Storytelling and Film Festival (DRIFFest)
Cinema, literature, and theatre in the squares of the Bari province
About DRIFFest
A story that becomes a film
The "Del Racconto, il Film" Festival — known by the acronym DRIFFest — is one of the most original cultural events in the Metropolitan City of Bari. Its formula is simple yet powerful: each evening brings a book and a film into dialogue around a common theme, with the direct presence of the writers, directors, actors, and protagonists of the works. It is not just a simple film club, but a true collective narrative built evening after evening, right among the people.
Born from the experience of the Cooperativa Sociale I Bambini di Truffaut and led by artistic director Giancarlo Visitilli, the festival has a distinctly travelling nature: it moves from town to town throughout the summer, enlivening squares, amphitheatres, castle courtyards, and theatres. Among the cities that host its evenings every year is Giovinazzo, an elegant seaside village north of Bari, where the events are held outdoors in the Piazzale Aeronautica Militare Amphitheatre.
Cinema, literature, and civic themes
The programme goes beyond mere entertainment: DRIFFest chooses stories that speak of school, childhood, memory, rights, and justice, bringing these reflections even into local prisons with evenings dedicated to inmates. It is this social dimension, combined with the quality of the selected works, that distinguishes the festival in the Apulian landscape and has earned it the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Apulia Region, and Puglia Culture.
Each edition brings leading names of Italian cinema and literature to Apulia. The audience is not a passive spectator: through reading groups and public voting, it is the spectators themselves who decide the awards given to the best films, the best performances, and the most beloved books.
Evenings in Giovinazzo
In Giovinazzo, DRIFFest is now a staple of the summer season. Screenings and presentations take place at dusk in the amphitheatre on Piazzale Aeronautica Militare, with a formula that has remained unchanged over the years: starting at 7:30 PM with free admission subject to availability. It is an opportunity for locals and visitors alike to meet authors and directors up close in an informal, open-air setting, just a stone's throw from the historic centre and the harbour.
A festival rooted in the territory
With its stages distributed between Bari, Giovinazzo, Rutigliano, Sannicandro di Bari, and other towns in the province, DRIFFest is much more than a film festival: it is a widespread cultural project that enhances public spaces and builds community around stories. For those spending the summer in Apulia, it represents an intelligent and free way to experience the evenings, between a good book and a great film.
DRIFFest — edition 2026
The 17th edition of the "Del Racconto, il Film" Festival takes place from 16 June to 24 July 2026 between Bari, Giovinazzo, Rutigliano, Sannicandro di Bari, and the Trani prison, for a total of 21 events featuring 16 books, 18 films, and 2 theatre performances. In Giovinazzo, the festival confirms its historic open-air venue, the Piazzale Aeronautica Militare amphitheatre, with free evening events and great guests from Italian cinema and literature.
Programme DRIFFest 2026
Evenings in Giovinazzo — Piazzale Aeronautica Militare, 7:30 PM
All Giovinazzo evenings have free admission subject to availability.
- Wednesday 24 June — writer Alberto Ravasio presents the novel Il grande mantenuto (Quodlibet) in dialogue with journalist Andrea C. Ravallese, followed by the film Gioia mia, the directorial debut of Margherita Spampinato (David di Donatello for Best New Director), starring Aurora Quattrocchi.
- Monday 29 June — "Del Racconto, i Bambini" evening: writer Luigi Nacci presents Il tempo dei semplici in dialogue with Fausta De Michele, followed by the documentary La città dei bambini. L'utopia di Francesco Tonucci by Emanuela Tomassetti, with a streaming link to Tonucci himself and the participation of pedagogists Daniela Dato and Giuseppe Annacontini (University of Foggia).
- Tuesday 7 July — evening dedicated to the theme of bullying with the screening of the film A proposito di Luis by Lucia Chiarla.
The travelling festival
DRIFFest 2026 opens on 16 June at the Trani prison with the documentary Nino. 18 giorni by Toni D'Angelo and closes on 24 July in Sannicandro di Bari with the film Soldato Peter and the presentation of Solo un giorno by Marco Lodoli. Other guests of the edition include Antonio Capuano, Ivan Cotroneo, Wanda Marasco, Valentina Petrini, Edoardo Winspeare, Petra Volpe, Carolina Cavalli, and Carine Tardieu. The two theatre performances scheduled are Vorrei una voce by and with Tindaro Granata (30 June, Teatro Metamorfosi in Rutigliano) and Hamelin by Tonio De Nitto (22 July, Sannicandro).
Highlights DRIFFest 2026
Prices DRIFFest 2026
Practical information — DRIFFest
Where
The Giovinazzo evenings are held at the Piazzale Aeronautica Militare Amphitheatre in Giovinazzo (Metropolitan City of Bari). The festival is itinerant: other stops take place in Bari, Rutigliano, Sannicandro di Bari, and local prisons.
Times and Admission
All events start at 7:30 PM. The book and film evenings have free admission subject to availability; only the two theatre performances require a ticket (a symbolic fee of 3 euros).
How to get there
Giovinazzo can be reached by train via the Ferrovie del Nord Barese line and Trenitalia regional trains on the Bari-Barletta route, or by car via the SS16 Adriatica. The village is about 20 minutes from Bari-Palese Airport.
Information
Cooperativa Sociale I Bambini di Truffaut — tel. +39 328 4071538 — ibambiniditruffaut.com
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Where does it take place — DRIFFest
Anfiteatro del Piazzale Aeronautica Militare
Piazzale Aeronautica Militare, 70054 Giovinazzo