Belpasso Film Festival

A film festival at the foot of Mount Etna

The Belpasso Film Festival is a vibrant new cinematic event held in Belpasso, a town in the Province of Catania perched on the slopes of Mount Etna, in the heart of Sicily. Promoted by the Municipality of Belpasso, the festival is entirely dedicated to the theme 'Sicily through the lens', celebrating the profound bond between the island and the seventh art, with a special focus on the short film format.

The short film competition

At the heart of the event is the short film competition: a selection of works chosen for their narrative quality, capable of portraying Sicily with style, creativity, and sensitivity, appealing to all tastes and ages. The short film section is curated by director Beppe Manno, while the artistic direction is led by Massimo Condorelli. Screenings take place at the Teatro Nino Martoglio, the historic local theater named after the famous playwright and poet from Belpasso.

Schools, meetings, and lifetime achievement awards

The festival program complements evening screenings—open to the public and followed by Q&A sessions with directors—with a series of morning sessions reserved for schools, designed to introduce younger audiences to cinema. The final evening is dedicated to the grand awards gala, where competition winners are announced and lifetime achievement awards are presented to prominent figures in Italian cinema and entertainment.

Belpasso and Mount Etna

Belpasso, in the Province of Catania, is an Etnean town rich in cultural tradition: as the birthplace of Nino Martoglio, it maintains a strong connection to theater and the arts. The Belpasso Film Festival embraces this identity, bringing an event dedicated to independent cinema and local storytelling to Sicily, while helping to enliven the cultural life of the town and the entire Catania metropolitan area.