Pompei International Film Festival
A week of international cinema at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, featuring competitions, auteur meetings, and lifetime achievement awards.
About Pompei Film Festival
World cinema meets in Pompei
The Pompei International Film Festival is a young film event held in the Municipality of Pompei, in the Province of Naples, in the heart of Campania. Conceived by lawyer Annarita Borelli, who serves as president and founder, and artistically directed by Enrico Vanzina, the festival follows a clear mission stated in its manifesto: to use cinema to protect the cultural identity of every nation. It is no coincidence that it was born here: few places in the world tell the story of the relationship between memory, image, and time quite like Pompei.
The first edition took place from June 3rd to 8th, 2025; the second from June 1st to 7th, 2026. In both cases, the headquarters was the Cinema Teatro Nexus at the MaxiMall Pompei, a state-of-the-art facility with six screens and a 364-seat auditorium, while the gala evenings sought the most evocative setting possible: the Teatro Grande of the Archaeological Park of Pompei.
How the program is structured
The festival's structure is stable and recognizable. Each day alternates between three blocks:
- Short Film Competition in the afternoon: in 2026, fifteen Italian short films were selected, with ample space for emerging directors;
- International Feature Film Competition in the evening: six titles in 2026, from Italy, Germany, Japan, China, and Albania, all screened in their original language with Italian and English subtitles;
- Thematic Panels in the evening, genuine auteur meetings between cinema, journalism, literature, and the Italian language.
Added to this is the Schools Project, a daily section reserved for younger audiences, featuring works created by schools in the Campania region: this is perhaps the most interesting aspect of an event that aims to be not just a showcase, but a laboratory for visual education in the area.
Guests and Lifetime Achievement Awards
The festival has quickly built a tradition around its Lifetime Achievement Awards, presented on the final evening. In 2025, they were awarded to Neri Parenti and Luca Ward; in 2026 to Ezio Greggio for television, Massimiliano Gallo for theater, and Massimo Ghini for cinema. Guests at the panels have included, among others, writer Maurizio De Giovanni, journalists Marco Ciriello and Ottavio Lucarelli, the Accademia della Crusca, and Rai Libri, as well as Enrico Vanzina himself, who holds a session every year on the transition from novel to film.
A popular and accessible festival
One decision distinguished the second edition more than any other: free admission to all screenings and meetings, with simple booking subject to availability. In 2025, the festival was ticketed, with capped prices and daily or weekly passes. The free admission in 2026 attracted a large local audience, particularly families and students from the Vesuvius area, making the festival a true city event rather than just a gathering for industry professionals.
Pompei, much more than a setting
Choosing Pompei means working within an already cinematic landscape. The Campanian city lives daily alongside the most famous archaeological site on the planet and the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary, a pilgrimage destination from all over Southern Italy. For spectators arriving from outside the region, the festival becomes a natural opportunity to combine an evening of screenings with a visit to the Excavations, a walk along the seafront of Torre Annunziata, or a hike up Mount Vesuvius. It is a formula that the Campania Region has supported from the beginning, along with ministerial patronage, SIAE, and several universities.
Why it's worth keeping an eye on
With only two editions behind it, the Pompei International Film Festival does not yet have the scale of major national events, but it already has a precise identity: international auteur cinema rarely distributed in Italy, a strong focus on short films, constant dialogue with writing and journalism, and a declared educational vocation. The third edition has already been announced by the organizers, once again in the month of June.
Pompei Film Festival — edition 2026
An edition that has grown in every way
The second edition confirmed the structure of 2025 while expanding its scope: six international feature films in competition from Italy, Germany, Japan, China, and Albania, fifteen selected Italian short films, four thematic panels held from June 2nd to 5th, and a daily section reserved for schools in Campania.
Films in competition
Among the titles presented to the Nexus audience: Le sorelle by Francesco Iezzi, Münter & Kandinsky by Marcus Otto Rosenmüller - a portrait of the artistic and human bond between Gabriele Münter and Wassily Kandinsky - the Japanese film Hakkenden by Fumihiko Sori, the Chinese Home Away, Home Close, Broken by Edmond Budina (Albania, Italy, North Macedonia), and E se mio padre by Sole Tonnini. All screenings were in the original language with Italian and English subtitles.
Meetings
The evening panels brought cinema into dialogue with other languages: journalism with Dalla cronaca all'immagine, literature with Maurizio De Giovanni, the novel with Le finte bionde discussed by Enrico Vanzina, and the Italian language with Rai Libri and the Accademia della Crusca.
