Ventotene Film Festival

A historic festival on a symbolic island

The Ventotene Film Festival is the longest-running film event held on the minor islands of the Italian archipelagos. Established in 1996 and reaching its thirtieth edition in 2025, the festival is conceived and directed by Loredana Commonara. It is promoted by the Artistic Soul Association with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Lazio Region, and the Municipality of Ventotene, in partnership with Italy for Movies.

Ventotene, cradle of the European ideal

The choice of location is no coincidence: Ventotene, a tiny island in the Pontine archipelago in the province of Latina, is where Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi, while in confinement during the fascist era, wrote the famous Manifesto for a free and united Europe. The festival has always intertwined cinema with this legacy: the Wind of Europe International Award, conferred under the High Patronage of the European Parliament, celebrates artists who promote European culture. Since 1997, the island has also been a protected marine reserve, along with the nearby island of Santo Stefano, and this environmental dimension is reflected in the international Green Path competition, dedicated to films and documentaries on ecology and sustainability.

Guests and award winners

Over the years, the festival has welcomed major figures of Italian and international cinema. During the 2025 summer preview, Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino received the International Excellence Award, and Alba Rohrwacher was honored with the Wind of Europe Award. Previous editions have seen the likes of Radu Mihaileanu, Paolo Virzì, Laura Morante, Ambra Angiolini, Isabella Ferrari, and Claudio Santamaria grace the island.

The format: screenings, panels, and masterclasses

The program alternates evening open-air screenings—in evocative settings such as the Belvedere Granili and the Terrazza Parata Grande—with meetings with authors, institutional panels on European cinema, masterclasses, and presentations of documentaries related to the local area. The evenings range from Italian auteur cinema to international works, with a special focus on themes of European memory and the environment.

A unique experience in Lazio

Attending a screening in Ventotene means combining the big screen with the charm of an island where time slows down: the Roman port carved into the tuff, the waters of the marine reserve, and the colorful alleys of the village. For the public from Lazio and tourists vacationing on the Pontine islands, the festival is an opportunity to experience cinema in a setting that is unparalleled in the Mediterranean.