Salina Doc Festival

The Salina Doc Festival, International Festival of Narrative Documentary in Salina, brings to this wonderful corner of Sicily, in the Aeolian Islands, international and local names, directors of today and yesterday, filmmakers, cult films of cinematic history and new courageous projects, journalists, writers and special guests, to celebrate the documentary narrative through the screening of short films and films, with forays into the history of cinema and, inevitably, into the history of this land, Sicily, which continues to be the favorite setting for many directors for its natural beauty, for its dramatic events and for the opportunities for redemption it offers to the poorest, as the first step towards freedom.

Now in its fifteenth edition, the International Narrative Documentary Festival in Salina is an event that brings participants and spectators of the local community, but also international, closer to the most important issues of the moment, each time bringing food for thought to the public's attention to understand the world around us.

During each edition, prizes are awarded to the best documentary with competitions also open to young talents; the competing films are often shot in Italy, but also in Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland or Lebanon, in short, there are no borders, but only interesting themes with which to deal with sensitivity: fears and dreams, youth, identity, future are some of the major themes addressed so far in previous editions of the Festival, which has also been able to bring to the public's attention the problems of women, minorities and those who find the courage to leave their homeland in search of fortune.

The Festival, now established in the cultural panorama of the island and beyond, also welcomes the great names of international culture, from Martin Scorsese a Roberto Saviano, in addition to the other important guests who land every year on the Aeolian Islands, helping to strengthen the cultural momentum of a land that has long been consigned to the collective imagination by the films of Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini and Massimo Troisi.

The history of the international narrative documentary festival in Salina

Everything stems from Kaos: the scene of the dip in pumice, played by Giovanna Taviani and by his brother Giuliano on the beaches of Lipari in 1984, he inspired the Roman director to transform her memories of a teenager on holiday in wonderful Sicily into something more concrete than a simple memory: a narrative reconstruction to show to others as well.

And so, in 2007 the idea materialized thanks to the partnership with the Sicily Film Commission and the support of the Mibact Cinema Direction, as well as the participation of the Salina Isola Verde Association and the Municipality of Santa Marina Salina: the first edition of the SalinaDocFest sees the light, assisted by a Scientific Committee and an Honorary Committee to guarantee the quality of the Festival. At the center of the narrative, immigration and the peoples of the Mediterranean.

Twinned with film festivals from all over the world, the International Narrative Documentary Festival in Salina registers over 1.500 films entered in its competitions, hundreds of screenings and national (Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2013) and international (Bear Golden Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2016).
Today, 15 years after its birth, the SalinaDocFest is an appointment that no documentary film enthusiast in the world would like to miss.

When the international narrative documentary festival takes place in Salina

The Festival in Salina takes place in the month of September, from 15 to 18. For the past two years, the event sponsored by Giovanna Taviani has also been held in Rome, from 1 to 3 October, at the Casa del Cinema in Rome.

Where the international narrative documentary festival takes place in Salina

Salina, an island of the Aeolian Islands and of the Metropolitan City of Messina, hosts a new edition of the SalinaDocFest every year, which is held in various locations on the island. Consulting the program it is possible to note all the appointments on the seafront of Lingua, at the Malfa Congress Center and at the Convention Hall of Santa Marina Salina; other events of the Festival take place in the square, in the same localities.

What to do at the international narrative documentary festival in Salina

Watching, reflecting, understanding: this is the process that the International Film Festival Narrative Documentary in Salina invites us to activate, with the screening of the films in competition, but also with the conferences, the shows and the information it makes available to all viewers.

The events to participate in are screenings, conferences, musical performances that also allow you to directly listen to the voices of directors and actors; on this occasion, it is also possible to rediscover old films and attend the awarding of the winners of the Festival.

Taking advantage of the SalinaDocFest, you can plan a stay on the island, to also discover the natural and architectural beauties of the surroundings, such as Lake Lingua where you can admire the ancient tanks for collecting salt or the Grotte dei Saraceni, not far away.

In Santa Marina Salina you can visit the great Church of Maria Santissima Addolorata , Church of Santa Marina, built in the seventeenth century. The archaeological area of barone is of considerable interest to visitors, to better understand the history of the island, which can also be explored by visiting the Civic Museum of Language.

Finally, when you are in Salina, don't forget to enjoy an excellent glass of local Malvasia.

Recommended activities for a tour of the Aeolian Islands

How to get to the Salina festival

Salina, the Aeolian island and municipal territory of the Metropolitan City of Messina, can be easily reached by ferry, disembarking directly at the port of the island.