Malescorto 2026 and all the news

From July 20th to 26th 2026, the village of Malesco will host the twenty-sixth edition of Malescorto – International Short Film Festival, which will take place at the Municipal Cinema. The opening ceremony will feature an "extra-large" version of the non-competitive Malescorto Surprise section, featuring two surprise short films and the return, after eight years, of a feature-length fiction film. The event will conclude with the awards ceremony, during which the 2026 winners will be revealed and the winning short films from the Official Selection will be screened.

The numbers of the pre-selection

The pre-selection phase, directed by Paolo Ramoni, saw significantly increased numbers, with 9,225 films viewed (+54% compared to 2025) , from 98 countries and representing all five continents . A total of 114 individually submitted short films were evaluated, along with 905 works from 47 audiovisual catalogues and 8,141 nominations received through international distribution channels. In the sections and parallel events, 49 short films were viewed for MaleScuola, 12 for Insubria in Corto, and 4 for Short Italy Under 35.

Short Italy Under 35

Sunday, July 26th will be dedicated to Short Italy Under 35, an initiative organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture and SIAE as part of the “Per Chi Crea” program , and aimed at young Italian directors under 35. For this first edition, four short films will be screened in the presence of the authors, with opportunities for meeting and discussion with the public and industry professionals.

A Festival in constant evolution

The project is part of the renewal process initiated with the 2025 rebranding, which introduced a more contemporary approach to communication and a progressive expansion of the audience, thanks also to the work of a young staff, mostly under 35.

The complete and detailed program of the 2026 edition will be available soon on the official website www.malescorto.it.