The final evening
The grand finale on June 6th awarded the prizes for the competition sections: Best International Film to Münter & Kandinsky, Best Short Film to Appuntamento a mezzogiorno by Antonio Passaro. Lifetime Achievement Awards were given to Ezio Greggio, Massimiliano Gallo, and Massimo Ghini, with performances by Chinese tenors and the Distretto Sanità orchestra, and the final screening of the festival's visual manifesto, Il tempo ritrovato, written and directed by Annarita Borelli.
Programme Pompei Film Festival 2026
Monday, June 1st - Opening Night
- Red carpet and opening ceremony at Cinema Teatro Nexus
- Presentation by Annarita Borelli and Enrico Vanzina
- Screening of the visual manifesto Il tempo ritrovato, written and directed by Annarita Borelli
- Presentation of the films in competition and the juries
Tuesday, June 2nd - Cinema and News
- 15:00-16:30 Official short film selection (4 titles)
- 17:00-18:30 Le sorelle by Francesco Iezzi (83')
- 18:30-19:30 Schools Project 2026
- 19:30-21:30 Panel Dalla cronaca all'immagine with Marco Ciriello and Ottavio Lucarelli
- 21:00-22:30 Münter & Kandinsky by Marcus Otto Rosenmüller (125')
Wednesday, June 3rd - Literature and Cinema
- 15:00-16:30 Official short film selection (4 titles)
- 18:30-19:30 Schools Project 2026
- 19:30-21:00 Panel Scrivere immagini: la letteratura che diventa cinema with Maurizio De Giovanni
- 21:00 Hakkenden by Fumihiko Sori, Japan (150')
Thursday, June 4th - Enrico Vanzina
- 15:00-16:30 Official short film selection (4 titles)
- 18:30-19:30 Schools Project 2026
- 19:30-21:30 Panel Le finte bionde: dal romanzo al film with Enrico Vanzina
- 21:00-22:30 Home Away, Home Close, China (88')
Friday, June 5th - Words and Cinema
- 15:00-16:30 Official short film selection (3 titles)
- 17:00-18:30 Broken by Edmond Budina, Albania/Italy/North Macedonia (97')
- 18:30-19:30 Schools Project 2026
- 19:30-21:00 Panel with Rai Libri and the Accademia della Crusca
- 21:00-22:30 E se mio padre by Sole Tonnini, Italy (100')
Saturday, June 6th - Awards Night
- Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, and Youth Jury Prize
- Lifetime Achievement Awards to Ezio Greggio (television), Massimiliano Gallo (theater), and Massimo Ghini (cinema)
- Performance by Chinese tenors and the Distretto Sanità orchestra
- Final screening of Il tempo ritrovato
All screenings took place at the Cinema Teatro Nexus of the MaxiMall Pompei, in the original language with Italian and English subtitles.
Highlights Pompei Film Festival 2026
- Six international feature films in competition from Italy, Germany, Japan, China, and Albania
- Fifteen selected Italian short films, with space for emerging directors
- Panels with Maurizio De Giovanni, Enrico Vanzina, the Accademia della Crusca, and Rai Libri
- Schools Project with works from Campania institutes
- Lifetime Achievement Awards to Ezio Greggio, Massimiliano Gallo, and Massimo Ghini
- Best Film: Münter & Kandinsky; Best Short: Appuntamento a mezzogiorno by Antonio Passaro
- Free admission to all screenings and meetings
Prices Pompei Film Festival 2026
Practical information — Pompei Film Festival
Where it takes place
Main venue: Cinema Teatro Nexus, inside the MaxiMall Pompei, at the gates of the city. Gala evenings have also been held at the Teatro Grande of the Archaeological Park of Pompei.
How to get there
- By train: Circumvesuviana (Naples-Sorrento line) stop Pompei Scavi - Villa dei Misteri, or Naples-Poggiomarino line stop Pompei Santuario; from Naples Centrale, also the FS line with a stop at Pompei.
- By car: A3 Naples-Salerno motorway, exit Pompei Ovest or Pompei Est; ample parking at the shopping center that houses the cinema.
- By plane: Naples-Capodichino airport, about 30 km away, connected by bus and train.
Tickets
In 2026, admission was free with mandatory booking, subject to availability, via MaxiMall Pompei, Cinema Teatro Nexus, and the festival's official channels. In the first 2025 edition, single tickets and passes were available via TicketOne.
Tips
- Screenings are in the original language with Italian and English subtitles.
- There is a security check at the entrance: it is best to arrive well in advance and without bulky luggage.
- Pompei offers a wide range of accommodation (hotels, B&Bs, farmhouses on the slopes of Vesuvius): in June, it is advisable to book in advance, as it is high tourist season.
Contacts
Secretariat: [email protected] - tel. +39 392 3155770 - official website: festivaldelcinemadipompei.com
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Where does it take place — Pompei Film Festival
Cinema Teatro Nexus - MaxiMall Pompei