two international short film competitions: one for short films with a maximum running time of 25 minutes and one for mini-short films with a maximum running time of 3 minutes (excluding closing credits). Both are inspired by WATER, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, and, for the 2026 edition, by the theme ROMA et VENETIAE REGINAE AQUARUM – Water that unites civilizations.

The focus of the 11th edition is on the two cities that symbolize the Mediterranean’s liquid heritage: Rome and Venice, the “queens of water.” Capitals of civilizations and imaginations become the protagonists of the thematic itinerary “ROME and VENETIAE REGINAE AQUARUM – The Water that Unites Civilizations,” which explores their millennia-old bond with water and the contemporary challenges they share today.

ROME – THE ETERNAL QUEEN OF WATERS

Rome was the first great civilization to understand that controlling water meant controlling the land.

Starting in 312 BC, with the Appian Aqueduct, it developed an unparalleled water network: eleven aqueducts capable of transporting millions of liters of water a day, feeding baths, fountains, gardens, private homes, and plumbing and sewerage systems. Water was infrastructure, but also prestige, health, and urban order.

“Roma caput mundi” channeled and mastered water, creating a unique water system. Today, this heritage continues to be enhanced through restorations, cultural itineraries, and redevelopment projects.

VENICE – THE CITY OF THE DOGES THAT LIVES ON WATER

Venice, on the other hand, is a city that was born and raised on water. Founded as a refuge in the lagoon, it has transformed water into defense, identity, economy, and landscape. It is a fragile ecosystem, challenged by erosion, subsidence, tides, and climate change.

The MOSE project and the restoration of the salt marshes testify to the constant efforts to safeguard it.

You can choose to tell the story of Reginae Roma through film or Reginae Venezia on its own. Countries around the world where the Roman Empire expanded, like European, African, and Middle Eastern countries—from Italy to France, Spain to Egypt, Greece to Turkey, and even the Balkans and the Middle East—could also participate with works that intertwine history and present, illustrating how the Roman legacy lives on in today’s cities and landscapes. For example:

• Italy (heart of the Empire)
• France, Spain, Portugal
• Germany, Switzerland, Austria
• Great Britain (England)
• Greece, Turkey
• Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya
• Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan
• Balkans (Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Albania, etc.)

Other countries of the Roman Empire, such as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Malta, Monaco, and San Marino, can also participate.

Or foreign countries where Venice expanded its trade during the time of the Doges, with a vast network of regions, including the markets of the Empire, can also participate. Byzantine, the Eastern Mediterranean (with the Muslim cities of Tripoli and Alexandria in Egypt), Dalmatia and the Central European area (including merchants from Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, but also from cities such as Hamburg and Lübeck).

Participation in the competition is free and open to all, regardless of age or nationality.

The competition is divided into two main sections:

• Short Films Section – short films up to 25 minutes in length.
• Short Films Section – short films up to 3 minutes in length.

Short Films Section Competition

The Short Films Competition is open to works up to 25 minutes in length, with no division into genres. Works may be of any genre (fiction, documentary, live action, animation, mixed media, experimental, etc.). Works in Italian must have English subtitles. Works in another language must have English or Italian subtitles, under penalty of exclusion. Works may be produced in any format, provided a screenable copy is available in the formats specified under SCREENING FORMATS.

Short Film Competition

The Short Film Competition is open to works with a maximum running time of 3 minutes (excluding the closing credits roll), with no division into genres. Works may be of any genre (fiction, documentary, live action, animation, mixed media, etc.). Works in Italian must have English subtitles. Works in another language must have English or Italian subtitles, under penalty of exclusion from the selection process. Works may be produced in any format, as long as a projectable copy is available in the formats specified under SCREENING FORMATS. The Festival promotes and encourages the use of new “lightweight” filming technologies; therefore, short films made with smartphones and similar technologies are also eligible for the selection process. Works that cannot be provided with copies in the required projection format will not be eligible for selection and will be removed from the Festival’s promotional and communication materials.

Thanks to the collaboration with schools and universities, the Festival includes a parallel competition called AQUA & STUDENTS, featuring short films (maximum 3 minutes) created by students from schools and universities around the world. Short films may be created using smartphones and must feature WATER in all its forms and functions, with particular attention to the themes of sustainability, Roman civilization, and the Mediterranean Sea.

