Parallel Events & Special Screenings at the 16th International Short Film Festival of Cyprus
From 10 to 16 October 2026, the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus celebrates its 16th edition in Limassol, at the Rialto Theatre and the newly renovated Heroes Square.
Alongside the International and National Competition programmes, the Festival offers special screenings, workshops and meetings that bring audiences closer to the people who make films.
PARALLEL EVENTS
Actors × Directors Speed Dating
📍 Saturday 10 October, 17:30-19:00, Art Studio 55
Short, relaxed one-on-one meetings, without the pressure of a casting call. Actors and directors get to know each other, swap ideas and maybe find their next collaborator.
In collaboration with the Cyprus Directors Guild, the Cyprus Actors Union and the Theatre Artists Branch of SIDIKEK-PEO. Limited places.
Shoot’n’Run 2026
📍 Wednesday 14 October, 17:30, Rialto Theatre, On Stage
Three days, one team, one film. Students living in Cyprus make their own short film in just three days. The films are presented at a special screening, a celebration of imagination against the clock.
Run by the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts of the Cyprus University of Technology, in collaboration with ISFFC.
Cinematherapy by E.K.K.O.ME.D.
📍 Thursday 15 October, 17:30, Rialto Theatre, On Stage
When the lights go down, a film can become a mirror. Cinematherapy uses cinema as a tool for self-discovery, helping participants explore their emotions and experiences. This year's film is "Prelude for a Supernova" by Christos Artemiou, followed by a discussion with the director and coordinator Denise Nicolacou.
Coordinated by Denise Nicolacou, Integrative Psychotherapist & Cinema Therapist, Head of Cinematherapy by EKKOMED, in collaboration with ISFFC.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Shorty Shorts
📍 Sunday 11 October, 11:00, Rialto Theatre | Suggested age: 5+
Strange creatures, dreamlike landscapes and unexpected encounters. Five short films for young viewers and the grown-ups who bring them, under the "starry sky" of the Rialto Theatre.
All films are rated (K) "Suitable for all ages" by the Cyprus Film Classification Board.
Beirut Shorts × ISFFC📍 Sunday 11 October, 17:30, Rialto Theatre, On Stage
Just 245 kilometres separate Beirut from Limassol, and the two cities share a great deal. Built on the long-standing relationship between the two festivals, the programme looks at Lebanon's political and social life, raising questions that resonate in Cyprus too. Three short films and one live cinematic performance, moving from personal experience to the city itself.Curated by Nicolas Khabbaz. Followed by a discussion.
Thresholds
📍 Tuesday 13 October, 18:15, Rialto Theatre, On Stage
Thrilling and terrifying, full of joy and hormones: adolescence is when you discover yourself and the world at the same time. In bedrooms, cars, back streets and digital spaces, four films follow different rites of passage at the moment you stand on the edge of the unknown.
The Space Between
📍 Friday 16 October, 18:00, Rialto Theatre, On Stage
Between languages, places and versions of yourself, and the choice not to pick just one. Women filmmakers, each with her own perspective, explore displacement, dual identity and the search for belonging in a world that never stops moving.
Curated by the National Competition Preselection Committee (Adonis Floridis, Doros Demetriou, Yianna Americanou, Peter Cerovšek).
Cyprus Sideways
📍 Friday 16 October, 18:30, Rialto Theatre, On Stage
An island at the centre of the world, yet forgotten in the middle of the sea. Three films show familiar landscapes from unexpected angles: fleeting queer encounters, the hidden life of the night, geographies that tilt. An invitation to see the island you call "home" as something strange, something you will never fully know.
INDUSTRY EVENTS
T-Port TalentBridge Cyprus 2026
📍 Sunday 11 and Monday 12 October, 10:00-18:00, Art Studio 55
Two days of intensive training for emerging short filmmakers. Through masterclasses, case studies, networking and one-on-one mentoring, directors, producers and screenwriters learn how to build an international career: festivals, funding, co-productions and distribution.
Co-organised by ISFFC, the Contemporary Culture Department of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, Rialto Theatre and T-Port.Co-funded by the Deputy Ministry of Culture, Creative Europe MEDIA and FFA - German Federal Film Board.
TGF: What’s the Story? Cyprus
📍 Monday 12 to Friday 16 October, RESET multifunctional social space
Five days, eight filmmakers, eight stories in progress. Directors and screenwriters from Cyprus and the Mediterranean develop a short film script with two experienced tutors, as part of the Talents Generator Factory initiative. At the end, one participant is selected to continue with mentoring through to a final draft. All participants meet industry professionals and gain opportunities to promote their scripts.
Info Session: Creative Europe MEDIA
📍 Monday 12 October, 12:00, RESET multifunctional social space
How does Europe support cinema in the digital age? Nenad Bogdanovic, Head of the Creative Europe Desk Cyprus, presents the Creative Europe MEDIA programme and what it offers audiovisual professionals.
All films are screened in their original language with English and Greek subtitles.
Information:
Rialto Theatre, 77 77 77 45
Facebook: @Int'l Short Film Festival of Cyprus
Instagram: isffc_filmfestival
Tickets:
€5 day pass
€25 festival pass
Free admission is extended to students upon presentation of a valid student card, holders of a disability card, directors who are members of the Cyprus Directors' Guild, and actors who are members of the Cyprus Actors' Guild and of the Theatre Artists' Branch of SEDIKEK-PEO.
Screenings are suitable for audiences aged 18 and over.
ORGANISERS:
Deputy Ministry of Culture, Department of Contemporary Culture, and the Rialto Theatre
In collaboration with the Municipality of Limassol
Major Sponsors: APC Audit TAX Auditors, Green Olive, Digital Tree
Sponsor: AMP Filmworks
Technical Support: EventPRO
Award Sponsors: SteFilm, Dinos Katsourides Award, Master and Slave Limited
Hospitality Sponsors: Alinea, Mediterranean Beach Hotel
Media Sponsors: Check In, City Free Press, RIK
With the support of: the Organisation for European Programmes and Cultural Relations, Cyprus University of Technology, University of Cyprus Alumni Office, Lemesos newspaper, Limassol Film Club, Larnaca–Famagusta Film Club, Limassol Today, Lemesos Blog, Limassol Passenger Transport Company, Vestnik Kipra, Limassol Tourism Development and Promotion Company.
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