The i-fest International Film Festival 2026 continues in Castrovillari, with success among the public and critics.
After the great success of the first editions, this year the event organized by White Side Group and Italian Film Institute with the patronage of MiC, Calabria Film Commission, Municipality of Castrovillari, National Park Authority and GAL Pollino and in collaboration with CSC Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, University of Palermo, Cineteca Nazionale, with the patronage of numerous cultural partners, pays homage to another undisputed icon of the history of cinema: the divine Brigitte Bardot, protagonist of the official poster.
In addition to the homage to Bardot – the two exclusive exhibitions set up in the foyer of the Teatro Vittoria are also dedicated to the wonderful French actress (a digital one, «Une femme au cinéma», and a photographic one, «BB») – this year too, the program of the event is very rich, which has its heart in the screenings: over 200 films are in the official selection, of which 134 are in competition divided into 8 categories, in addition to those distributed in the 11 out-of-competition exhibitions.
After a very intense week, today i-fest will come to life with the first of the two gala evenings scheduled from 8pm at the Aragonese Castle, where after the traditional red carpet and photocall events, the great guests of this
Tonight the show will be opened by Aurora Quattrocchi, an actress of extraordinary intensity, who has been crossing theater, cinema and television for over fifty years with an authentic and unmistakable stage presence and who, after having worked with directors such as Tornatore, Giordana, Martone and Andò, and having taken part in films such as I cento passi, Malèna, Nuovomondo, Anime nere, Nostalgia, La strangezza and L’immensità, with Gioia mia, the first work by Margherita Spampinato (which will be screened at the end of the evening), this year found consecration with the victory of the David di Donatello as Best Leading Actress.
After the charismatic Sicilian actress, Lazar Ristovski will take the stage, one of the most authoritative and charismatic figures of Balkan cinema. An actor of extraordinary versatility (he has taken part in over 80 films, including Underground, Palme d’Or at Cannes), he made his debut as a director with The White Suit, a film presented at Cannes and which had its Italian premiere in the Palermo edition of i-Fest. In the grand finale, the scene will be all for Gabriel Garko, among the most iconic and beloved faces of the small and big screen, who will meet the Calabrian public to retrace a thirty-year career full of television successes (the iconic performance of Tonio Fortebracci in Honor and Respect), author roles in the cinema (success on the big screen exploded in 2001, when Özpetek chose him for Le faite ignoranti) and important parentheses in entertainment (host of Sanremo in 2016, he was a competitor on Dancing with the Stars in 2022).
Tomorrow, however, after the awards ceremony for the winners of the Orizzonti International Contest (who will receive the 2026 i-Fest Awards, creations by the master goldsmith Stefano Marino), in the courtyard of the sixteenth-century Castrovillarese manor the magic of the most beautiful soundtracks by Ennio Morricone will resonate, performed live by Nello Salza, trumpeter, historical collaborator of the great composer and protagonist of the scores of films such as Life is Beautiful, The Voice of the Moon, Once Upon a Time in America, The Legend of the Pianist on the Ocean, New Cinema Paradiso, The Octopus, The Postman.
Afterwards, the public will be able to get to know more closely the splendid Serbian actress Anica Lazic (protagonist of the film Russian Consul, chosen to represent Serbia at the 2025 Oscars in the Best International Film category). The evening will then end with the highly anticipated interview by the artistic director Giuseppe Panebianco with the Turkish actor Can Yaman, one of the most popular and loved faces on the international television scene, who after having achieved great success with series such as Day Dreamer – The wings of the dream and Mr. Wrong – Lezioni d’amore, Viola come il mare and El Turco, played the role of Sandokan in the event series of the same name inspired by the hero created by Emilio Salgari, in which he the legacy of the historic character played by Kabir Bedi. The international production, also filmed in Calabria with the support of the Calabria Film Commission and broadcast on Rai 1, achieved enormous success with the public and received the International Silver Ribbon for Best Co-Production.
During the two evenings there will be a fundraiser which will be donated to the Cri.