The first edition of the Pompeii International Film Festival opens today, June 3, 2025, and runs until June 8. Directed by Enrico Vanzina and conceived by Annarita Borelli , the festival transforms the ancient city into a cultural laboratory with films, meetings, and performances.
🎬 The opening day program
- 17 hours: 00 Red Carpet at the Moxy Marriott of the MaxiMall Pompeii with guests such as Marco Risi, Neri Parenti, Gianni Amelio, Luca Ward, Amedeo Minghi, Sergio Assisi and many others.
- 18 hours: 00 Opening ceremony in Room 7 of the Nexus Cinema:
- Institutional greetings
- Presentation of the works in competition
- Special screening of "Stabat mater" by Nazareno Nicoletti, with a meeting with the cast.
🎞️ A festival between cinema and cultural dialogue
The Festival offers:
- 8 international feature films, from Europe, Africa, Asia and America, on themes such as memory, generational conflicts, social justice and women's emancipation.
- 13 Italian short films, to tell the story of today's Italy through the eyes of emerging authors.
- 4 thematic panels on cinema and territory, language, customs and tourism, with scholars, directors and institutions.
📍 Key locations and appointments
Screenings will be held at Nexus MaxiMall Entertainment , with six theaters and a 364-seat auditorium. Every day, there will be talks with big names in cinema:
- 4nd June: Meeting with Marco Risi
- 5nd June: Meeting with Enrico Vanzina
- 6nd June: Meeting with Gianni Amelio
- 7nd June: Meeting with Black Relatives
🎉 Grand finale between archaeology and music
On June 8th, grand closing at the Theatre of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii , hosted by Sergio Assisi , with:
- Awards for the best films in competition
- Lifetime Achievement Awards at Black Relatives e Luca Ward
- Performance by the Italian Army Band Orchestra, soprano Lucia Rubedo, Soul Food Vocalist, and of the duo Domenico Sepe (sculptor) Marta Pignataro (violin)
📅 Unmissable events in the coming days
4nd June
- Panel “Cinema and Territory”
- Shorts in screening + Fortapasc by Marco Risi
5nd June
- Panel “Cinema and Language”
- Short + Life is a wonderful thing by Vanzina
6nd June
- Panel “Cinema and Costume”
- Short + Hammamet by Amelio
7nd June
- Panel “Cinema and Tourism”
- Fantozzi of relatives + My Kingdom for a Butterfly of Assisi
The Festival marks a new beginning for Pompeii as a crossroads of cultures, visions, and languages. As Borelli states: "We want to tell the story of the world from Pompeii, through cinema."
The film festival in Pompeii is an important occasion to see international and Italian films. We hope that there will be many visitors and that the meetings with the directors will be interesting. Culture is fundamental.