‘Cool Center African Voices’

RiFF is celebrating its 20th anniversary with 138 films from around the world and the support of leading institutions. New features include the debut of feature films in competition and a section dedicated to AI. The festival opens on 24 May at the Altinate San Gaetano Cultural Centre.

Padua is preparing to host the 20th edition of the River Film Festival (RiFF). From 24 May to 20 June 2026, the historic floating screen moored on the waters of the Piovego, near the Porta Portello Staircase, will once again become the beating heart of international independent cinema.

Organised by the Researching Movie Cultural Association, the festival marks two decades of existence with unprecedented institutional prestige. The 2026 edition is supported by the City of Padua – Department of Culture, and enjoys the patronage of UNESCO, the University of Padua, the Veneto Film Commission and the Fondation Tamayouz Cinema.

Under the artistic direction of Emilio Della Chiesa, RiFF 2026 reaffirms its role as a bastion of creative freedom and intercultural dialogue, with a keen eye on the technological and social challenges of the present day.

THE OPENING AND THE UNESCO PROJECT (24 May)

The festival opened on Sunday 24 May at the Auditorium of the Altinate San Gaetano Cultural Centre. Following the screening of ‘SHE’ by Parsifal Reparato, the highlight of the event was be ‘Cool Center African Voices’: a selection of short films made by ten African female directors as part of the UNESCO–Tamayouz Cinema Foundation film residency, a project aimed at promoting inclusivity and new voices from the African continent.

NEW FEATURES FOR THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY: FEATURE FILMS AND AI

2026 marks the festival’s coming of age with the introduction of feature films in competition. Alongside these, the AI Shorts section makes its official debut, dedicated to works created with the aid of Artificial Intelligence, confirming RiFF as a cutting-edge laboratory for new audiovisual languages.

THE COMPETITION AND THE TWELVE SECTIONS

The 138 selected works will span twelve categories: Feature Films, AI Shorts, Sguardi Italiani, International Horizons (with a special focus on Iranian directors), Documentaries, Animation, Queer/LGBTQIA+, Science Fiction, Film Schools, Anthropocene, Sguardi Veneti and Virtual Reality. Whilst the top ten will be judged by the International Jury for the Golden River Awards, the winner of the Sguardi Veneti and Virtual Reality sections (hosted at Palazzo Moroni from 25 to 30 May) will be decided by public vote.

A PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL JURY

The films in competition will be judged by a jury of international experts: Brigitta Portier (Jury President and renowned international journalist), Shin Kim (South Korean lecturer and expert in the creative industries), Alessandro Masi (producer based in Los Angeles), Dubravka Lakić (Serbian film critic and EFA member) and Reinhold Jaretzky (German director and producer).

SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

In line with the sustainability goals of the 2030 Agenda, RiFF 2026 continues its commitment to the environment. The venue is carbon-neutral thanks to solar panels, and this year’s slogan is “Bring your own cup!”, aimed at raising public awareness about waste reduction.

THE AWARDS CEREMONY (20 June)

The festival will close on Saturday 20 June at 9.30 pm at the Scalinata del Portello with the awards ceremony and the presentation of prizes handcrafted by the master glassmakers of Murano.

Henry Borzi