Sea Film Festival

A festival dedicated to cinema and the sea

Every late August, the village of Castiglione della Pescaia, a pearl of the Maremma in the province of Grosseto, transforms into an open-air set for the Sea Film Festival. Founded in 2016 by Claudio Carabba, the festival celebrates quality cinema by focusing on a theme that defines the local identity: the sea, with its allure, its mysteries, and its poetry. This is not a glamorous red-carpet event, but a popular yet refined gathering that brings some of the most important names in Italian cinema to the village square.

The artistic direction of Giovanni Veronesi

Since 2021, the artistic direction has been entrusted to director and screenwriter Giovanni Veronesi, a native of Prato, Tuscany, and creator of highly successful films such as the Manuale d'amore saga. Veronesi has given the festival a clear vision: inviting only prominent figures from the Italian film industry and engaging the audience in intimate, direct conversations. Over the years, the festival has welcomed guests such as Carlo Verdone, Paolo Virzì, Elio Germano, Margherita Buy, Gianni Amelio, Matteo Garrone, Pilar Fogliati, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ambra Angiolini, Geppi Cucciari, and Beppe Fiorello.

The festival venues

The festival takes place in various locations throughout the historic center and the seafront of Castiglione della Pescaia:

• Cinema Castello: the open-air cinema in the village, the heart of the evening screenings;
• Italo Calvino Municipal Library (Piazza Garibaldi): venue for afternoon screenings of documentaries and short films, with free admission;
• Orto del Lilli: the lounge where late-afternoon meetings with guests are held, presented by Veronesi himself;
• Club Velico: a space for exhibitions and side events.

The awards: 'Mauro Mancini' and 'Guido Parigi'

Two awards drive the competitive side of the festival. The Mauro Mancini Award, established in the second edition, is dedicated to European short films that feature the sea as their main theme. The Guido Parigi Award, created in 2019, honors the best journalistic-style short film and is judged by a jury of high school students from Grosseto, giving a voice to the new generation.

A popular and free event

A distinctive feature of the Sea Film Festival is its inclusive nature: almost all events are free to attend. This is the secret behind the deep bond between the festival and the community of Castiglione della Pescaia, and one of the reasons it is considered one of the most anticipated cultural events of the summer in Tuscany.