Magara Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 30 October 2025      Festival end: 01 November 2025

From 30 October to 1 November 2025, the Magara Film Festival (MFF) will be held at the Gambaro Theatre, in the heart of the historic center of San Fili, as a cinematic showcase of the "Le Notti delle Magare - Festival of Popular Culture" event. Dedicated to independent cinema, the festival explores the myth of Magara, a mysterious figure of Calabrian folklore, guardian of ancient esoteric knowledge. Like the Janare Campania, the Piedmontese Masche and the Strie of Northern Italy, the Magara embodies the link between myth and reality, inspiring stories of magic, superstition and arcane charm. Open to emerging and established filmmakers, the MFF fosters cultural exchange between generations, celebrating the power of visual storytelling and the magic of timeless stories.

Cash Prizes: 4,000€

Main cash prizes:

• Best Film: €1,000.00 and Cine Magara statuette;

• “Ombra della Magara” Award: €1,000.00 and Cine Magara statuette;

• “Great Productions” Award: €1,000.00 and Cine Magara statuette;

• “Magara Challenge” prize: €500.00 and Cine Magara statuette;

• Best Calabrian Film: €500.00 and Cine Magara statuette (for works shot in Calabria and written by Calabrian authors who experience the difficulties and wonders of our land on a daily basis);


Awards for special categories:

• Best Film in the School category: Cine Magara Statue;

• Audience Award: Cine Magara Statuette.


Technical and special awards:

The awards indicated below will be recognized with a prestigious statuette depicting Magara. However, the “Large Productions” and “Magara Challenge” categories are excluded from the award.

• Technical Awards:
- Best Director;
- Best Screenplay;
- Best Actor;
- Best Actress;
- Best Photography;
- Best Editing;
- Best Special Effects;
- Best Soundtrack.

• Special Prizes:
- Young Jury Award (made up of young cinematography students);
- Best Animated Film;
- Best Short on a Social Theme (environment, gender violence, immigration, etc.);
- Special Mention from the Jury.

Art. 1 - Participation requirements
The Festival is dedicated to independent cinema short films, with the aim of promoting new talents and emerging productions. In addition to the main section dedicated to independent cinema, the special sections such as Calabrian Film, School, Magara Challenge and the dedicated theme, the Festival includes a section called "Large Productions" reserved for works with a registered production or public funding. In summary:

• Independent Cinema Section and Special Sections: reserved for short films produced without the involvement of registered production companies and without significant regional public funding;

• Large Productions Section: dedicated to short films made with the support of registered production companies or those that have received public funding.


1.1 - Detailed Requirements

• Independent Cinema:

a) The film must not be produced by a registered production company;

b) Must not have received significant public funding (from regional, national or supranational bodies);

c) The director or producer must complete the declaration of independence, assuming responsibility for the truthfulness of the information provided, if the work is accepted in competition.

• Large Productions:

a) The film must be produced by a registered production company and/or have received demonstrable public funding;

b) The Organizing Committee reserves the right to request the production of one of the following documents, if it deems it necessary:

1. Certificate of registration in the Company Register of the production company;

2. Official document certifying the public funding received.


1.2 – Verification method
The Organizing Committee reserves the right to verify the information declared by the participants. In case of discrepancies or untrue information, the film may be disqualified at any time. Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of any checks on the data provided.


1.3 – Penalties
If a film declared "independent" is recognized as being produced by a registered production company or with undisclosed public funding, it will be immediately disqualified. In the event that a film in the "Major Productions" section does not present the required documentation, the registration will be considered null and void.


1.4 – Final provisions
Registration for the Festival implies full acceptance of these regulations. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to make changes to the regulations if necessary, upon communication to the participants.


Art. 2 - Technical requirements of the works
The technical characteristics required for acceptance of the works are described below, divided by each participation section.


2.1 National Short Film Competition

• language: Italian (subtitles in Italian mandatory for all works that use a dialect of the Italian language);

• duration: Not exceeding 15 minutes (excluding opening and closing credits);

• Format: During registration, competitors can upload their video directly or indicate a link to the YouTube or Vimeo platforms. All the necessary information is available in the registration form on Festhome.
In case of selection of the work, it is mandatory to upload the short film to Festhome (if not already done) following the recommended standards:
o Supported formats: all main video formats in Full HD quality (1920x1080), up to 10 GB.

