Terrae International Film Festival

The festival

The Terrae International Film Festival is a cultural event held in Patù, a small town in lower Salento in the province of Lecce, at the southernmost tip of Apulia. Established in 2024 by the BOHO21 association with the patronage of the Municipality of Patù, the festival puts documentary cinema and visual languages at the service of a clear vision: using images as "ambassadors of peace and unity," capable of bringing together many small local stories with a strong global impact.

Cinema that tells the world's stories

The heart of the event is the open-air screenings in the garden of Palazzo Romano, in the town's historic center. Each evening, documentaries and films previously featured at prestigious festivals like Cannes and Berlin are presented, with a focus on themes such as the climate crisis, human rights, regional identity, and the relationship between humanity and nature. The festival offers completely free admission and is designed as an open space for meeting, exchange, and discovery.

Beyond the screen

Terrae is more than just cinema. The program includes several interconnected sections:

• Terrae Award — an international competition dedicated to independent short films focusing on the environment, human rights, inclusion, and regional development;
• Photojournalism exhibitions — visual reportage documenting world realities from the front lines;
• Art installations — contemporary artworks that engage with the village's historic architecture;
• Workshops and masterclasses on photojournalism and cinema;
• Live music and after-festival events featuring concerts and gatherings.

Patù and Salento

Hosting an international festival in a town of just a few thousand inhabitants like Patù is part of the event's identity: the village, famous for the Centopietre monument and the nearby coasts of Santa Maria di Leuca, becomes a crossroads for authors, photographers, artists, and spectators for a few days. It is a way to bring lower Salento back to the center stage, not just as a seaside destination, but as a place of culture and reflection.