Benevento: The 18th edition of the Artelesia Social Film Festival will take place from October 7th to 11th, 2026.

Benevento Social Film Festival Artelesia 18th edition: October 7-11, 2026

The event, presented today in Benevento at the Rocca dei Rettori, offers five days of community cinema, meetings, shows, and masterclasses, with activities dedicated to students and key locations between Benevento, Pietrelcina, and San Lupo.

Francesco Tomasiello: "For me, heroes are the people who face visible and invisible obstacles every day without giving up on their dreams. This Festival was created to give space to talent, not labels, and to ask cinema to represent disability with truth, dignity, and compassion."

Antonio Di Fede: "We've built a program in which the theme of heroes runs through films, meetings, shows, and training programs. The heroism we want to portray isn't far removed from real life: it belongs to those who transform a fragility into language, a difficulty into awareness, and their own journey into an opportunity for dialogue."

The awards ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, October 10th, at 6:30 PM at the Teatro Comunale Vittorio Emmanuele in Benevento, and will be hosted by Carolina Rey. Guests at the ceremony include Italian and international actors, directors, producers, and screenwriters, including Francesco Pannofino, Antonio Catania, Lino D'Angiò, Nina Pons, Marc Pujol, Rosaria De Cicco, and Paola Tiziana Cruciani.

Program and main timeline

The full program includes a series of events from October 7th to 11th in various locations: Back to School, meetings with authors, screenings, performances, and masterclasses. Guests include names such as Andrea Pisani and Stefano Fresi, with events ranging from film acting to sessions dedicated to independent cinema and inclusion. The festival also includes events dedicated to Marilyn Monroe and projects related to art and literature, as well as musical performances and film-literary discussions.

The awards ceremony on Saturday, October 10th will be hosted by Carolina Rey; actors in attendance include Francesco Pannofino, Antonio Catania, Lino D'Angiò, Nina Pons, Marc Pujol, Rosaria De Cicco, and Paola Tiziana Cruciani. The activities will conclude on Sunday, October 11th with a concert by the iCare educational and inclusive music workshop, conducted by Maestro Marco Rosiello.