Inventa un Film - International Short Film Festival
International short cinema under the stars of Lenola
About Inventa un Film
An international festival in a village in Lazio
Inventa un Film is the international short film festival of Lenola, a small town in the Aurunci Mountains in the province of Latina, in southern Lazio. Founded in the late nineties by the Associazione Culturale Cinema e Società and directed by Ermete Labbadia, the festival has grown to become one of the most popular Italian events for short film creators: for the most recent edition, over 5,000 works were submitted from about 160 nations.
The formula has remained the same as it was at the beginning: open-air evening screenings, free admission, and an audience that sits side-by-side with the directors to vote alongside the technical jury. It is a village festival in form and international in substance, where a short film shot in Lenola can be programmed alongside a documentary produced on the other side of the world.
Competitive sections
The competition is divided into numerous sections, designed to accommodate very different formats and languages:
- Italian Short Films and International Shorts Competition (non-Italian authors), up to 30 minutes;
- Animation Section (international), up to 20 minutes;
- School Section, reserved for primary and secondary schools;
- Minidoc, short documentaries introduced in 2019;
- Music Videos, up to 6 minutes;
- Medium-length films (20-60 minutes) and feature films (Italian and international);
- The Social Window, dedicated to themes of disability and inclusion;
- For a World Without War, a thematic section on the rejection of war and the culture of peace, with a jury composed of representatives from EMERGENCY;
- a thematic section dedicated to the environment.
Alongside the film competition, the festival organizes the Tre Colori Literary Contest (poetry, short fiction, screenplays, and novels), the Actor's Day, and the Photocanzone, which combines photographic images with musical tracks. Among the best-known awards are the Low Budget Awards, the Cinema is Woman award, and the Originality and Innovation Award.
Screening venues
The heart of the festival is the Anfiteatro Marino De Filippis, an outdoor space where the main evenings and award ceremonies are held. In case of bad weather, and for off-season screenings, the Cinema del Centro Polivalente Pietro Ingrao is used, which also hosts autumn and winter events featuring international feature films. The festival office is located in Piazza Pandozy, in the historic center of the town.
Lenola and the Aurunci Mountains
The Municipality of Lenola overlooks the valley that separates the Ausoni Mountains from the Aurunci, a short distance from the coast of the Gulf of Gaeta. The village is known for the Sanctuary of the Colle and for its production of extra virgin olive oil; the week of the festival coincides with the period of greatest summer activity, when the streets of the center fill with visitors and the evenings stretch late into the night. For those arriving from outside the region, Inventa un Film is also an opportunity to discover a corner of Lazio less traveled than the nearby coastal destinations, amidst the trails of the Aurunci Mountains Park and local cuisine.
A free-admission festival
The evening screenings are historically free and open to all: this is one of the identifying traits of the event, which aims to bring auteur cinema to a wide, non-specialized audience. Participation in the competition takes place via an annual call for entries, with submissions via FilmFreeway or directly to the office by the end-of-April deadline.
Inventa un Film — edition 2026
The 28th edition
From July 29 to August 2, 2026, the village of Lenola, in the province of Latina, hosts the twenty-eighth edition of the international festival Inventa un Film. Screenings take place at the Anfiteatro Marino De Filippis and the Cinema del Centro Polivalente Pietro Ingrao, featuring short films by Italian and foreign authors and feature films by Italian authors.
The 2026 call for entries, which closed on April 29, collected over 5,000 works from about 160 nations. The official selection was published by the organization in the weeks leading up to the festival, section by section.
New features
The 2026 edition introduces the 'For a World Without War' section, a selection of ten short films on the rejection of war and the promotion of a culture of peace: the prize is awarded by a jury composed of representatives from EMERGENCY. Also on the program are the Social Window dedicated to disability issues, the thematic section on the environment, the School Section, and the international animation competition.
Beyond the five evenings
The festival continues even outside the main week: international feature films are scheduled for September 4 and December 29, 2026, at the Cinema del Centro Polivalente Pietro Ingrao. On December 29, the awards ceremony for the Long Fiction section of the eighth Tre Colori Literary Contest is also scheduled, with other results having been released between May and August 2026.
Programme Inventa un Film 2026
Dates and venues
- July 29 - August 2, 2026: evening screenings at the Anfiteatro Marino De Filippis and the Cinema del Centro Polivalente Pietro Ingrao, Lenola (LT).
- July 29-31, 2026: awards ceremonies for the Tre Colori Literary Contest sections at the Anfiteatro Marino De Filippis.
- September 4, 2026 and December 29, 2026: screenings of international feature films at the Cinema del Centro Polivalente Pietro Ingrao.
Competition sections
- Italian short films and International Shorts Competition (non-Italian authors, max 30').
- International Animation (max 20').
- School Section (primary and secondary schools, max 20').
- Minidoc — short documentaries (max 20').
- Music Videos (max 6').
- Medium-length films (20-60') and feature films (over 60').
- The Social Window (disability and inclusion).
- For a World Without War — 10 selected shorts, EMERGENCY jury.
- Environment thematic section.
2026 Minidoc Selection
Seven short documentaries in competition, screening between July 29 and August 2:
- CASTI quel che costi by Michelangelo Gregori
- EveryDay in Gaza by Omar Rammal
- Il futuro by Antimo Campanile
- La mia parte by Emanuele Gabrieli and Antinea Radomska
- La parola amore non esisteva by Eva Demattè
- Macchina Continua by Ruben Gagliardini
- Sunday by Giulio Tonincelli
Highlights Inventa un Film 2026
- Over 5,000 works submitted from about 160 nations for the 28th edition.
- Debut of the 'For a World Without War' section, with an EMERGENCY jury.
- Seven minidocs in competition, including EveryDay in Gaza and La parola amore non esisteva.
- Open-air evening screenings at the Anfiteatro Marino De Filippis, with free admission.
- Festival coda on September 4 and December 29, 2026 with international feature films.
Prices Inventa un Film 2026
Practical information — Inventa un Film
How to get there
By car: from the A1 motorway, take the Frosinone exit, then the SS Monti Lepini and SR 637 towards Fondi; about 2 hours from Rome. From the coast, Lenola is about twenty kilometers from Fondi and Sperlonga.
By train: Fondi-Sperlonga station on the Rome-Naples line via Formia, then take a bus or taxi to Lenola.
Admission
Evening screenings at the Anfiteatro Marino De Filippis are free and open to the public, subject to availability.
Contacts
Associazione Culturale Cinema e Società, Piazza Pandozy 4, 04025 Lenola (LT) — tel. +39 340 8014229 — [email protected]
Tips
Outdoor evenings at altitude can be cool: it is useful to bring a sweatshirt. The historic center is pedestrianized during the festival evenings; it is advisable to park in the areas at the foot of the town.
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Where does it take place — Inventa un Film
Anfiteatro Marino De Filippis / Cinema del Centro Polivalente Pietro Ingrao
Piazza Pandozy 4, 04025 Lenola