Mario Puzo Film Festival – Corto e a Capo (San Martino Sannita stage)
The film festival for inland areas: short film evenings on the Angelo hill, between Sannio and Irpinia
About Mario Puzo Film Festival
Cinema climbing into the inland areas
The Mario Puzo Film Festival – Corto e a Capo is a film festival dedicated to the inland areas of Campania: an itinerant event that travels every August through the towns of Sannio and Irpinia, bringing independent short films, documentaries, and feature films to local squares, amphitheaters, and municipal spaces. The festival is named after Mario Puzo, the author of 'The Godfather' and son of Irpinian emigrants; it fittingly focuses on the relationship between cinema and the territory, and between visual storytelling and communities at risk of depopulation.
Within the festival calendar, the Municipality of San Martino Sannita, a town of just over a thousand inhabitants in the province of Benevento, plays a significant role: it is here, on the Angelo hill, that the competition screening evenings are concentrated, with a popular jury invited to vote, guests engaging with the audience, and out-of-competition screenings.
Why San Martino Sannita
The festival follows a widespread format: the Campania Region and the Campania Film Commission support the organization, managed by the Daena Film Culture Association APS under the artistic direction of Umberto Rinaldi, while individual municipalities host one or more days. San Martino Sannita is one of the historic venues: the Angelo hill, overlooking the Sabato valley, becomes an open-air cinema for a few nights, with the screen set up outdoors and the audience seated under the stars. It is a very Italian way to experience summer cinema, halfway between a village fair and an auteur film festival.
Competition sections
The competition is international and divided into seven sections. The 12th edition saw participation from around four hundred filmmakers from over forty countries. The categories are:
- Best Short Corto e a capo — best short film with an open theme (up to 15 minutes)
- L'immaginale — best social short film
- Theme Award — linked to the year's central theme
- Environmental Sustainability — in collaboration with Officine Sostenibili
- Details that make the difference — a section created with Slow Food Avellino
- School Days — best school short film
- DAENA Award — best feature film and best documentary
Guests, lifetime achievement awards, and cine-literary aperitifs
Each edition alternates screenings, masterclasses, and meetings with key figures of Italian cinema. Over the years, the Mario Puzo Lifetime Achievement Award has been presented to prominent personalities; in 2025 it was awarded to Alessandro Haber, and in 2026 to special effects master Sergio Stivaletti, a historic collaborator of Dario Argento. Alongside the evening events, the Cine-literary Aperitifs have become a staple, dedicated to presenting books on cinema and the seventh art, alongside daily morning and afternoon screenings organized with local associations.
A widespread festival between Benevento and Avellino
The stops change from year to year along the Sannio-Irpinia axis: Tufo, Venticano, San Giorgio del Sannio, Montefusco, Colle Sannita, Torre Le Nocelle, and naturally San Martino Sannita. For visitors, it is an opportunity to discover a part of inland Campania often ignored by tourist circuits: hillside villages, Greco di Tufo wineries, rural churches, and agricultural landscapes. The festival was born from this very idea, summarized in the 2026 theme: using cinema as a lever for a 'trend reversal' against the demographic and economic decline of inland areas.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is that of an informal and participatory village festival: simple entry, a mixed audience of cinephiles, families, and residents, and debates that continue after the screenings. The popular jury is one of the most appreciated features, as it entrusts the present audience with the task of voting for the short films, turning the spectator into an active part of the event.
Mario Puzo Film Festival — edition 2026
12th edition: 'Trend Reversal'
From August 19th to 24th, 2026, the Mario Puzo Film Festival – Corto e a Capo returns to the municipalities of Sannio and Irpinia with the theme 'Trend Reversal. Strategies to oppose chronic decline': six days of cinema to tell the story of inland Campania as places of possible rebirth and not just as territories in depopulation.
The San Martino Sannita stage, in the province of Benevento, hosts the festival evenings on the Angelo hill: screenings of competition works, popular jury voting, round tables on cinema and territory, guest meetings, and out-of-competition viewings. Thursday, August 20th is the evening dedicated to special effects master Sergio Stivaletti, who receives a special lifetime achievement award and presents his film 'Rabbia Furiosa – Er canaro'.
The festival is organized by the Daena Film Culture Association APS under the artistic direction of Umberto Rinaldi, with the support of the Campania Region and the Campania Film Commission.
Programme Mario Puzo Film Festival 2026
Program of the 12th edition (August 19-24, 2026)
- Wednesday, August 19 – Tufo (AV): Inauguration of the 12th edition. Adriano Della Starza presents the volume 'John Ford and Clint Eastwood: the two paths of the oath'; director Maura Delpero engages with the public starting from her film 'Vermiglio', awarded at the 2024 Venice Film Festival and winner of four David di Donatello awards.
- Thursday, August 20 – San Martino Sannita (BN), Angelo hill: Evening dedicated to the big screen with Sergio Stivaletti, master of special effects linked to Dario Argento's films. Presentation of the special lifetime achievement award, meeting with the public on the secrets of special effects, and screening of 'Rabbia Furiosa – Er canaro'. Daily morning and afternoon screenings also begin on August 20th, organized with Migrantes (San Giorgio del Sannio), Officine del fotogramma (Avellino), and the Casa Naima library in Atripalda.