• Originality: Only works without a regularly registered production and without restrictions on the date of creation are admitted;
• Exclusivity: A maximum of one film per artist will be selected, but each participant can present more than one work;
• Genre: Free theme excluding mystery, folklore and popular legends linked to the figure of Magara.
• Completion date: Works starting from the year 2015 (included) are accepted.


2.2 “Shadow of Magara” Section
• language: Italian (subtitles in Italian mandatory for all works that use a dialect of the Italian language);
• duration: Not exceeding 15 minutes (excluding opening and closing credits);
• Format: During registration, competitors can upload their video directly or indicate a link to the YouTube or Vimeo platforms. All the necessary information is available in the registration form on Festhome.
In case of selection of the work, it is mandatory to upload the short film to Festhome (if not already done) following the recommended standards:
o Supported formats: all main video formats in Full HD quality (1920x1080), up to 10 GB.
• Originality: Only works without a regularly registered production and without restrictions on the date of creation are admitted;
• Exclusivity: A maximum of one film per artist will be selected, but each participant can present more than one work;
• Genre: Mystery, folklore and popular legends linked to the figure of Magara, enigmatic guardian of ancient esoteric knowledge in Calabrian folklore, but also to other similar entities such as the Janare Campania, the Piedmontese Masche and the Strie of Northern Italy. The theme can extend to any figure who embodies the thin line between myth and reality, inspiring tales of magic, superstition and arcane fascination.
• Completion date: Works starting from the year 2015 (included) are accepted.


2.3 “Large Productions” Section
• language: Italian (subtitles in Italian mandatory for all works that use a dialect of the Italian language);
• duration: Not exceeding 15 minutes (including opening and closing credits);
• Format: During registration, competitors can upload their video directly or indicate a link to the YouTube or Vimeo platforms. All the necessary information is available in the registration form on Festhome.
In case of selection of the work, it is mandatory to upload the short film to Festhome (if not already done) following the recommended standards:
o Supported formats: all main video formats in Full HD quality (1920x1080), up to 10 GB.
• Originality: Only works produced by a duly registered production company are permitted (as indicated in art. 1 of this regulation);
• Exclusivity: A maximum of one film per artist will be selected, but each participant can present more than one work;
• Genre: Free theme.
• Completion date: Works starting from the year 2015 (included) are accepted.


2.4 “Schools” Section
• language: Italian (subtitles in Italian mandatory for all works that use a dialect of the Italian language);
• duration: Not exceeding 15 minutes (excluding opening and closing credits);
• Format: During registration, competitors can upload their video directly or indicate a link to the YouTube or Vimeo platforms. All the necessary information is available in the registration form on Festhome.
In case of selection of the work, it is mandatory to upload the short film to Festhome (if not already done) following the recommended standards:
o Supported formats: all main video formats in Full HD quality (1920x1080), up to 10 GB.
• Originality: Only works produced by school projects are admitted;
• Exclusivity: A maximum of one film per artist will be selected, but each participant can present more than one work;
• Genre: Free theme.
• Completion date: Works starting from the year 2015 (included) are accepted.


2.5 “Magara Challenge” Section
• language: Italian (subtitles in Italian mandatory for all works that use a dialect of the Italian language);
• duration: Not exceeding 3 minutes (excluding opening and closing credits);
• Format: All main video formats in Full HD quality (1920x1080), up to 10 GB;
• Genre: Only theme of mystery, folklore and popular legends linked to the figure of Magara, shot exclusively in locations within the municipality of San Fili;
• Constraints:
o It is possible to use actors present in the San Fili area;
o Filming must take place exclusively on 30 and 31 October;
o The completed works must be delivered to the Festival organization by 09:00 on November 1st;
o Failure to comply with these constraints will result in automatic exclusion from the competition.
• Troupe: Each crew can be made up of a maximum of 3 people, equipped with all the equipment necessary to shoot and edit the short film. The organization will only offer room and board for the days 29, 30, 31 October and 1, 2 November (check-in 29/10 – check-out 02/11);
• Participants: 3 technical crews will be selected from the applications received, based on the technical-artistic curriculum presented by email to magarafilmfestival@gmail.com. The submission of stage/backstage photos from previous works is appreciated but not mandatory.


