Bobbio Film Festival

A director's festival in the heart of the Trebbia Valley

The Bobbio Film Festival is one of the most beloved film festivals in Emilia-Romagna, hosted every summer in the Municipality of Bobbio, a medieval village in the Province of Piacenza nestled along the Trebbia Valley. Born in 1995 as the Fare Cinema training laboratory by the will of Bobbio-born director Marco Bellocchio, the event transformed into a full-fledged festival in 2005, drawing strength from the deep bond between the master and his land of origin.

The Cloister of San Colombano, an open-air cinema

The heart of the event is the Cloister of the Abbey of San Colombano, in the historic center of Bobbio, which during the festival evenings transforms into a evocative and intimate cinema arena. The evening screenings are the highlight: after each film, the audience meets directors, actors, and protagonists of contemporary Italian cinema, in a direct dialogue that has always been the hallmark of the festival.

The Gobbo d'oro award

The most anticipated award is the Gobbo d'oro, named after the famous Ponte Gobbo (or Devil's Bridge), Bobbio's symbol with its irregular arches. The award for the best film is given by the young students of the film criticism course, alongside special mentions for directing, acting, and debut films.

Training and new talents

The festival is linked to the activities of the Fare Cinema Foundation, chaired by Marco Bellocchio: during the festival weeks, the advanced training course in directing and screenwriting and the residential seminar in film criticism take place. The students become the festival jury, in a virtuous cycle that makes Bobbio a widespread laboratory for Italian cinema.

A village to discover

Experiencing the Bobbio Film Festival also means discovering one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy: the Abbey of San Colombano, the Duomo, Malaspina Castle, and of course the Ponte Gobbo over the Trebbia River. Evenings in the cloister are accompanied by the discovery of Piacenza's gastronomy and the slow, welcoming atmosphere of the Trebbia Valley.