Programme
XXIV Edition — 21-28 March 2026
The festival sections
Discover the four pillars of the XXIV edition of the B.A. Film Festival.
Italian Competition
The competition dedicated to the best of contemporary Italian cinema. A rigorous selection of works representing the vitality and diversity of the national film landscape, from emerging directors to the most established talents.
International Competition
The international competition brings together works from around the world, offering a window onto the most innovative and stimulating cinematographies on the global scene. Stories, languages and visions that cross borders and cultures.
Before Growing Up
A unique retrospective dedicated to the debut films of great directors. A fascinating journey to the origins of talent, rediscovering how the masters of cinema took their first steps in the world of the seventh art.
Special Events
Masterclasses with internationally renowned directors and actors, meetings with authors, round tables on the future of cinema and special screenings. Unique moments of insight and dialogue between the audience and the protagonists of the big screen.
Daily schedule
The complete calendar of screenings and events, day by day.
Special Events
Mauro Ermanno Giovanardi — E poi scegliere con cura le parole
The pre-opening of the festival is entrusted to Mauro Ermanno Giovanardi, who will present his new album E poi scegliere con cura le parole.
«Among those made over the last thirty years, this is my most thought-out, carefully weighed, long-awaited album... and also the most troubled one — says Giovanardi — Within it, between its folds, lies my entire way of being and my approach to music: made of discipline, perseverance, sacrifice and, at the same time, love, respect, ethical, moral and existential sense. It is, of all of them, the most existentialist record I have ever made. An existentialism that, however, does not let itself be dragged nor drags into darkness, into the maelstrom of malaise, but which is faced with a certain lightness. A "thoughtful lightness", to quote Calvino in his Six Memos for the Next Millennium».
Scerbanenco between novels, cinema and comics
Elisabetta Sgarbi and Eugenio Lio, director and screenwriter of L'isola degli idealisti (2024), will present the film adaptation of the eponymous "lost" novel by Scerbanenco, first published by their Nave di Teseo. Also taking part in the meeting will be Alberto Pezzotta, who recently published Il noir italiano prima e dopo Scerbanenco for Mimesis, an exhaustive survey of Italian crime fiction from the post-war period to the 1970s, and Paolo Bacilieri, creator of the recent comic adaptations of Venere privata and Traditori di tutti — the first and second instalments of the "Duca Lamberti tetralogy" (1966) — published by Oblomov in 2022 and 2025.
L'isola degli idealisti — Giorgio Scerbanenco
- The novel combines elements of the detective genre with a strong moral and psychological reflection on human relationships.
- The island becomes a symbolic, almost claustrophobic space where tensions, secrets and ethical ambiguities emerge.
- Scerbanenco constructs complex, often contradictory characters, far from any idealisation.
- The central theme is the conflict between idealism and reality, between moral aspirations and human frailties.
- The narrative alternates between introspection and suspense, maintaining a constant emotional tension.
- The style is sober and precise, with incisive dialogue that reveals psychologies and power dynamics.
- The isolated setting fosters an investigation of feelings and individual responsibilities.
- Overall, the work reflects on the limits of utopia and the inevitable complexity of human action.
The Chronology of Water
BAFF 2026 will present the Italian premiere of The Chronology of Water, the directorial debut of American actress Kristen Stewart, distributed in Italy by Wanted Cinema and presented at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.
Having achieved worldwide fame with the role of Bella Swan in the Twilight saga, and subsequently appearing in films by Woody Allen, Olivier Assayas, David Fincher, Sean Penn and David Cronenberg, in 2025 Stewart directed her first feature film. Based on the autobiography of American writer Lidia Yuknavitch, the film tells the story of a young woman who grew up in an environment devastated by violence and alcohol, and who finds unexpected freedom in literature and words.
Special Event — Brebbia and Ferri
In collaboration with the Rai 3 programme Fuori Orario, we inaugurate a new section dedicated to experimental languages of the past and present, in two encounters — halfway between masterclass and screening — devoted to two eccentric and indomitable filmmakers: Gianfranco Brebbia from Varese and Luca Ferri from Bergamo.
