Lands and Seas Festival
The International Audiovisual Biodiversity Award of the Strait, in Torre Faro
About Lands and Seas Festival
A festival overlooking the Strait
The Lands and Seas Festival is the Sicilian and maritime branch of the Lands Festival — International Audiovisual Biodiversity Award, the historic event by the Centro Internazionale Crocevia dedicated to rights concerning land, food, and communities. In Messina, the festival takes place in a truly unique setting: the Fondazione Horcynus Orca in Torre Faro, on the northeastern tip of the island, where two lands and two seas meet in the Strait. It is this border landscape that sets the tone for the event, weaving together ecology, geopolitics, and audiovisual storytelling.
Documentaries, investigations, and animations from around the world
The heart of the festival lies in its screenings: documentaries, investigative films, and animations—often small independent productions from every continent, many presented as Messina premieres. Alongside the screen, there are meetings and panel discussions with scholars, activists, and directors, as well as art installations, dance, and poetry. The program is built around themes that span both local and global realities: the preservation of the marine biodiversity of the Strait, agroecology, human migration, major infrastructure projects, and the transit of vehicles and armaments between the two shores.
Voices, communities, and rights
Created to give a voice to small-scale food producers, local communities, and indigenous peoples, the festival maintains this militant and participatory vocation in Messina. The event is organized by the Centro Internazionale Crocevia in collaboration with the University of Calabria and the CRIC — Regional Center for Intervention in Cooperation, with the support of the local volunteer network. Breaks are designed for sustainable, zero-mile refreshments, consistent with the spirit of the event.
Where and when, on the Strait
Screenings and meetings take place at the Fondazione Horcynus Orca, in Largo Senatore Francesco Arena in Torre Faro, a seaside district of Messina, in the Metropolitan City of Messina (Sicily). The setting—between the lighthouse, the sea, and the Strait's pylons—is an integral part of the experience. Admission is free for all days, confirming the festival's open and educational nature.
Lands and Seas Festival — edition 2026
2026 Edition — Third Edition
From June 17 to 19, 2026, the Fondazione Horcynus Orca hosted the third edition of the Lands and Seas Festival, the Sicilian branch of the International Audiovisual Biodiversity Award of the Centro Internazionale Crocevia, in collaboration with the University of Calabria and the CRIC. The program featured seven documentaries in Messina premiere, investigative films, and independent animations from around the world, along with meetings, panel discussions, installations, dance, and poetry.
The themes of the edition intertwined the preservation of local marine biodiversity and agroecology with the contemporary geopolitics of the Strait: human migration, major infrastructure projects, and the transit of vehicles and armaments between the two lands and two seas. The first day was dedicated to the genocide of the Palestinian people, with two works in Messina premiere presented by the festival across all its regional editions. Breaks included sustainable, zero-mile refreshments. Free admission.
Programme Lands and Seas Festival 2026
Event Structure (June 17 – 19, 2026)
The three days at the Fondazione Horcynus Orca alternated screenings, meetings, and artistic moments:
- Screenings — seven documentaries in Messina premiere, investigative films, and animations, small independent productions from around the world.
- Theme of the first day — focus on the genocide of the Palestinian people, with two works in Messina premiere presented in all regional editions of the festival.
- Meetings and panel discussions — debates on marine biodiversity, agroecology, migration, major projects, and the transit of armaments, with scholars from the University of Calabria and the CRIC.
- Live Art — art installations, dance, and poetry in the Foundation's spaces.
- Sustainable breaks — refreshments based on local products.
The detailed daily program with times and full titles was published by the organizers on the official website festivaldelleterre.it.
Highlights Lands and Seas Festival 2026
- Seven documentaries in Messina premiere
- Opening day dedicated to the genocide of the Palestinian people, with two works in premiere
- Panel discussions on the biodiversity of the Strait, agroecology, and the geopolitics of the two shores
- Installations, dance, and poetry at the Fondazione Horcynus Orca
Prices Lands and Seas Festival 2026
Practical information — Lands and Seas Festival
How to get there
The venue is the Fondazione Horcynus Orca, in Largo Senatore Francesco Arena in Torre Faro (Messina), at the northeastern tip of Sicily. By car, take the A20 motorway to the Messina exit and follow the coastal road towards Capo Peloro; from Messina Centrale station, it is connected by urban transport to Torre Faro.
Admission
Admission is free for all screenings and meetings.
Tips
Sustainable refreshments based on local products are available during breaks. The Strait area is windy: in June, a light jacket is recommended for outdoor evening screenings.
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Where does it take place — Lands and Seas Festival
Fondazione Horcynus Orca
Largo Senatore Francesco Arena, 98164 Messina