Cilento Fest - Cinema and Villages
Four days of free cinema in the village of Perito, featuring screenings, cinetalks, and stories from Italy's inland areas.
About Cilento Fest
A film festival born to tell the stories of villages
The Cilento Fest - Cinema and Villages is the film festival that brings the small town of Perito, in the province of Salerno, to life every mid-August. Founded in 2022 by the Iuppiter publishing group, under the direction of Max De Francesco and co-produced by journalist Laura Cocozza, the festival has chosen a clear and recognizable theme: cinema that tells the stories of small towns, communities, and so-called inland areas—those territories that remain on the margins of mainstream narratives.
The formula is simple and generous: all events are free, spread over four days across various locations in the village. The main square hosts evening screenings and shows, Piazzetta Sant'Antonio hosts cinetalks and presentations, while secondary areas set up for the occasion feature vinyl lounges, a bookstore, refreshment points, and nightly DJ sets.
The Cinema and Villages competition
The competitive heart of the event is the Cinema and Villages call for entries, open for free to works of any genre, language, and format that depict non-metropolitan towns, characters, and territories. Submissions arrive from all over Italy and abroad: recent editions have seen over one hundred films entered, with selections coming from several different countries. The winning work receives the Cilento Fest - Cinema and Villages Grand Prix, which includes a €2,000 prize, announced on the final evening along with a dozen other awards dedicated to film crafts, debut works, screenwriting, and lifetime achievement.
More than just screenings
The program goes beyond the screen. Each edition pairs screenings with a series of activities that involve the village and its inhabitants:
- cinetalks and masterclasses with directors, actors, producers, cinematographers, and journalists;
- guided tours of Perito's historic center and its surroundings, linking the festival to the local heritage;
- creative workshops for children and families, often built around the themes of the edition;
- photographic exhibitions and side competitions dedicated to the landscape and life in the villages;
- evening musical performances, with tributes to the great soundtracks of Italian cinema.
Perito and inland Cilento
Perito is a town of a few hundred inhabitants nestled in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, a short distance from Vallo della Lucania and the Cilento coast. Its narrow streets, small squares, and glimpses of the hills become the natural backdrop for the festival for four days: a way to demonstrate, in concrete terms, that villages are not only the subject of the films in competition but also the best place to watch them.
The project has a distinctly community-oriented vocation: the organization involves dozens of volunteers, local associations, and affiliated accommodation facilities, transforming the event into an opportunity for widespread hospitality for guests and the public arriving from outside. The result is a festival with a serious cultural profile but an informal atmosphere, where you might bump into a well-known actor sitting at the square's bar just before a screening.
When to go
Cilento Fest is held annually from August 18th to 21st, in the heart of the Cilento summer season. It is an excellent reason to combine a few days at the beach on the Cilento coast with evenings in the hinterland, where temperatures are milder and the pace is decidedly slower. Those who want to follow the entire program should book accommodation in advance: availability in the area around Perito is limited and August is the peak month.
Cilento Fest — edition 2026
Cilento Fest 2026, the fifth edition
From August 18th to 21st, 2026, the village of Perito, in the province of Salerno, hosts the fifth edition of Cilento Fest - Cinema and Villages, directed by Max De Francesco and produced by Iuppiter with the Associazione I Disinvolti. Four entirely free days of screenings, cinetalks, shows, guided tours, and creative workshops.
The 2026 edition is built around three major tributes: Ettore Scola, ten years after his passing, with testimony from his daughter Silvia Scola; Franco Battiato, featured in a tribute dedicated to his work; and the poet from Salerno Alfonso Gatto, the subject of the national premiere of the documentary that opens the festival. Another series of initiatives is dedicated to the bicentenary of the birth of Carlo Collodi, in collaboration with the Order of Journalists of Campania.
The Cinema and Villages competition has received over 120 film entries from five producing countries: the winning work receives the €2,000 Grand Prix on the final evening. Alongside the main competition, a photography award named in memory of Lucia Panascì focuses on the theme of the sacred in villages.
