Rules

Organization

Ru-mòre - Cinema e Sperimentazioni Audiovisive Festival 2026 (hereinafter “Ru-mòre” or the “Festival”) is a festival dedicated to cinema, audiovisual experimentation and the film industry that takes place in Rome and is produced by 8 Production.

The eighth edition of Ru-mòre will take place in Rome in the San Lorenzo district from 14 to 18 April 2026 at the Cinema Tibur and in other spaces linked to the Festival.

The Festival

Born as Il Varco Film Festival with the artistic direction of Andrea Gatopoulos, in its eighth edition it is renewed under a new organization and with a new artistic direction curated by Laura Catalano and Giorgio Calogero.
Rumore - Cinema e Sperimentazioni Audiovisive 2026, a festival that took over the previous Varco Film Festival & Screenplay with the previous artistic edition of Andrea Gatopoulos.

1) Eligibility Criteria

Ru-mòre will select up to forty shorts divided into four categories:

• National Competition: fiction works by directors born in Italy.
• International Competition: fiction works by directors born outside of Italy.
• Animation Competition: animated works by directors from around the world.
• Documentary Competition: documentaries by directors from around the world.

All short films must have been distributed after 01/06/2024 and must not exceed 20 minutes in length (including credits).
A maximum of two works per author may be submitted to the festival’s artistic committee.

Submissions are open from the publication of this call until 11:59 PM on 01/02/2026, via the following online platform:

Link FilmFreeway

All short films, including italian ones, must include english subtitles, otherwise they will be considered ineligible.
If selected, the submitter will be contacted regarding the screening technical specifications and additional materials.
For theatrical screenings, a DCP version of the film and promotional materials (e.g., poster, production stills, director’s photo, trailer, etc.) must be submitted.

The following will not be considered:

• Incomplete or unplayable works;
• Works submitted to the selection committee in previous editions of the Varco Film Festival;
• Advertising and/or industrial films.

Failure to comply with the requirements will result in disqualification, and the submission fee will not be refunded.

Jury

The Festival Jury will consist of national and international experts in film, theatre, literature, journalism, and the arts. Their decisions are final and unappealable.
The Jury may, at its sole discretion, award special mentions in all categories.
Jury members will be announced on the Festival’s website and social media pages before the event. A total of 7 jurors will be assigned to the different categories.

Awards

After the submission deadline, the Artistic Committee will select forty finalist works to be screened during the eighth edition of Ru-mòre.
The Festival Jury will award prizes in the following categories:

• Best Short Film
• Best Director
• New Languages Award
• Best Screenplay
• Best Original Score
• Best Producer
• Distribution Award

Additional prizes include the Audience Award and the Academy Award, open to all short films included in the current edition’s program, along with other possible awards by Festival partners.

The total prize pool for the 2026 edition is €10,000.00 (ten thousand euros), awarded in services and cash prizes.

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Cinema Tibur.

Eligibility Criteria

The non-competitive section "Sequenze Medie" includes works between 20 and 40 minutes long, distributed after 01/06/2024.
Each author may submit a maximum of two works.

Submissions are open from the publication of this call until 11:59 PM on 01/02/2026 via the following online platform:

Link FilmFreeway https://filmfreeway.com/dashboard

All films, including italian ones, must include english subtitles, otherwise they will be considered ineligible.
If selected, the submitter will be contacted regarding the screening technical specifications and additional materials.
A DCP version of the film and promotional materials (e.g., poster, production stills, director’s photo, trailer, etc.) must be submitted for screening.

The following will not be considered:

• Incomplete or unplayable works;
• Works previously submitted to the selection committee of the Varco Film Festival;
• Advertising and/or industrial films.

Failure to comply with the requirements will result in disqualification, and the submission fee will not be refunded.

Ru-mòre - Cinema e Sperimentazioni Audiovisive Festival 2026, in collaboration with Read My Script, also hosts a screenplay competition for short films and first/second feature films (fiction or documentary, no genre restrictions) open to both italian and international projects.

Eligibility Criteria

Participants may submit projects in the following categories:

• National Short Films

• National Feature Films

• International Short Films

• International Feature Films

Participants must submit the following in PDF format:

• A synopsis (max 500 characters)

• A treatment (2 pages for shorts, 5 pages for features)

• Three scripted scenes

Materials for national projects must be in Italian; for international projects, in english.
Four finalists will be selected in each category.

Submissions are open from the publication of this call until 11:59 PM on 01/02/2026 via the following platform:

Link FilmFreeway https://filmfreeway.com/dashboard

By submitting a project, the participant declares under their own responsibility to be the author and/or the legitimate rights holder, releasing the Festival from any liability regarding third-party claims on ownership, use, or content.

Training Programs

Only the authors of international projects (four in each of the short and feature categories) will have access to two free online workshops:

• Pitching techniques, including direct meetings with tutors;
• Pitch deck structure and revision.

For authors of selected national projects (four in each of the short and feature categories), the following is provided:

• Live pitch training with direct meetings with tutors;
• Pitch deck structure and revision;
• Presentation of projects at a pitch forum before an audience of producers, broadcasters, and industry professionals during the Festival’s Industry Corner (April 15–18 in Rome).

Participation is mandatory for selected projects; otherwise, selection will be withdrawn.

Selected participants must submit the following materials in PDF format (in the same language as the application):

• A treatment (max 10 pages)

• A pitch deck (max 15 pages), including synopsis, treatment, character presentation, moodboard, locations, director’s statement

• A video pitch (max 5 minutes)

Jury

The Screenplay Competition Jury will consist of experts appointed by Read My Script and two renowned italian producers. Those involved in the submitted projects are excluded.
Their decisions are final.
Jury names will be announced on the Festival website and social media pages prior to the event. 

Awards

The Jury will assign the following awards:

• National Short Films: Video post-production offered by Pigrade (transcoding, conforming, color grading, deliveries including DCP), valued at €3,000.00 (three thousand/00)

• National Feature Films: script doctoring services valued at €3,000.00 (three thousand/00) from Read My Script
• International Short Films: Video post-production offered by Pigrade, valued at €3,000.00 (three thousand/00)
• International Feature Films: script doctoring services valued at €3,000.00 (three thousand/00) from Read My Script

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Cinema Tibur.

The call for projects in the Immersive Reality category will be available online from September 25th, 2025 until February 1st, 2026.

The call for submitting projects related to the Industry Corner will be available online from October 15th, 2025 until December 13th, 2025.

By participating in the competition, the author authorizes the processing of their personal data in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and Legislative Decree 196/2003, as amended by Legislative Decree 101/2018.

The signatory of the application declares to hold all rights to the work and to each of its components; guarantees that the content of the work is under their ownership and does not violate any applicable laws or regulations, nor any third-party rights, including but not limited to authorship rights, image rights, trademarks, and patents for industrial inventions. The signatory further guarantees and declares that the work does not contain any defamatory content.

In any case, the participant shall hold the organization harmless from any loss, damage, liability, cost, charge, or expense of any kind that may be incurred due to the content of the work and its public screening.