It is official: the Trento Film Festival returns with its 74th edition, confirming its status as one of the most important international cultural events dedicated to cinema focused on mountains, exploration, and the relationship between humans and nature. The 2026 edition will take place in Trento from April 24 to May 3, in a crucial year for the Trentino peaks and for the global environmental debate.
The programme promises to be particularly rich and ambitious, offering a contemporary and in-depth reflection on the delicate balance between humankind and the natural environment — a common thread running throughout the entire Festival.
The poster: a visual and symbolic turning point
Giving shape and identity to this 74th edition is Manuele Fior, one of the most celebrated contemporary illustrators and graphic novelists, already the creator of the poster for the Venice Film Festival. The 2026 Trento Film Festival poster marks a historic turning point: for the first time, the official image is explicitly linked to “Destination…”, the section that in 2026 will celebrate South Korea.
Fior’s artwork transports viewers into a dreamlike, almost sacred dimension: a mountain far removed from tourist clichés, without ski slopes or lifts, dominated instead by a small golden sanctuary suspended among the clouds. As Festival President Mauro Leveghi pointed out, the image invites us to “raise our gaze”, offering an aerial perspective that conveys lightness and hope, while also reminding us of the fragility of our relationship with nature.
Destination Korea
In recent years, South Korea has emerged as one of the most dynamic creative hubs on the global cultural scene. Its film industry has experienced rapid growth, reaching international acclaim with Parasite by Bong Joon-ho, winner of the Palme d’Or in Cannes and four Academy Awards — a symbol of a new generation of filmmakers capable of speaking to audiences worldwide.
Alongside cinema, Korean culture has captivated global audiences through two major phenomena: K-pop, which exploded with Gangnam Style and was further cemented by the worldwide success of BTS, and K-dramas, South Korean television series that have become an international sensation, with Squid Game as their most iconic title. A contemporary, youthful and ever-evolving cultural universe that finds space and visibility at the Trento Film Festival as well.
The competition and the Golden Gentians
The beating heart of the Festival remains the film competition, which will award the prestigious Golden Gentians. The official 2026 selection includes over 100 films, featuring feature films, documentaries and short films from all over the world, offering diverse perspectives on mountain landscapes, cultures and experiences.
Resilience of the Peaks: the theme of 2026
The guiding theme of this edition is “Resilience of the Peaks”. The films go beyond celebrating the aesthetic beauty of mountains, addressing instead the challenges of climate change, environmental transformation, and the stories of those who live in, inhabit and protect high-altitude regions.
Special attention will be given to the “Destination…” section, which in 2026 will symbolically travel towards the mountain ranges of Central Asia, exploring peaks, cultures and communities still rarely portrayed by international cinema.
Tributes to Claudia Cardinale and Robert Redford
The 74th Trento Film Festival also pays tribute to two great icons of international cinema who passed away in September 2025: Claudia Cardinale and Robert Redford.
The “divine” Italian actress will be remembered among the snowy landscapes of Cortina with the classic The Pink Panther by Blake Edwards. Meanwhile, the charisma and commitment of Robert Redford — a symbol of independent cinema and a lifelong lover of nature — will be celebrated with The Horse Whisperer and The Electric Horseman. Two heartfelt tributes to artists who intertwined their identities with the majesty of landscapes and the freedom of open spaces, leaving an indelible mark on film history.
MontagnaLibri and the Festival as an open forum
There is no Trento Film Festival without literature. In 2026, MontagnaLibri, the international mountain publishing showcase, will once again animate Piazza Fiera with dozens of events. The programme will range from biographies of legendary mountaineers to sociological essays on valley depopulation, as well as stories exploring new forms of “heroic” mountain agriculture.
Finally, the Festival reaffirms its vocation as an “open forum”. The special evening events at the Auditorium Santa Chiara will feature leading figures from contemporary mountaineering, addressing topics such as lightweight expeditions, climbing ethics, and the technological evolution reshaping the world of mountain exploration.