Announced guests include Nando Paone, Elena Radonicich, Giovanni Esposito, and composer Franco Micalizzi, recipient of the 2026 lifetime achievement award, who will guide the audience on a journey through the soundtracks of Italian cinema.
Programme Cilento Fest 2026
Tuesday, August 18th — Opening
- National premiere of the documentary "Isola. Luoghi e miti di Alfonso Gatto", dedicated to the poet from Salerno fifty years after his passing.
- Tribute to Ettore Scola ten years after his death, with the screening of "Una giornata particolare" and testimony from his daughter Silvia Scola, followed by a meeting with the public.
Wednesday, August 19th and Thursday, August 20th — Investigation, sport, and stories of redemption
- Docufilm "Giulio Regeni - Tutto il male del mondo", on the case of the Italian researcher killed in Egypt.
- "Tienimi presente" by Alberto Palmiero, Best Debut Work award.
- "Igor. L'eroe romantico del calcio", a biographical film dedicated to sports.
- Evening on "Nero", written, directed, and performed by Giovanni Esposito, who will be present in the room.
- Remembrance of "Pinocchio" by Luigi Comencini as part of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the birth of Carlo Collodi.
- Tribute to Franco Battiato, cinetalk with directors and producers, exhibitions, workshops on ancient grains, meetings on vinyl, and evening shows in the village areas.
Friday, August 21st — Final evening
- Announcement of the film winning the Cilento Fest - Cinema and Villages 2026 Grand Prix (€2,000).
- Presentation of other awards to audiovisual professionals, including the lifetime achievement award to Franco Micalizzi.
- Musical show dedicated to Italian cinema soundtracks and closing with a fireworks display.
Festival spaces
- Main Square: evening screenings and shows.
- Piazzetta Sant'Antonio: cinetalks, presentations, and meetings with authors.
- Area Med: vinyl lounge, bookstore, and refreshment point.
- Area Antani: relaxation zone and nightly DJ sets.
The exact times of individual screenings are published on the official website www.cilentofest.com and on the festival's social channels in the days preceding the opening.
Highlights Cilento Fest 2026
- Fifth edition, from August 18th to 21st, 2026, in the village of Perito (Salerno).
- All events with free admission.
- National premiere of the documentary on Alfonso Gatto at the opening.
- Tribute to Ettore Scola with Silvia Scola and screening of "Una giornata particolare".
- Tribute to Franco Battiato and initiatives for the 200th anniversary of Carlo Collodi.
- Over 120 films in competition from 5 countries for the €2,000 Cinema and Villages Grand Prix.
- Guests: Nando Paone, Elena Radonicich, Giovanni Esposito, Franco Micalizzi (lifetime achievement award).
- Final evening with awards ceremony, live music, and fireworks.
Prices Cilento Fest 2026
Practical information — Cilento Fest
How to get there
By car: from the A2 del Mediterraneo motorway, take the Battipaglia exit and continue along the SS18 towards Vallo della Lucania, from where you can reach Perito via the provincial road network. By train: the most convenient station is Vallo della Lucania-Castelnuovo, on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria line, followed by a bus connection. By plane: Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi and Naples Capodichino airports.
Admission and prices
All festival events are free: screenings, cinetalks, workshops, exhibitions, and the awards ceremony. There is no box office; on busier evenings, it is advisable to arrive early to secure a seat in the square.
Useful tips
- Screenings take place outdoors in the evening: a light sweater is useful even in August.
- The historic center is pedestrian-only; parking is available in the areas indicated at the entrance to the town.
- For accommodation, the festival activates agreements with local facilities every year: it is advisable to inquire in advance by writing to the organization.
Contacts
Official website: www.cilentofest.com — email: [email protected] — phone: +39 331 4828351
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Where does it take place — Cilento Fest
Borgo di Perito