Vico Equense turns on the spotlight: the Social World Film Festival 2025 is underway

The 22th edition of the Social World Film Festival kicked off on June 15, in the evocative setting of Vico Equense. Under the direction of Giuseppe Alessio Nuzzo, the event – ​​scheduled until June 29 – pays homage to Alida Valli, a timeless icon of cinema.

His career and artistic imprint are celebrated through a retrospective curated by Rai Teche, accompanied by a photographic exhibition created in collaboration with the Fondazione Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – Cineteca Nazionale.

This year's edition stands out as the most international ever, with highly prestigious guests.

Among the highlights is the return of Abel Ferrara with Turn in the Wound, a documentary about Ukraine that won the Social Film of the Year award. The intense and deeply timely work, applauded at the Berlinale, will be presented for the first time in Italy at the Social World Film Festival: a choice that confirms the festival's desire to give space to a cinema capable of shaking consciences and opening global reflections.

“His documentary on Ukraine was considered very strong during the press preview in Rome: on that occasion he said that 'we are now in the third world war', and this was even before the news of the attacks by the United States was known,” commented the director of the festival Giuseppe Alessio Nuzzo, speaking yesterday afternoon during the press conference hosted in the prestigious setting of Castello Giusso.

Highly anticipated guest on the international scene: Giancarlo Esposito, famous for his role in Breaking Bad, awarded the recognition of best international actor. There will also be space for entertainment with a special evening branded Disney focused on the figure of Captain America and the potential social impact of the big blockbusters.

The festival will be further enriched by the presence of Ben Stiller, chosen as the godfather of this edition and previewed during the press conference in Naples. The protagonists of Italian cinema will not be missing: Edoardo Leo and Maurizio De Giovanni will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Sergio Rubini will celebrate his 40 years of artistic activity right here in Vico Equense.

The official inauguration of the International Social Cinema Festival, directed by Giuseppe Alessio Nuzzo, is The Room Next Door, the new, highly anticipated film by Pedro Almodóvar, at the Aequa Cinema.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Arena Fellini, in the evocative cloister of SS. Trinità e Paradiso, accompanied by the exciting CineSax concert, performed by the Duæ Siciliæ Saxophone Ensemble of the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory in Naples. «A 15-piece orchestra, composed exclusively of saxophones, which will delight us with a concert of film music performed entirely on saxophone.

We renamed it CineSax and it is an original idea that we liked to bring to the Social World Film Festival", explained the director of the festival Giuseppe Alessio Nuzzo during the press conference.

The guest of the first day was Francesco Panarella, known for his role in the series Mare Fuori, who in the evening introduced the out-of-competition screening of the short film Interference, in which he is the protagonist.

In the film, he plays a young man struggling with depression, who tries to escape it through live streaming: an escape route that soon turns out to be harmful, due to the negative judgments he receives online. In the afternoon, the actor also entertained the younger audience by participating in an engaging masterclass at the Sala Lollobrigida of the Cinema Aequa.

During the meeting with the young people at the festival, the actor Francesco Panarella shared his journey with sincerity, telling how his passion for acting was born from the desire to transform vulnerability into strength. He spoke about the difficulties he faced as a boy, his relationship with fame and the value of patience and empathy in the acting profession.

With an ironic and direct style, he stressed the importance of remaining authentic, of treating everyone with respect on the set and of using visibility to generate something good: “If I can make even just one viewer feel less alone, for me it's a victory.”

The festival dedicates ample space to the directors competing in the Focus and Documentary sections, who present intense works deeply rooted in society. From Fermata “Le Madonelle” by Lorenzo Cammisa, inspired by the Ponticelli massacre, to the documentary NoteItaliane by Adelmo Togliani, a tribute to the composer EA Mario; through Terramara by Simone Romano, a poetic denunciation of gangmastering in the Piana del Fucino, up to Nottefonda by Giuseppe Miale di Mauro, an intimate and poignant story about solitude and mourning.

Different stories, but united by a conscious and necessary look at our time.
With big international names, touching testimonies and stories that are not afraid to look into the most uncomfortable corners of existence, the festival builds a real bridge between entertainment and conscious reality. And we are only at the beginning of a week that promises to be full of emotions, reflections and new discoveries.

The full program of the event, and the ways to participate in the events, can be found at the following link: https://socialfestival.com/it/programma