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CALL FOR ENTRIES 2027

By 22/10/2026No Comments

Call for Entries 2027

Art. 1 – Organisation

Imaginaria is organised by Atalante ETS, Via Metastasio 12, 70014 Conversano (BA), Italy. The festival promotes auteur animation, research into new languages and young talent. It is an Academy Awards® (Oscar®) qualifying festival in the Animated Short Film category.

Art. 2 – Dates and venue

The 25th edition takes place in Conversano (BA), Italy, from 22 to 29 August 2027, at the Monastery of San Benedetto and other venues in the old town. The call for entries opens on 1 December 2026.

Art. 3 – Competitive sections

  1. Main Competition – international animated short films.
  2. Graduation Short Film Competition – graduation films made by students of schools, academies and universities.
  3. Children Short Film Competition – short films suitable for children and young audiences.
  4. Animated Music Video Competition – animated music videos.

The festival may include films not selected for competition in out-of-competition sections or special programmes, subject to the agreement of the rights holders.

Art. 4 – Eligibility

  1. Animated films completed after 1 January 2026 are eligible.
  2. All techniques are accepted: traditional animation, 2D digital, mixed media, stop motion, 3D and visual effects, experimental. There are no restrictions on genre, theme or language.
  3. The maximum running time is 20 minutes, end credits included.
  4. Films in languages other than Italian or English must have English or Italian subtitles, provided as a separate .srt file.
  5. Films already submitted to previous editions of Imaginaria are not eligible.
  6. Films in the Main Competition must have Italian premiere status: the film must not have been publicly screened in Italy before the festival.
  7. The Festival Direction may, at its sole discretion, accept works that do not meet the running time or completion date requirements.

Art. 5 – Submission

  1. Films must be submitted online only via FilmFreeway, completing every field of the official entry form.
  2. Submission is free of charge.
  3. Each film may be entered in one competitive section only. The Direction may move it to another section if it considers it more suitable.
  4. The screener link must remain active and accessible until the results are announced.

Art. 6 – Deadlines

Stage Date
Call opens 1 December 2026
Submission deadline 15 May 2027
Notification of selection by 15 July 2027
Festival 22–29 August 2027

Art. 7 – Selection

  1. Films are selected by the festival’s Selection Committee, whose decisions are final.
  2. The festival selects up to 100 short films as finalists across all competitive sections.

Art. 8 – Notification of results

  1. All entrants are notified of the outcome by e-mail by 15 July 2027, and in any case at least 30 days before the festival.
  2. The list of selected films is published on imaginaria.eu before the festival begins.
  3. Selected films may use the official Imaginaria 2027 laurel in their promotional materials.

Art. 9 – Materials required from selected films

Directors and producers of selected films, once contacted by the festival, agree to send within 10 days:

  1. The film file in its original version: a DCP and an H.264 copy (MOV or MP4, 1080p).
  2. English or Italian subtitles as a separate .srt file, if the film is not in one of these languages.
  3. A synopsis in English, between 50 and 150 words.
  4. A director’s biography, up to 100 words.
  5. At least 4 film stills and a photo of the director, at a minimum of 300 dpi.
  6. Trailer or excerpts, poster and press kit, if available.

Files must be sent via file-sharing services (e.g. WeTransfer, Dropbox, pCloud, Mega). Files will not be returned and will become part of the festival archive.

Art. 10 – Juries

  1. Awards in the competitive sections are assigned by an international jury of professionals: directors, animators, illustrators, cartoonists, distributors and journalists.
  2. The Imaginaria Kids awards are assigned by a youth jury.
  3. The juries’ decisions are final.

Art. 11 – Awards

  • Best Animated Short Film – Main Competition
  • Best Animated Student Short Film – Graduation Competition
  • Best Animated Short Film for Kids – Children Competition
  • Best Animated Music Video
  • Imaginaria Kids Award and Kids Audience Award (youth jury)

The juries may award special mentions. The awards are artworks created by an Apulian artist. The winners are announced during the award ceremony (Winner’s Day).

Art. 12 – Oscar® qualification

  1. The winner of the Main Competition may qualify for the Academy Awards® in the Animated Short Film category, under the Academy rules in force.
  2. For this reason, films in the Main Competition must have Italian premiere status (Art. 4.6) and a DCP with English subtitles where needed.
  3. Under Academy rules, the film must run no longer than 40 minutes, credits included, and qualify within two years of its completion. Submission to the Academy is the responsibility of the film’s rights holders.

Art. 13 – Screening and promotional rights

The rights holders of selected films authorise Imaginaria, free of charge:

  1. to screen the film during the festival, including more than once;
  2. to use excerpts of up to 30 seconds, stills and press materials to promote the festival (press, TV, web, social media);
  3. to present the film at non-commercial promotional events after the festival (“Best of Imaginaria”, educational activities), with prior notice to the rights holders.

Art. 14 – Liability

Whoever submits the film declares that they hold all its rights, including images and music, and holds the festival harmless from any third-party claims. A selected film may not be withdrawn once its participation has been confirmed.

Art. 15 – Archive

All files and materials received become part of the festival archive. They may be consulted only for non-commercial study and research purposes.

Art. 16 – Personal data

Personal data are processed by Atalante ETS in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679, for the management of the competition and festival communications, as set out in the Privacy Policy. With the entrant’s consent, the director’s name and contact details may be shared with distributors, agencies, press and industry professionals.

Art. 17 – Acceptance of the rules

  1. Submitting a film implies full acceptance of these rules.
  2. The Direction will decide on any case not covered by these rules.
  3. In the event of a dispute, the Italian text prevails and the Court of Bari has jurisdiction.

Contact: Contacts section of imaginaria.eu.

The Direction – Imaginaria, International Festival of Auteur Animation

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