Fulvio Baglivi (Rai 3) will discuss the vast and largely unseen work of Brebbia (1923–74) with the filmmaker's daughter Giovanna Brebbia and the critic Mauro Gervasini. Equally tireless is Luca Ferri, who in dialogue with Roberto Turigliatto (Rai 3) will present his most recent film, Il Damo.
Masterclass
6 sessions with great masters of documentary and research cinema.
Lecture on Abel Ferrara
An outstanding lecture on the festival's opening guest, Abel Ferrara, given by artistic director Giulio Sangiorgio. The session is designed for students but open to all enthusiasts wishing to prepare for the evening with the American director.
Saturday 21 March, 4:00 PM — Istituto Cinematografico Michelangelo Antonioni
Il gesto delle mani — Meeting with Francesco Clerici
Screening of Il gesto delle mani by Francesco Clerici, which follows the creation process of one of the sculptures by artist Velasco Vitali, from wax to bronze, at the Fonderia Artistica Battaglia in Milan. Followed by a meeting with the director, who will discuss his work as a documentary filmmaker and educator.
Sunday 22 March, 10:00 AM — Istituto Cinematografico Michelangelo Antonioni
Francesco Giullare di Dio — with Michelangelo Frammartino
On the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the death of the Patron Saint of Italy, screening of Francesco, Giullare di Dio (1950) by Roberto Rossellini. The film will be introduced by director Michelangelo Frammartino, previously a guest at BAFF in 2025. «Knowing Roberto Rossellini's cinema today is fundamental — for his time, the great director had already envisioned and achieved all the contemporary and research cinema possible» (Giulio Sangiorgio).
Sunday 22 March, 4:00 PM — Cinema Fratello Sole
Tribute to Frederick Wiseman — Masterclass with Luca Mosso
A tribute to Frederick Wiseman, one of the greatest documentary filmmakers in the history of cinema, who passed away last month. His debut work Titicut Follies will be screened, depicting the hellish conditions of the Bridgewater criminal asylum in Massachusetts. Followed by a masterclass on Wiseman led by Luca Mosso, director of Filmmaker Festival Milano.
Monday 23 March, 10:00 AM — Istituto Cinematografico Michelangelo Antonioni
Afterlives — Meeting with Kevin B. Lee
Kevin B. Lee, one of the world's foremost video essay creators (over 360 productions), is at BAFF with his first feature film Afterlives, which critically addresses the historical and digital traces of extremist propaganda, questioning how images of violence circulate, mutate and persist. «An extraordinary opportunity to see the debut film of an artist who reflects on images through images» (Giulio Sangiorgio).
Thursday 26 March, 3:00 PM — Cinema Fratello Sole
Canone effimero — Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio
Turin-based directors Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio will present Canone effimero, already selected for the Berlinale. The documentary is a kind of archive of a vanishing Italy, capturing rituals, places and musical traditions that are being lost. Evocative images and a cinema conceived as a repository and memory.
Friday 27 March, 3:00 PM — Cinema Fratello Sole
Before Growing Up
Screenings and meetings dedicated to the discovery of Italian cinema through analysis and dialogue with its protagonists.
La ragazza nella nebbia
La ragazza nella nebbia (2017) by Donato Carrisi is a psychological thriller that builds tension more through atmosphere than action. The direction uses fog as a symbolic element, representing moral ambiguity and the uncertainty of truth. The non-linear narrative, with continuous flashbacks, reflects the fragmentation of point of view and draws the viewer into the investigative game.
The character of Inspector Vogel embodies the media spectacularisation of crime, criticising the relationship between justice and public opinion. The cold cinematography and desaturated tones accentuate the sense of isolation of the small Alpine village. The tight editing maintains high suspense while favouring the psychological over the action-driven. The performances, particularly that of Toni Servillo, give depth to the inner conflicts. Overall, the film reflects on the theme of manipulated truth and the fragility of perception.
I tartassati (1959)
I tartassati, directed by Steno, is a satirical comedy about the conflict between a tax-evading shopkeeper and a marshal of the Financial Police. The film combines comedy and social criticism, typical of post-war Italian comedy. Totò constructs a cunning and opportunistic character through wordplay and memorable gags.
Aldo Fabrizi's marshal represents legality and moral rigour. The direction favours quick dialogue and tight comic timing. The urban setting reflects the contrasts of reconstruction-era Italy. The film satirises the relationship between citizens and the State, offering a critique that remains relevant today.
