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Bif&st 2026
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Latest news
Si chiude la 17ma edizione del Bif&st, diretto dal giornalista e critico cinematografico Oscar Iarussi, con i premi della sezione MERIDIANA, concorso internazionale...
Lino Banfi, tra i volti più rappresentativi della commedia all’italiana cui il festival ha conferito il Premio Bif&st arte del cinema,...
Grandi numeri per la 17ma edizione del Bif&st – Bari International Film&TV Festival, il festival della Regione Puglia, presidente Antonio...
Social Wall
The Social Wall is a live feed of the Festival on social media: photos, videos and comments shared by the audience and guests. A dynamic space where you can follow the Festival through the eyes of its community.
A Sud
The A Sud section is dedicated to cinema from Southern Italy and, more broadly, to films from the Global South. Through a selection of works that explore territories, identities and social transformations, the section offers a close look at stories, filmmakers and perspectives that are often far removed from the mainstream. Films, documentaries and independent works offer audiences the chance to discover different languages, sensibilities and imaginations, giving space to narratives rooted in the cultural and social contexts from which they originate. A Sud thus becomes a meeting place for cinema, cultures and visions of the present.
Doppio Testo
A series of screenings and discussions at Kursaal Santalucia, featuring filmmakers and writers to explore the relationship between literature and cinema: how does a book become a film or series? Is a comparison possible between the two texts, and on what terms? Is it always true that the ‘book is better’, as the typical post-screening cliché goes? During the discussions led by Chiara Tagliaferri, we will seek to offer new perspectives on these questions and explore variations on the theme of Cinema-Literature.
Eventi Speciali
The Eventi Speciali section brings together screenings and non-competitive events that expand and enrich the Bif&st programme, offering the public unique opportunities to engage with cinema and the performing arts. Alongside films and special presentations, the programme includes theatre, music and art initiatives, designed to explore the dialogue between different forms of expression. The Eventi Speciali section represents a space for experimentation and openness, in which the Festival becomes a place of cultural exchange and dialogue between artistic forms, highlighting the cross-cutting and contemporary nature of the programme.
Frontiere
Frontiere is dedicated to works that explore the physical, human and social boundaries of the contemporary world. Through a selection of particularly significant international films, the section addresses themes linked to migration, geopolitical tensions and narratives from the margins, offering a critical perspective on the transformations currently underway. Frontiers presents itself as a space for reflection and discussion, where cinema becomes a tool for analysing the fractures and connections that run through the present.
Il Segreto dell'attrice
A series of talks, open to the public and free of charge, curated by Piera Detassis. The protagonists are some of Italy’s most prominent actresses, invited to share stories, experiences and reflections on their artistic and personal journeys. Through intimate and candid conversations, personal and professional narratives emerge, revealing the behind-the-scenes of the entertainment world, going beyond the roles they play to explore the identities of the women behind the characters and the delicate balance between private lives and careers.
Incontri di cinema
The Teatro Petruzzelli will host matinees and afternoon sessions featuring big names – directors, actors and leading figures of Italian cinema worldwide – who will engage in conversation with a film critic or scholar following the screening of one of their own films or a title with which they are associated.
Meridiana
An international competition dedicated to films making their Italian premiere from Mediterranean countries, the MERIDIANA section draws inspiration from the figure of Albert Camus and the essay Il Pensiero Meridiano by the Bari-based sociologist Franco Cassano. A section that celebrates the South, the Sea and the Mediterranean as spaces of identity and dialogue, promoting, through cinema, relations and cooperation between communities. Screenings will take place at the Kursaal Santalucia and will be judged by a jury, composed of filmmakers and scholars from Mediterranean countries and chaired by Roberto Andò, who will award five prizes.
Notti Horror
The Notti Horror of Bif&st 2026 are dedicated to fans of genre cinema, with a programme alternating between essential classics and premiere screenings. A journey through dark atmospheres, unsettling visions and timeless imagery, designed to rediscover the power of the big screen at night. The Multicinema Galleria, transformed for the occasion into a cult venue for those who love thrills, suspense and the most radical language of horror cinema.
Per il cinema italiano
The official selection of the competition dedicated to Italian cinema includes feature-length films, medium-length films, fiction films and documentaries making their Italian premiere, without distinction of genre or production, in the spirit of creativity and independence. In keeping with the ‘community’ ethos of Bif&st, the works will be judged by a popular jury which will award the prize for best film. Screenings will take place at the Multicinema Galleria.
Pomeriggio al Petruzzelli
The ‘Pomeriggio al Petruzzelli’ programme offers a special opportunity to watch or rewatch notable films in the unique and prestigious setting of the Teatro Petruzzelli. An event that combines great cinema with one of the city’s cultural landmarks, offering the public a viewing experience enriched by the historical and architectural significance of Bari’s theatre.
Retrospettiva Kechiche
A journey through the cinema of Abdellatif Kechiche, a central figure on the European film scene. Through a radical and distinctive filmography, Kechiche explores bodies, desire, social dynamics and power relations, favouring a style of direction based on duration, emotional intensity and a realism pushed to the limit. The retrospective highlights the coherence and tensions of a cinema that rejects consolatory compromises and transforms intimate experience into political and cultural matter.
Retrospettiva Tornatore
A tribute to Giuseppe Tornatore, one of the most acclaimed masters of contemporary cinema. From his early works to his best-known films, the retrospective highlights the evolution of a cinematic language that intertwines narrative classicism with spectacular ambition, reflecting on the role of nostalgia, myth and representation as central devices of his poetics. An opportunity to rediscover an auteur’s vision that has captured time, places and passions with an unmistakable style, making a decisive contribution to the global reach of Italian cinema.
Rosso di sera
A non-competitive section dedicated to prestigious evening premieres and events featuring distinguished guests and award winners, titled ROSSO DI SERA to echo the symbolic colour of the Teatro Petruzzelli, which hosts it.
Sarò breve
The Sarò Breve section is dedicated to short films, an essential form of expression and a privileged laboratory for experimentation and new cinematic languages. Through a selection of short films, the section highlights the capacity for conciseness, narrative invention and visual power that characterise this format. Sarò Breve offers a platform for emerging and established filmmakers, confirming the role of the short film as a vital arena for research and renewal in contemporary cinema.
The Festival continues
FUORI Bif&st
Bif&st is the beating heart of cinema in Bari, an annual event that welcomes industry leaders and film enthusiasts from all over the world. But cinema in Bari isn’t confined to the cinemas and theatres hosting the festival: it spills out onto the streets, into the squares, shops, cafés, schools, cultural centres and social gathering places.