Art. 3 - Registration methods

• Registration via the Festhome portal:
(https://Festhome.com);
• Registration fee: €10.00;
• Reduced registration fee for schools: €5.00;
• Registration fee for “Large Productions”: €20.00;
• Registration fee for “Magara Challenge”: €15.00;
• Registration deadline: 30 September 2025;
• Required materials:
o Video file or youtube/vimeo link;
o Synopsis of the short (max 300 words);
o Scene photo and poster (mandatory);
o Declaration of authorship of the work and release.


Art. 4 - Exclusions
Works that:
• Contains offensive, vulgar or discriminatory content, including messages of hatred, incitement to violence, racism, sexism or any form of intolerance;
• Do not respect the time constraints imposed by the Notice, both in terms of duration of the work and year of production;
• Present explicitly pornographic material, gratuitous nudity or non-contextualized and unjustified violence;
• Do not respect the themes of the festival, appearing out of context with respect to the mission and values ​​of the event;
• Infringes copyrights or intellectual property rights, including unauthorized use of music, images, lyrics or other content belonging to third parties;
• Promote illegal or immoral activities, such as substance abuse, crime, or dangerous behavior without a clear narrative or critical purpose.
The organization reserves the right to exclude any work which, in its sole discretion, does not comply with the above criteria or may cause damage to the image of the festival.


Art. 5 - Jury, prizes and Hospitality
Composition of the jury: The jury will be made up of professionals from the film sector, authors and notable critics. The names will be announced later on the official festival page and through dedicated social channels;
Public involvement: The public will have an active role in the awarding of the Public Prize. During the screenings, voting cards will be distributed by the staff, allowing spectators to express their preferences. As a gesture of thanks, the organization will draw a lucky spectator on the final evening, who will win a dinner for two people in one of the restaurants in the municipality of San Fili;
Jury decisions: The jury reserves the right not to award prizes if the works presented do not meet the quality standards required by the regulations;
Exclusively for the Main prizes section of the competition, each representative of the winning short film will be entitled to free hospitality, exclusively including room and board, on 31 October and 1, 2 November (check-in 31/10 – check-out 02/11), to participate in the awards ceremony and collect the prize. The organization undertakes to provide logistical details to the winners after the official announcement.


Art. 6 - Promotion and Rights
The authors grant the MFF the rights to screen and use the short films for promotional purposes related to the festival;
All material sent will not be returned and can be used to promote the festival on different channels (social media, press, etc.).


Art. 7 - Methods of Conduct
• 31 July 2025: Inaugural conference with the participation of authorities, members of the jury, special guests and press (the day is to be considered indicative and could vary due to organizational needs);
• 30-31 October 2025: Screening of the short films in the Gambaro Theater in San Fili.
• 1 November 2025: awards evening with shows and speeches by the award-winning authors.


Art. 8 - Decline of responsibilities
The organization of the festival assumes no responsibility for:
• Any violations of copyright or intellectual property rights by participants. The authors of the works are solely responsible for the legality of the materials presented;
• Offensive, inappropriate or controversial contents present in the works sent, which remain under the complete responsibility of the respective authors;
• Loss, damage or technical problems that may occur while uploading or managing sent files. Participants are advised to keep backup copies of their works;
• Any legal dispute arising from the use of images, music, or other copyrighted materials without the necessary authorizations;
• Damage or inconvenience resulting from unexpected situations during the festival or associated events.
By participating, the authors fully accept the regulations and relieve the organization from any legal or financial responsibility linked to the presentation and screening of the works.


Art. 9 - Legal Clauses
• Participation implies acceptance of this regulation;
• The organization reserves the right to change the program, prizes or other clauses for organizational reasons or force majeure;
• Any dispute will be resolved at the discretion of the organization.
The Magara Film Festival 2025 is a unique opportunity to celebrate tradition and independent cinema. We are waiting for your works to create an unforgettable event together!