Cyprus film festival lets audience pick a winner for first time

Films Artcinemaculturegoing out LimassolTop News Cyprus film festival lets audience pick a winner for first time International Short Film Festival Of Cyprus Relevant News Cyprus film festival lets audience pick a winner for first time 7 September 2026 MEP Fidias Panayiotou vows hunger strike if electricity VAT returns to 19% 7 September 2026 China will keep backing Cyprus on sovereignty and Cyprus problem, ambassador Yang Yundong says 7 September 2026 newsroom 7 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber For the first time in its 16-year history, the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus (ISFFC) is letting the public choose a winner. The new Audience Award, carrying a 500-euro prize, lets festivalgoers vote for their favourite film in the competition section, one of two new prizes launching at this year’s edition, running October 10 to 16 at the Rialto Theatre in Limassol. The second new prize, the Peer Award, flips the usual model: rather than a jury deciding, fellow filmmakers themselves will choose the best Cypriot film in competition. A panel drawn from the Cyprus Directors Guild, the Cyprus Actors’ Union (EHK) and the SIDIKEK-PEO Theatre Artists’ Branch will make the call. ISFFC artistic directors Diomedes Koufteros and Keti Papadima unveiled both prizes, along with this year’s accompanying events, ahead of the announcement of the National and International Competition selections and international jury. The festival is organised by the Deputy Ministry of Culture’s Department of Contemporary Culture and the Rialto Theatre. ISFFC’s reach is also growing internationally. For the first time, the festival is partnering with Festival Scope Pro, a platform connecting roughly 130 festivals worldwide with programmers, distributors, sales agents and buyers; award-winning films from this year’s edition will screen on the platform once the festival wraps, putting them in front of industry buyers well beyond Cyprus. Separately, ISFFC is teaming up with T-Port’s TalentBridge to co-run TalentBridge Cyprus 2026, a two-day programme for directors and producers on October 11-12 in Limassol. Actors and directors get their own new networking opportunity too: a Speed Dating event on October 10 (17:30-19:00) at the Art Studio next to the Rialto, offering short, low-pressure one-to-one meetings away from the usual casting-call grind. It’s free, and open until September 20. Beyond the new additions, familiar festival staples return: the Shoot n’ Run initiative with the Cyprus University of Technology’s Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, the “What’s the Story? Cyprus” screenwriting workshop, and Cinematherapy by EKKOMED. The children’s strand Shorty Shorts is back too, with five short films selected for young audiences this year, alongside further events still to be announced. The festival’s Best Eastern Mediterranean Film Award, carrying a 1,500-euro prize and decided by the international jury, returns for its second year, open to films from Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Jordan or Egypt. Cypriot producers looking further ahead can also apply through ISFFC, as national correspondent, for Euro Connection XIX, the European short film co-production platform’s 19th edition in Clermont-Ferrand on February 2-3, 2027. Applications close October 20. Tickets cost 5 euros daily or 25 euros for a season pass. Entry is free for students with a valid student card, holders of a disability card, and directors and actors who are members of the Cyprus Directors Guild, EHK or the SIDIKEK-PEO Theatre Artists’ Branch. Screenings are for those aged 18 and over. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News MEP Fidias Panayiotou vows hunger strike if electricity VAT returns to 19% China will keep backing Cyprus on sovereignty and Cyprus problem, ambassador Yang Yundong says Health professionals giving out unapproved products with health promises, Cyprus regulator warns Musk backs Kasidiaris… Yes to the GSI, but Je suis Makis Keravnos! A €2bn mistake would be catastrophic Has the artist been paid? Court hears father returned with hunting rifle, threatened to “cut off” teacher’s legs, in trial over 14-year-old’s suicide Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.