The first Italian festival entirely dedicated to “island cinema,” now in its second edition, continues its journey to discover stories that have islands as their narrative horizon: films shot or set on an island, starting with Sicily, the festival’s host. The festival offers two international competition sections, dedicated respectively to feature films (Maree) and short films (Approdi), as well as special screenings, meetings with the filmmakers, and masterclasses. At BAAFF, islands become—through cinema—a narrative outpost for observing the contemporary. Micro cultural universes, starting points for new beginnings, spaces of possibility, utopia, narratives, and transformations. It is from this perspective that the Baarìa Film Festival builds its identity, positioning itself as a meeting place for stories, languages, and visions from different island contexts. Bagheria, birthplace of prominent figures in Italian culture such as director Giuseppe Tornatore, painter Renato Guttuso, photographer Ferdinando Scianna, and poet Ignazio Buttitta, becomes a meeting place for works, authors, performers, emerging directors, and established filmmakers, invited to engage with the island’s imagery. BAAFF is also an opportunity for a journey of rediscovery of Sicily’s artistic and landscape heritage and a place for dialogue between cultures, stimulating reflection on themes such as the environment, memory, and sustainability. The artistic direction of the event, produced by the Kinema Cultural Association, with the patronage of the Municipality of Bagheria, is entrusted to VANESSA TONNINI and ANDREA DI QUARTO, founder and creator of the project. THE JURIES | BAAFF 2026 The awards, artistic reproductions of one of the “monsters” guarding the famous Villa Palagonia, the symbol of Bagheria, are awarded by a jury composed of leading figures from the world of Italian cinema and culture, demonstrating the festival’s focus on a variety of languages ​​and perspectives, and by a popular jury composed of Bagheria high school students, underscoring the dialogue between professionals and the younger generations. The International Feature Film Competition Jury will be chaired by Claudia Gerini, actress and director with a rich and diverse career spanning both authorship and the wider public. Along with her, the competing feature films will be judged by: MIMMO CALOPRESTI, director and screenwriter, master of cinema verite; DINO ABBRESCIA, one of the most beloved actors in film and television; and MARIA VERA RATTI, one of the most interesting and elegant performers of the new generation. Alongside them, the Jury of the International Short Film Competition will include SUSY LAUDE, a creative and versatile actress, director, and author; PROF. FRANCESCO LO PIPARO, a refined linguist and philosopher; the Bagheria-born actor ORIO SCADUTO, protagonist of the winning film in the shorts section of the first edition of the Festival; and FRANCESCA LA MANTIA, an author and documentary filmmaker committed to civil issues and the transmission of memory. ITALIAN PREVIEWS BAAFF | Previews In MAREE – International Feature Film Competition, two national premieres: BLUE HERON by Sophy Romvari, presented at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, winner of the Best First Film Award at the 78th Locarno Film Festival. Acclaimed by critics and festivals, the debut film by Canadian-Hungarian director Sophy Romvari benefited from strong word-of-mouth, making it a hit with critics and audiences alike. Blue Heron is a semi-autobiographical drama exploring the struggles of a Hungarian-Canadian family in the late 1990s after they relocated to Vancouver Island. Told from the perspective of the youngest daughter, Sasha, the film captures a quiet and tense family crisis, centered on the dangerous behavior and mental health struggles of her older brother, Jeremy. To rework painful family memories, Romvari draws on the power of an extraordinary imagination, blending memoir, documentary, and fiction. The director explains: “I wanted to break away from the traditional coming-of-age story to explore the flaws in cinematic representations of memory.” Synopsis | The late 1990s. Little Sasha gradually uncovers the dynamics between her six-member family, who have just moved to Vancouver Island. The momentum of this new beginning is, however, interrupted by the increasingly dangerous behavior of her older brother Jeremy. KIDNAPPING INC. by Bruno Mourral The Haitian director’s debut feature, which premiered at Sundance, is a crackling crime comedy thriller, shot entirely in Haiti. The story follows two bumbling criminals who, in the midst of what appears to be a simple kidnapping, unwittingly find themselves at the center of a political conspiracy. Mourral said that “Kidnapping Inc.” is a tribute to ordinary Haitians, many of whom have seen their lives upended by kidnappings, gang violence, and corruption. “It’s a process of resilience,” he said. “When there’s so much darkness, it’s a way to glimpse a little light.” Synopsis | The son of a wealthy Haitian presidential candidate has just been kidnapped. The kidnappers are demanding a huge ransom. Doc and Zoe, two amateur gangsters—and soccer fanatics—must deliver the young man to their ruthless boss. Zoe accidentally kills their hostage, the candidate’s son. Along the way, they stumble upon Patrick and his wife, Laura, who is nine months pregnant. The young couple must, at all costs, board a flight to leave Haiti and deliver the child in the United States, thus obtaining citizenship. Patrick’s great misfortune is that he looks exactly like the senator’s dead son. In the midst of a heated election campaign and a classic Barça-Real, Doc and Zoe find themselves at the center of a political conspiracy.BAAFF | THE MANIFESTO or the Sense of Insularity IMAGE In the image chosen for the second edition of the BFF, half of the island appears to have emerged into the light while the other half remains in the depths. It appears and disappears, rising from the sea and at the same time remaining immersed. A diver resurfaces: he crosses the fragile boundary between what is seen and what is intuited, like the gaze that, from the darkness of the room, emerges towards the image. The photo suggests insularity as a place of origin, separation, mystery but also rebirth, a magical space where man recreates the world and transforms it. The island, like cinema, is a place of continuous transition between depth and surface, between what becomes visible on the screen and what, remaining invisible, continues to generate stories, memories and imaginations. BAAFF | THE VENUES The festival includes afternoon screenings in theaters and enchanting outdoor evenings, hosted in one of the city’s spectacular noble villas. Around the central screenings, the festival will enliven various locations in Bagheria with a rich program of collateral events: meetings with the authors, masterclasses, debates, and in-depth discussions. 

VILLA CATTOLICA – Open-air evening screenings | This 18th-century villa, a Baroque jewel, houses the Renato Guttuso Museum, dedicated to the famous Sicilian painter, who donated his masterpieces to his hometown in 1973.

PALAZZO BUTERA – Masterclasses and morning meetings | A masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque and a symbol of the island’s nobility, it is one of the oldest buildings in the city and today houses the Bagheria Municipality.

VILLA RAMACCA – Inaugural Gala | At the foot of Mount Catalfano and overlooking the sea, a magnificent 18th-century residence also known for its garden filled with exotic plants.

CINEMA CAPITOL – Afternoon screenings | A historic Bagheria theater, built in the 1950s and completely renovated, it is a meeting place for film lovers.

BAAFF | TRAINING AND COLLABORATIONS This year, the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia will once again support the Festival. The Sicilian section of the CSC, under the artistic direction of COSTANZA QUATRIGLIO, will present a non-competitive selection of short films made by its students; The Baarìa Film Festival is produced by the Kinema Cultural Association with the support of the Municipality of Bagheria. Main sponsors: Almaviva Blubit, Enel, Villa Ramacca.