- Evenings in San Martino Sannita: The Angelo hill is the protagonist for screenings of competition works, with round tables on cinema and territory, the Cine-literary Aperitifs section dedicated to books on cinema, guests, in-depth discussions, out-of-competition screenings, and popular jury voting.
- Saturday, August 22 – Venticano (AV): Day of political and social reflection with an institutional discussion on the future of inland areas; screening of 'Ritorno al tratturo' by Francesco Cordio with Elio Germano and an interview with actor Stefano Fresi on the differences between urban cinema and provincial cinema.
- Sunday, August 23 – San Giorgio del Sannio (BN): Critic Giuseppe Borrone presents a volume on English cinema; masterclass with actor and producer Riccardo Scamarcio on his international career and his role as a producer.
- Monday, August 24 – Montefusco (AV): Grand finale with the screening of competition and out-of-competition works, awards ceremony, and a photographic exhibition curated by Paolo Speranza in tribute to Ettore Scola, ten years after his passing.
The seven competition sections
- Best Short Corto e a capo (open theme): including selected titles 'Anime Vive' by Adam Selo, 'Il fotografo' by Marco Sommella, 'Tartuca' by Giulia Tivelli, 'Sound of the Somme' by Michael Vermaercke, 'Online' by Ceres Machado.
- L'immaginale – Best Social Short: including 'Viola' by Marco Lorenzo Masante, 'The swap' by Valeria Luchetti, 'Quando il cielo cade' by Jay Ruggiano.
- Trend Reverse (thematic section): 'My game' by David Navarro Bravo, 'La Chute' by Marc Anthony Issa, 'The Replacement' by Chih Hao Shen.
- Environmental Sustainability, with Officine Sostenibili: 'Paris Fox' by Sofian Chouaib, 'Legame Materno' by Simone Arrighi, 'Bad seed' by Nadège Herrygers.
- Details that make the difference, with Slow Food Avellino: 'A bed story' by Claudio Recenti, 'Rhubarb rhubarb' by Kate McMullen, 'Retirement plan' by John Kelly.
- School Days – Best School Short: 'Paolino' by Raffaele Schettino, 'Alice Latte e Miele' by Riccardo Charlie Marino, 'The house by the sea' by Fulvio Davide Ricca.
- DAENA Award for feature film ('Corsa Abusiva' by Andrea Bifulco, 'Seagulls Beach' by Claudio Pauri, 'Alcooltest' by Stefano Usardi, 'El figurante' by Darío García Sanz) and for documentary ('Anime violate' by Matteo Balsamo, 'Echo of sunken flowers' by Rosa Maietta, 'Fora pal Mont' by Lorena Trevisan and Michele Pastrello, 'The Madmen Coach' by Carlo Liberatore).
Other 2026 initiatives
- Cine-literary aperitifs with the second issue of the magazine CineMOI.
- Participatory documentary on depopulation and the revitalization of territories.
- Photographic exhibition dedicated to Ettore Scola curated by Paolo Speranza.
Highlights Mario Puzo Film Festival 2026
- Special lifetime achievement award for Sergio Stivaletti, master of special effects, Thursday, August 20th in San Martino Sannita, with the screening of 'Rabbia Furiosa – Er canaro'.
- The evenings on the Angelo hill with competition works and the popular jury vote.
- Masterclass with Riccardo Scamarcio in San Giorgio del Sannio (Sunday, August 23rd).
- Maura Delpero guest at the inauguration in Tufo with 'Vermiglio'.
- Screening of 'Ritorno al tratturo' by Francesco Cordio with Elio Germano and meeting with Stefano Fresi in Venticano.
- About four hundred works submitted from over forty countries, across seven competition sections.
- Grand finale and awards ceremony in Montefusco, with a photographic exhibition dedicated to Ettore Scola.
Prices Mario Puzo Film Festival 2026
Practical information — Mario Puzo Film Festival
How to get there
San Martino Sannita is located about ten kilometers southeast of Benevento, in the Sabato valley, a short distance from San Giorgio del Sannio. By car, it can be reached via the routes connecting Benevento to San Giorgio del Sannio and Avellino. The reference railway station is Benevento, from where you can continue by car or local bus connections. The nearest airport is Naples-Capodichino, about 70 km away.
Where it takes place
The festival evenings in San Martino Sannita are held outdoors on the Angelo hill. As these are evening screenings on a hill, it is advisable to bring a light jacket even in August.
Tickets and information
The festival takes place in public and municipal spaces with the support of the Campania Region and the Campania Film Commission. For the updated program, times, and access methods, it is recommended to consult the official website cortoeacapo.it or write to the organizing association Daena APS ([email protected]).
Where to stay
Accommodation options are concentrated in Benevento and nearby villages (farm stays and B&Bs between Sannio and Irpinia, particularly in the Greco di Tufo area). Given the festival's itinerant format, it is advisable to choose a central base between the two provinces.
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Where does it take place — Mario Puzo Film Festival
Altura dell'Angelo