Films at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and the new 5 million euro Apulia Film Fund: Apulia Region and Apulia Film Commission between production, businesses, public, innovation and internationalisation

Four works, four different pathways and a presence running through the Venice programme from Competition to Out of Competition, from Orizzonti to Giornate degli Autori. The story of cinematic Apulia started with the films, animating the Italian Pavilion at the Hotel Excelsior on the Lido of Venice this morning as part of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.

The meeting was attended by Francesco Paolicelli, Councillor for Agriculture and Rural Development of the Apulia Region; Anna Maria Tosto, President of Apulia Film Commission; Antonio Parente, General Director of Apulia Film Commission; Oscar Iarussi, Artistic Director of Bif&st; Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London, together with directors and representatives of the Apulian works present in Venice.

The event provided an opportunity to take stock of regional policies for cinema and the audiovisual sector and to present some of the main tools and projects scheduled for the coming months: the new Apulia Film Fund, the Apulia Film Forum, the CineMarket Voucher Puglia, Bif&st, Apulia Digital Experience and the activities developed through the national and international partnerships of Apulia Film Commission.

The Apulian presence in Venice begins with "L’Estranea" by Paolo Strippoli, an Apulian director, selected in the Festival's Competition and starring, among others, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Jasmine Trinca and Adriano Giannini. The film was supported through the Apulia Film Fund with a contribution of 320,000 euros, against a total reported expenditure in the regional territory of 638,765.46 euros. Filming took place in Gioia del Colle, at Villa Povia, Bari, between Circolo Barion, Molo San Nicola, San Paolo district and the Policlinico, and Monopoli, between the sanitary kennel, Porto Ghiacciolo and the urban centre.

Selected Out of Competition was "Nino – Un film su Nino Rota" (Nino – A Film about Nino Rota) by Walter Fasano, a documentary dedicated to the figure and work of Nino Rota. In this case too, the project is supported by the Apulia Film Fund, with an allocated contribution of 120,000 euros. Part of the filming took place in Bari, in the Nino Rota Auditorium of the Niccolò Piccinni Conservatory, a venue particularly linked to the composer's history.

In the Orizzonti section is "Angelo Azzurro" (Blue Angel) by Tommaso Acquarone, a short film made as part of the European project INTERREG REEL, with a budget of 24,396.64 euros.

Completing the Apulian presence is "Waiting for Ken Loach", a documentary by Simone Amendola about the fairytale of Piccolo Cinema in Mesagne, the only cinema entirely run by boys and girls aged 11 to 18, selected for Giornate degli Autori.

Four different works in format, production scale and pathway, which also reflect the plurality of tools through which the Apulia Region and Apulia Film Commission intervene in the audiovisual sector.

APULIA FILM FUND 2026

During the meeting, the new Apulia Film Fund 2026 was presented, with a financial allocation of 5 million euros intended to support film and audiovisual production made in Apulia. The fund remains one of the main tools of regional policy for the sector, with the aim of attracting productions and, at the same time, generating expenditure and employment locally through the involvement of local crew, professionals, businesses, accommodation facilities and suppliers.

The results of the previous cycle, relating to 2024, make it possible to measure its impact. With over 13 million euros of public resources, 66 productions were supported, generating approximately 35 million euros of direct expenditure in Apulia and an estimated total economic impact of around 70 million euros, in addition to about one thousand working days.

The new Film Fund therefore continues a line of intervention that views the audiovisual sector not only as a tool for territorial promotion, but as a productive sector capable of activating investments and work.

APULIA FILM FORUM

Among the events presented in Venice is also the new edition of the Apulia Film Forum, scheduled to take place in Bari from 13 to 15 November 2026. The new call for applications for the selection of projects that will participate in the Forum will be published on Monday 7 September with a deadline of 9 October.

The 2026 edition will be realised in partnership with the European Producers Club – EPC and will feature the presence in Bari of producers from various European countries. Eight Apulian projects will be selected to participate in one-to-one meetings with international producers and stakeholders, with the aim of fostering their development and identifying potential partners and co-financiers. The programme will also include the EPC Encounters, which will bring operators from various European markets to Apulia.

The Apulia Film Forum thus confirms its function as a professional platform dedicated to project development and the building of productive and international co-production relationships.

APULIA DIGITAL EXPERIENCE

Among the projects dedicated to ongoing changes in the audiovisual industry, the upcoming edition of Apulia Digital Experience – ADE was also announced, scheduled to take place in Bari from 11 to 13 December 2026.

The event, produced by Apulia Film Commission with Rai Com, is dedicated to digital innovation in the creative industries and brings together professionals, businesses and experts to discuss new technological scenarios affecting cinema and the audiovisual sector. Artificial intelligence, immersive content, video games and new production and distribution models are among the areas on which the project focuses, with particular attention to the consequences that technological innovation is having on creative and industrial processes.

ADE thus fits into the activities through which Apulia Film Commission accompanies traditional production support tools with work involving observation and discussion on sector transformations.

CINEMARKET VOUCHER PUGLIA

On the front of business internationalisation, the CineMarket Voucher Puglia was also presented, a new measure with a total allocation of 100,000 euros.

The tool is aimed at Apulian micro, small and medium-sized audiovisual enterprises and supports, through the reimbursement of eligible expenditure, participation in major national and international film and audiovisual markets. The aim is to foster the direct presence of Apulian companies in professional contexts where new projects are presented, producers, distributors, broadcasters and sales agents are met, and co-production and distribution agreements are built.

Film Fund, Film Forum and CineMarket Voucher therefore intervene at different stages of the value chain: from production to project development, up to their presence on markets.

BIF&ST

Part of the meeting was also dedicated to the Bif&st – Bari International Film&TV Festival, a festival of the Apulia Region produced by Apulia Film Commission and directed by Oscar Iarussi. Following the 2026 edition, work has already begun on the next event, with the aim of consolidating the Festival's role within regional activities dedicated to audience development and the promotion of film culture.

Bif&st represents in fact one of the main moments of encounter between the public, authors, cast and audiovisual professionals, accompanying entertainment events with in-depth activities, meetings and training opportunities.

THE PARTNERSHIP WITH FILM LONDON

Within the framework of international collaborations, the relationship with Film London was also recalled, a partner of Apulia Film Commission in activities dedicated to professional development, training and internationalisation.

The collaboration between the two film commissions has already given rise over the years to pathways dedicated to producers, directors and scriptwriters and to the development of projects with co-production potential between Italy and the United Kingdom.