Submissions & Regulations 2026
Festival
Cittador International Film Festival in Vienna is a festival for independent films. It takes place annually over a week and presents international, European, and Austrian feature and short films. CIFF understands film as an expression of a personal vision and promotes independent films outside the mainstream. Another important aspect is the diversity of all genres that CIFF celebrates and showcases.
The Cittador International Film Festival accepts feature films up to 120 minutes and short films up to 30 minutes running time. CIFF is aimed at all filmmakers who love inspiring, high-quality, captivating, original, and imaginative films.
Awards
FEATURE-LENGTH FILM AWARDS:
- Best INTERNATIONAL Film
- Best EUROPEAN Film
- Best AUSTRIAN Film
Also:
Best Action Film, Best Animated Film, Best Arthouse Film, Best Comedy Film, Best Coming-of-Age Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Drama Film, Best Environmental Film, Best Experimental Film, Best Family Film, Best Fantasy Film, Best Feminist Film, Best Historical Film, Best Horror Film, Best Inspirational Film, Best LGBTQ+ Film, Best Mystery Film, Best Romance Film, Best Sci-Fi Short, Best Thriller Film
SHORT FILM AWARDS
- Best INTERNATIONAL Short
- Best EUROPEAN Short
- Best AUSTRIAN Short
Also:
Best Action Short, Best Animated Short, Best Arthouse Short, Best Comedy Short, Best Coming-of-Age Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Drama Short, Best Environmental Short, Best Experimental Short, Best Family Short, Best Fantasy Short, Best Feminist Short, Best Historical Short, Best Horror Short, Best Inspirational Short, Best LGBTQ+ Short, Best Mystery Short, Best Romance Short, Best Sci-Fi Short, Best Thriller Short
SPECIAL AWARDS FOR FEATURE-LENGTH FILM AND SHORT FILM
- Emerging Director Award
- Remarkable Screenplay Award
- Acting Art Award
- Cinematography Art Award
- Outstanding Editing Award
- Momentous Film Music Award
- Sound Design Art Award
JURY STATEMENT
The CIFF jury has made it its task to view each film several times and evaluate it carefully. The result of the evaluation process is a short public jury statement for each award-winning film. Each jury statement will be published on the Cittador IFF website and in the Festival Catalog. The jury statement can be reused as a quotation for promotional purposes with the source reference.
LAUREL
All films selected regardless of the award will receive their official Cittador IFF laurel in digital form within one month of the jury’s decision.
CERTIFICATE
All award-winning feature and short films (only Best-of-Award) will receive a printed Cittador certificate during the award ceremony. Filmmakers who are unable to collect their printed Cittador certificate in person will receive it by mail within one month after the event.
The selected films that have received a status other than “Best-of-Award” will receive a Cittador certificate exclusively in digital form within one month of the event.
INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKERS ON SUBMISSION
When submitting the film, a short written interview about the film with the filmmaker is requested. The questions are already predefined and only need to be answered during the submission process. Interviews with all filmmakers whose films are selected – regardless of award – will be published in our film festival catalogue. This information will also be used for promotional purposes.
FESTIVAL CATALOG
The festival catalog includes interviews with filmmakers, details on selected and award-winning films, and the jury’s statements on the award-winning films. The jury’s statements will be available on the Cittador IFF website until January 5, 2027. Please note that a complimentary author’s copy of the catalog is not provided to filmmakers. The catalog can be purchased online through our website.
SCREENINGS
The film screenings will take place either live in the cinema or online. Only the winners of the Best-of Awards will be screened. On November 27, 2026, a selection of the award-winning short films will be shown in the cinema, while award-winning feature films and the remaining award-winning short films will be screened online. The decision regarding this is at the discretion of Cittador IFF. The full program will be published on the Cittador IFF website.
LIVE AWARD CEREMONY
The award ceremony will take place live in the cinema on November 27, 2026. During the ceremony, the filmmakers will receive the official Cittador IFF certificates. After the award ceremony in the cinema, selected short films will be shown, followed by a meet-and-greet.
Filmmakers are requested to confirm their attendance at the award ceremony via email after the jury’s decision to ensure they are included in the program. Please note that travel and accommodation or any other costs for attending the screening will not be covered by the festival.
Those filmmakers who are unable to attend are asked to submit a short video message which will be published on the Cittador IFF website and on social media.
During the award ceremony, the filmmakers in attendance give an interview. These videos will be published on the Cittador IFF website under the “Cittador’s Talks” series and shared on social media.
Filmmakers will receive further details about the awards ceremony via email, so Cittador IFF kindly ask you to ensure your contact details remain up to date.
Rules & Terms
1. SUBMITTED FILM
Cittador IFF accepts short films with a running time of up to 30 minutes and feature films with a running time of up to 120 minutes, regardless of the year of production. The submitted film must have a minimum resolution of Full HD (1080p).
2. SUBTITLES
All films must have English subtitles – including films in English.
3. FEE
The submission fee is non-refundable. The film festival does not pay a fee for the screening of the winning films.
4. SHORTLISTING AND JURY’S DECISION
Due to the high number of submissions, Cittador IFF must send out a pre-selection notification. As soon as a film is shortlisted, the submitter will be notified by email.
The pre-selection process serves to verify the technical requirements for a potential screening. Shortlisted films must submit a screening-ready file within one week of the pre-selection notification – a video file in the highest possible resolution, but at least Full HD 1080p (DCP-ready).
Please note that the pre-selection notification does not constitute an official selection or any guarantee of screening.
The jury’s final decision will be announced on the day of notification.
5. SCREENING
The film screenings will take place either live in the cinema or online. Only the winners of the Best-of Awards will be screened. On November 27, 2026, a selection of the award-winning short films will be shown in the cinema, while award-winning feature films and the remaining award-winning short films will be available online. The Cittador IFF will decide this at its own discretion. The full screening schedule will be published on the Cittador IFF website.
6. WITHDRAWAL
No festival fee will be refunded if the film is withdrawn.
7. TERMS
- Submission period: December 22, 2025 – October 15, 2026
- Shortlisting notification: October 20, 2026
- Notification date: November 5, 2026
- Event date: November 27 – December 6, 2026, live at CineCenter Vienna and online on Cine.Cittador.com
8. DISCLAIMER
You confirm that you have obtained all necessary permissions to participate in the Cittador International Film Festival and that the film does not infringe the rights, including copyright, of any third party.
9. AGREEMENT
By submitting your film, you agree that the Cittador International Film Festival may use portions of your film (including trailers/teasers/film posters/film stills) for promotional purposes. By submitting to the Cittador International Film Festival, you agree to abide by all rules of the Film Festival and grant the Cittador International Film Festival unrestricted permission to screen the submitted film at the sole discretion of the festival. The festival has the right to refuse the film without giving any reason. The event date and location as well as the number of awards are subject to change.
Open for Entries 2026