Visioni Future. Primi passi d'autore — III Edition
Now in its third edition, the Visioni Future. Primi passi d'autore competition is dedicated to students of film schools and academies, as well as young aspiring directors and filmmakers who have produced a short film as a thesis, final diploma project, curricular exercise or independent production during their studies.
The contest, organised by Milano Film Network and the Istituto Cinematografico Michelangelo Antonioni, aims to support young talents in their path towards professional development. The authors of the ten best works will be hosted in Busto Arsizio during the festival week to participate in lectures and workshops designed to facilitate entry into the working world. Over the three workshop days, participants will be able to meet decision makers from the film industry, receive advice on how to promote their work at festivals, and develop the subject of a new project with expert tutors.
The selected aspiring directors come from the Academies of Fine Arts of Palermo, Bari, Turin and Milan; from NABA in Milan, IUAV in Venice, the Volontè Film School in Rome, the Istituto Antonioni in Busto Arsizio, CISA in Lugano and Ca' Foscari in Venice.
The tutors who will follow the participants are Alice Arecco, Luca Mosso and Ivan Casagrande Conti from Milano Film Network; Andrea Caccia and Marco Longo, lecturers at the Istituto Cinematografico Michelangelo Antonioni.
Special Event — Brebbia and Ferri
In collaboration with the Rai 3 programme Fuori Orario.
Brebbia and Ferri
In collaboration with the Rai 3 programme Fuori Orario, we inaugurate a new section dedicated to experimental languages of the past and present, in two encounters — halfway between masterclass and screening — devoted to two eccentric and indomitable filmmakers: Gianfranco Brebbia from Varese and Luca Ferri from Bergamo.
Fulvio Baglivi (Rai 3) will discuss the vast and largely unseen work of Brebbia (1923–74) with the filmmaker's daughter Giovanna Brebbia and the critic Mauro Gervasini. Equally tireless is Luca Ferri, who in dialogue with Roberto Turigliatto (Rai 3) will present his most recent film, Il Damo.
Exhibitions
Forgotten Wars. Reality Surpasses Fiction
A video installation created by the Memora collective for the B.A. Film Festival. The project combines photography and video reportage to reflect on wars rarely covered by the media and on the invisible consequences of contemporary conflicts.
The installation features two photographs by Davide Canella, from the series Siria Intima and Dunkerque, dall'altra parte della Manica, offering an intimate and non-spectacular look at territories scarred by war.
Alongside the images, a 70-inch TV screen loops three video reports:
- Revolution in Myanmar by Carlo Cozzoli (7'), on the protests in the Asian country
- Faith and War (1'30''), a video on the setting up of the Memora collective exhibition in Milan
- Scars of the Earth by Carlo Cozzoli and Francesco Maviglia (8'), dedicated to the environmental and social consequences of conflicts in Nigeria
The combination of photographs and videos creates an immersive environment that invites the audience to reflect on forgotten wars, on the marginal territories of information and on the memory of conflicts.
BAFF in the Bookshop
BAFF in the Bookshop offers valuable opportunities to discuss and debate cinema with writers, authors and journalists. Three essays are featured this year:
Flashback. Il cinema americano come riflesso politico culturale degli anni '80
The book describes films, TV series, directors, screenwriters and actors that defined the period, delving into the connection between artistic approach and political, historical and cultural specificities. A book that allows readers to rediscover a decade of aesthetic experimentation, narrative innovation and unforgettable characters, inviting them to view cinema not merely as entertainment, but as a mirror of society and history.
Checco Zalone – Da Cado dalle nubi a Buen Camino. Di cosa ridiamo quando ridiamo di lui
Film critic Gianni Canova analyses the comic phenomenon of Checco Zalone and his enormous success in contemporary Italian cinema. Combining film analysis and cultural reflection, the book explores how Zalone portrays Italy, its vices and contradictions, through laughter that speaks to a vast audience.
La fine della fine
A reflection on the way we tell and consume stories today. In an era dominated by seriality and the immediate consumption of content, Ferrario questions what it still means to give an "ending" to a story. Through personal memories and considerations on contemporary cinema, he explores the relationship between narrative, technology and the collective imagination.