Ischia Film Festival

Cinema inside the Aragonese Castle

The Ischia Film Festival is one of the most recognizable film events in Southern Italy, a reputation largely due to its spectacular venue. Screenings take place inside the Aragonese Castle in Ischia Ponte, a fortified islet connected to the main island by a bridge in the municipality of Ischia, near Naples. Each evening, the audience gathers across three open-air spaces within the fortress—the Piazza d'Armi, the Cattedrale dell'Assunta, and the Casa del Sole—all accessible only on foot. There are no indoor theaters; the festival was born with an ecological ethos, allowing viewers to watch films with the sea and the Gulf of Naples as their backdrop.

A competition dedicated to cinematic locations

Founded in 2003 and directed since its inception by Michelangelo Messina, the Ischia Film Festival follows a precise and rare editorial line: it evaluates and awards the relationship between a work and the place where it is set and filmed. It is not a generalist competition, but a selection that observes how the landscape, the city, or the territory becomes a living part of the narrative. This focus drives the awards related to film tourism and location enhancement, as well as the constant dialogue with film commissions and regional institutions in Campania.

Program sections

• International Feature Films — the main competition, largely composed of premieres.
• International Short Films — a showcase for short-form cinema, often the festival's most experimental section.
• Location Negata (Denied Location) — a section dedicated to human rights and places wounded, denied, or made inaccessible by conflicts; it serves as the festival's civic heart.
• Confini (Borders) — an online non-competitive program that allows audiences to follow a selection of titles remotely.
• Best of — a showcase of recent Italian cinema, featuring titles already released in theaters or shown at major festivals.

Masterclasses and meetings with authors

Alongside evening screenings, the morning program is hosted at Villa "La Colombaia", the historic Forio residence associated with Luchino Visconti. Here, directors, actors, cinematographers, and industry professionals meet the public and accredited guests for masterclasses and round tables on production, documentary filmmaking, and the intersection of cinema and tourism. It is the moment when the festival becomes a space for professional training and exchange, rather than just a series of screenings.

Awards and guests

The awards list is structured to reflect the event's philosophy: alongside the Ischia Film Award for Best Film, the festival presents the Aragonese Castle Award for Best Director, the Epomeo Award for Best Cinematography, and the Aenaria Award for Best Production Design, in addition to the Italy for Movies Award and the Salvatore Lauro Award reserved for Italian productions filmed in Ischia. Over the years, the castle has welcomed Oscar winners and major international cinema figures, and the formula continues to attract tens of thousands of spectators every summer.

Ischia, the Municipality and Campania

The festival takes place entirely within the Municipality of Ischia, specifically in the seaside village of Ischia Ponte, one of the island's historic cores. This setting perfectly explains the festival's focus: in Campania, the landscape is a set in itself, and Ischia—with its thermal springs, beaches, and the imposing castle closing the horizon—has been the backdrop for numerous Italian and foreign films. Attending a screening here means experiencing firsthand what the competition celebrates: the bond between an image and the territory that inspired it.

How to experience the festival

Evenings begin at sunset with an aperitif reserved for professionals, followed by simultaneous screenings on the various open-air screens. The climb to the castle requires comfortable shoes and some time, but the reward is a unique, quiet, and traffic-free environment. Those wishing to attend for multiple days will find a dedicated information point in Ischia Ponte and a wide range of hotels and restaurants, while connections to Naples and Pozzuoli are guaranteed by ferries and hydrofoils throughout the day.