Cactus Film Festival - International Film Festival for Young People
Cinema under the stars for children, teenagers, and young people in Piazza Chanoux
About Cactus Film Festival
Cinema for the Youngest Returns to Aosta
The Cactus Film Festival is the international film festival dedicated to children, adolescents, and young people that enlivens the center of Aosta every summer. For two weeks, the central Piazza Chanoux transforms into a large open-air cinema, with evening screenings under the stars, while the program extends to various spaces in the Aosta Valley capital. The festival, with free admission, is organized by the association Long Neck Doc ETS.
International Competition, Workshops, and Music
The heart of the festival is the international competition for short films and feature films designed for the younger audience: on weekends, the evenings feature the selected shorts in competition and feature films. Surrounding the screenings is a rich program of workshops, meetings, concerts, sunrise screenings with breakfast, and silent films accompanied live by music, thanks to the collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna. The festival thus combines entertainment with the development of young viewers' perspectives.
A Community Celebration in Valle d'Aosta
Designed for families and schools, the Cactus Film Festival has become an anticipated event of the summer in Valle d'Aosta, capable of uniting quality cinema, free access, and festive moments. Collaboration with local entities such as the MAV - Museo dell'Artigianato Valdostano and Maison J.B. Festaz roots the event in Aosta's cultural fabric, while the closing concerts attract a broad, intergenerational audience.
Cactus Film Festival — edition 2026
The sixth edition of the Cactus Film Festival offers two weeks of cinema for children, teenagers, and young people, from June 22 to July 5, 2026, with a distributed and free program. The opening on June 22 is at SpaziØrso, in collaboration with the MAV - Museo dell'Artigianato Valdostano; on June 23, a special screening at Maison J.B. Festaz; from June 24, the festival moves to Piazza Chanoux, the heart of the event. On weekends, the international competition features shorts at 8:00 PM and feature films at 9:00 PM. New this year is the focus on Italian comedy on Thursdays. The closing, on Sunday, July 5, combines the awards ceremony with a concert by Cristoni D'Avena, who reinterpret cartoon theme songs in a rock style.
Programme Cactus Film Festival 2026
Monday, June 22 — Opening
- Opening event for children at SpaziØrso, in collaboration with the MAV - Museo dell'Artigianato Valdostano
Tuesday, June 23
- Special screening at Maison J.B. Festaz
From Wednesday, June 24 — Piazza Chanoux
- Cinema under the stars in Piazza Chanoux
- Silent films accompanied live by music (in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna)
- Sunrise screenings with breakfast
- Classic cinema and preview films
Focus on Italian Comedy (Thursdays)
- Thursday, June 25 — "Bianco, rosso e Verdone" by Carlo Verdone
- Thursday, July 2 — "Chiedimi se sono felice" by Aldo, Giovanni e Giacomo
International Competition (Fridays and Saturdays)
- 8:00 PM — Shorts in competition
- 9:00 PM — Selected feature films
Sunday, July 5 — Closing
- Awards ceremony for the international competition
- Closing concert by Cristoni D'Avena (cartoon theme songs in rock version), Piazza Chanoux
Full program with guests, times, and booking details to be presented at a press conference in early June. Pre-festival events on June 3, 4, and 13 in Valle d'Aosta (Aosta, Pont-Saint-Martin, Emarèse).
Highlights Cactus Film Festival 2026
Prices Cactus Film Festival 2026
Practical information — Cactus Film Festival
Getting Here
Piazza Chanoux is in the pedestrian center of Aosta, a few minutes' walk from the train station. By car: A5 Turin-Aosta highway, exit Aosta, and parking around the historic center.
Admission
Distributed and free program. Free admission to screenings, workshops, and concerts. Some workshops may require booking due to limited spaces.
Info
Full program, guests, and times on the official website cactusfilmfestival.com.
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Noticed an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every proposal is verified by our team before publication.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.
Where does it take place — Cactus Film Festival
Piazza Chanoux
Piazza Émile Chanoux, 11100 Aosta