Film Festival della Lessinia is devoted to films about life, history and traditions in mountain regions around the world. It takes place every year in the last ten days of August in Bosco Chiesanuova, in the Lessini Mountains north of Verona, with screenings at the Teatro Vittoria and in the festival square, and part of the programme is also offered online. Films of any genre and length are eligible, while works about sport and mountaineering are excluded. The event began in 1995 as an amateur video prize, and the director Alessandro Anderloni has been its artistic director since 1997.
The programme includes an international competition for the Lessinia d'Oro and Lessinia d'Argento, the environmental section FFDLgreen, Italian Mountains, FFDL+ for children and teenagers, retrospectives and special events, together with talks, workshops and guided walks. Since 2024 the festival has also run the industry section FFDLpro with the five film commissions of the Triveneto. The 32nd edition runs from 21 to 30 August 2026.
Awards and prizes
International jury, competition sections:
Lessinia d'Oro for the best film overall: 5,000 EUR, granted by the Municipality of Bosco Chiesanuova.
Lessinia d'Argento for the best feature-length film: 3,000 EUR.
Lessinia d'Argento for the best short film: 1,500 EUR.
Jury Prize.
Special prizes from independent juries, open to all films in the official selection:
Italian Mountains Award for the best film in the Italian Mountains section: 1,500 EUR, granted by Cassa Rurale Vallagarina.
Future Award for the best film by a young director: 1,000 EUR, granted by Curatorium Cimbricum Veronense in memory of Piero Piazzola and Mario Pigozzi.
Green Planet Movie Award for the best film in the FFDLgreen section: 1,000 EUR.
Lessinia Park Award for the best film on the relationship between people and the mountain environment: 1,000 EUR, granted by the Parco Naturale Regionale della Lessinia.
MicroCosmo Prize from a jury of inmates of the Verona prison.
Audience Award, by vote in the theatre.
Children's Prize for the best film in the FFDL+ section, by vote in the theatre.
Festival rules
Theme: mountain life, history and traditions.
Eligible: feature films, short films, documentaries and animated films that present the social, linguistic, human, economic, environmental, natural, historical and artistic realities of mountain areas and the traditions and customs of the people who live there.
Excluded: films about sport or mountaineering, films produced before 2024 (for the 2026 edition), films already shown at previous editions of the festival, and works mainly advertising or promotional in nature.
Sections: International Competition; FFDLgreen (environmental issues, sustainable practices and climate change); Italian Mountains (films of any genre and format about Italian mountain areas); FFDL+ (films for children and teenagers).
A selection committee decides on admission; the festival may also invite films out of competition regardless of subject or year.
Selected films must provide an English subtitle file, an English-subtitled screening copy (DCP or ProRes), synopsis and director's biography, three stills, a director's portrait and promotional materials.
