The first film festival in Basilicata dedicated to children and young people
The Wonder Film Festival is the first film festival in Basilicata designed entirely for children and young people. Born in Potenza, it focuses on the youngest audience both as spectators and as creators: the competition actually welcomes short films made by secondary school students and young independent talents under 20.
The festival's objective is to discover new talents and promote image education projects conducted in Italian schools, as part of the National Plan for Cinema and Images for Schools promoted by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education. The themes addressed by the competing works range from legality to the environment, from inclusion to bullying, to human rights: topics that speak directly to the world of young people.
The selection is divided into several categories, including best school film, best Lucanian short film, emerging talents, and best international short film. A jury of professionals evaluates the creativity, originality, and social impact of the works, awarding prizes including the prestigious Golden Star. Alongside the competition, the program includes screenings of major animated films and training sessions.
The festival is conceived by the Centre for Integrated Geomorphology for the Mediterranean Area (CGIAM) with the Maurizio Leggeri Library and promoted together with the Experimental Centre for Mediterranean Arts (CeSAM), with the patronage of the Basilicata Region, the Municipality of Potenza, and the Regional School Office. A project that makes Potenza a reference point for children's cinema in Southern Italy.
The second edition of the Wonder Film Festival will take place from 22 to 24 October 2026 in Potenza. The festival is aimed at students aged 11 to 19 and young talents under 20, with a short film competition for films made in the 2025-2026 period. Submissions remain open until 25 July 2026 via FilmFreeway.
The detailed program will be announced in the coming weeks. The 2026 edition includes a short film competition in four categories โ best school film, best Lucanian short film, emerging talents, and best international short film โ on themes such as legality, environment, inclusion, bullying, and human rights. A jury of professionals will award the prizes, including the Golden Star, alongside screenings and training sessions for schools.
How to get there: Potenza is reachable by train (Potenza Centrale and Superiore stations) and by car from the Sicignano-Potenza motorway junction.
Submissions: short film entries are submitted through the FilmFreeway platform by the deadlines indicated by the organizers.
Tickets: events are generally free admission with limited seating.
No photos yet. Share yours!
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every proposal is verified by our team before publication.
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Share your experience with the community.