From 15 to 18 October the Cineclub dei Piccoli returns to the Cinema Lux in Messina, a film festival promoted by the Arknoah Association and directed by Francesco Torre, created with the contribution of the Sicilian Region – Department of Tourism, Sport and Entertainment (Regional Department of Tourism, Sport and Entertainment) and the support of the Sicilia Film Commission.
«The seventh edition of Il Cineclub dei Piccoli – explains the artistic director Francesco Torre – represents an important moment in the growth of the Festival and in the evolution of its identity. Alongside the promotion of cinematographic culture among the new generations, we want to take on an increasingly active role in the production of cultural content and in the valorisation of audiovisual heritage.
The 2026 program combines the proposal of the short films in competition, with the presence of the authors in the room and the possibility for the young audience to directly meet those who create the works, also with gaming events with prizes, designed to involve children through languages and forms of entertainment close to their sensitivity. The most significant innovation in our journey, however, is the desire to go beyond programming, contributing directly to cultural creation and the safeguarding of cinematic memory.
The restoration of Andersen – The Magic Tinderbox fits in in this direction, made from a 16 mm film copy owned by the Municipality of Messina, which we literally saved from oblivion, giving it the possibility of being known and shared with the public again. Added to this is the collaboration with the artist Monia Alfieri for the theater and shadow show Les ombres d’Ophélie, an experience that brings different artistic languages into dialogue and opens up new perspectives on imagination and visual narration.
We want Il Cineclub dei Piccoli – concludes Torre – to be increasingly a space capable of generating culture, recovering memories and experimenting with new forms of expression. Because investing in the young generations means offering them not only works to watch, but stories to encounter, worlds to explore and concrete opportunities to become curious, aware and participatory spectators.”
Among the events, as announced also Les Ombres d’Ophelie, freely inspired by Ophelia and the theater of shadows by Michael Ende, text and direction by Monia Alfieri, with Monia Alfieri and Sibilla Bonaventura. Scenes, shadows and costumes by Cinzia Muscolino. Sancho Castle Production.
«Ofelia, – explains Monia Alfieri – a bizarre creature, is not enough to be part of a society that wants her to be competitive and high-performance. Anyone who doesn’t adapt becomes a Shadow, an invisible body, an uncomfortable “removed”, to be removed or locked up. Shadows are this: parts of us that are difficult to harmonize, human beings who struggle to exist in the world. Ophelia is a prompter/actress: not a real actress, but one who suggests, hidden, to the actors and actresses who act in the spotlight. The theater of her town is closed, walled up, demolished, but it is from there that Ophelia and the shadows begin the journey, the fight, the real game, the resistance. The work of building the shadows, curated by Cinzia Muscolino, is part of a deliberately artisanal research: for each scene there will be a different projection technique, because it is an integral part of the dramaturgy. Muscolino is creating wonderful worlds with just a few things and reused materials.”
Cineclub dei Piccoli 2026. The complete program:
Screenings, theatrical performances, but also workshops and quizzes:
Thursday 15 October – at 09.30, at Cinema Lux: Screening of national short films in the KIDS CLUB competition and participation of the Jury, in collaboration with the “Enzo Drago” Comprehensive Institute of Messina. Denis Nazzari, director of Terra Madre, via video link.
Friday 16 October – at 09.30, at Cinema Lux: Screening of national short films in the KIDS CLUB competition and participation of the Jury, in collaboration with the “G. Catalfamo” Comprehensive Institute of Messina. During the day, meeting with Elio Cassarino, screenwriter of the short film Terra Madre; – at 4.00 pm, at Cinema Lux: Giovani Restauratori, restoration workshop for ages 8 and up, curated by Maurilio Forestieri and Isabella La Fauci – Cineteca dello Stretto.
To participate you can send an email to (email protected). – at 5.30 pm, at the Cinema Lux: Screening of the animated film Andersen – The Magic Tinderbox by Svend Methling (Denmark, 1946). Restoration by Maurilio Forestieri and Isabella La Fauci – Cineteca dello Stretto. Original 16 mm film from the Cineteca di Messina.
Speakers include the Councilor for Culture Enzo Caruso and the President of the Coordination of Film Festivals in Sicily Cateno Piazza.
Saturday 17 October – at 10.30, at Cinema Lux: Drawn cinema, drawing workshop for ages 6 to 14, curated by Salvo D’Arrigo and Alessandra Mammoliti – The Messineser. To participate you can send an email to (email protected). – at 12.00, at Cinema Lux: screening of Rai short films – Make and V for VHS, in collaboration with the San Francesco di Paola and Paino – Gravitelli comprehensive schools; – at 5.00 pm, at Cinema Lux: Screening of international short films in competition in the TEENS CLUB section (10+). The directors Lili Lasueur, Delphine Sengasavang and Melissa Rogojan intervene. During the screening, Dr. Why family quiz with prizes dedicated to the world of cinema.
Sunday 18 October – at 09.30, at Cinema Lux: LEGO ® contest: Build your own cinema-themed set and win fantastic prizes; LEGO® is a trademark of The LEGO Group. © 2026 The LEGO Group – at 10.30am, at Cinema Lux: Screening of The Lego Movie by Chris Miller and Phil Lord (USA 2014); – at 5.30pm, at the Cinema Lux: Les ombres d’Ophelie, theater and shadow show freely inspired by Ophelia and the theater of shadows by Michael Ende. Texts and direction by Monia Alfieri. With Monia Alfieri and Sibilla Bonaventura. Scenes, shadows and costumes by Cinzia Muscolino. Lights Roberto Bonaventura. Sancho Castle Production.
All appointments and workshops are free of charge. Among the partners of the project: Cineteca dello Stretto, International Federation of Film Societies, Italian Federation of Cinema Clubs, Coordination of the Film Festival in Sicily, Cineforum Orione Aps Association, Solletico Association, The Messineser.
For more information: https://cineclubdeipiccoli.it/