To register for the AQUA & STUDENTS Competition, please complete the dedicated Entry Form, available by clicking here. The deadline for submitting short films (maximum 3 minutes) is April 24, 2026.

The Jury, appointed by the Aqua Film Festival Management, will be composed of film industry experts and leading figures in the fields of water, the environment, culture, and history. The Jury will award the prizes at its sole discretion.

If selected, the following screening formats are permitted:

• Short Films Section: HD files.
• Short Films Section: HD files.

Other formats must be agreed upon with the Festival Programming Office if admitted to the competition.

Participation in the Competition is for Free. Aqua Film Festival will not pay rental fees for short films invited to participate in the Competition Sections.

Participants are responsible for any shipping costs for selected films, including customs and other related costs if they are coming from non-EU countries (please indicate on the accompanying proforma invoice “no commercial value – for cultural purposes only”).

Aqua Film Festival will cover the return costs of original screening copies. Aqua Film Festival will not be held responsible for films lost during shipment. Any costs necessary to create the screening copy of the film are the responsibility of the participant.

To submit films for selection, Participants must complete the online Entry Form, available at https://aquafilmfestival.org/en/competition/iscrizioni/, and provide a link to view the film and a password, preferably with a download option.

The film link and password must be entered in the appropriate fields on the entry form. Participants are asked to provide and enable the download option from the link provided to facilitate the selection process. The link and password submitted must remain active until May 31, 2026. Aqua Film Festival reserves the right not to evaluate links that are incorrect or expire before this deadline, after contacting the author.

The Entry Form must include: a synopsis in Italian and/or English (maximum 1,000 characters), a biography and filmography of the director, a declaration/note of intent, one image of the film in high-resolution JPEG format, a list of dialogues and a list of subtitles in Italian or English, and a completed and signed release form (Annex A).

Each participant may submit up to three short films and/or two short films. Submissions must be received between November 13, 2025, and April 24, 2026.

Registration requires the mandatory deposit of all submitted material in the Aqua Film Festival Archives. This material may be used for educational, research, and promotional purposes, including in locations and contexts other than the festival. Any commercial use is prohibited, in order to protect the interests of the authors and producers.

Authors and Producers are responsible for the content of their works and declare, by registering for the Festival, that they have fulfilled all obligations towards third parties deriving from copyright.

The deadline for submitting works for the 11th edition of the Aqua Film Festival is April 24, 2026.

Works received within the deadlines and according to the procedures set out in the Regulations will be evaluated and selected by the Artistic Director and the Selection Committee of the Aqua Film Festival, at their sole discretion. Selections will be made based on the artistic quality of the works, their relevance to the theme of Water, and, for 2026, the concept of ROMA REGINA AQUARUM.

The selection of short films and the screening schedule are the exclusive responsibility of the Festival Director and Programming Office. The list of films selected for the competition will be published on the Aqua Film Festival website following the Official Press Conference.

Copies submitted for pre-selection will become part of the Aqua Film Festival Video Archive. The Aqua Film Festival reserves the right to screen the films in Italy and Europe to increase the circulation of the works included in its selection. By participating in the selection, in the event of an invitation to compete, the rights holders also authorize any subsequent screenings at events organized by Aqua Film Festival, not for commercial purposes.

The authors and/or producers of the selected films, contacted in due time, undertake to submit by May 15, 2026:

A copy of the film in the original screening format as requested in the Festival invitation email, with Italian subtitles.

If Italian subtitles are not available, the Festival will provide subtitling only if the English subtitle list is provided (preferably in .srt format).

Posters, press kits, and any other promotional materials for the work, to be distributed to accredited journalists and at the promotional venues reserved for the competing works and their authors.

By participating in the selection process and in the event of an invitation to the competition, the authors, producers, and/or rights holders of the selected works authorize the screening during the Aqua Film Festival, as well as the possible distribution (in theaters, on television, and online) of excerpts for promotional purposes up to one month after the Festival, and the participation of the work in cultural initiatives and events related to the Festival, but not for commercial purposes.

The authors, producers, and performers of the selected works will be invited to accompany their film to the Festival and will receive free personal accreditation; the organization may, subject to its availability, contribute to travel and/or accommodation expenses.

The application to participate in the selection process implies acceptance of these Rules, which are also available in English. In the event of interpretation issues, the Italian version of the Rules shall prevail. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Rome.

For further information on the Rules, please write to aff@aquafilmfestival.org