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Cilento Fest 2026: Free Film Festival in Perito, 18–21 August, Honouring Ettore Scola
The fifth edition of this inland-Italy film festival takes over the hill village of Perito with over 120 competing films, free admission, and a tribute marking ten years since director Ettore Scola's death.
What is Cilento Fest, and how is it different from CilentArt Fest?
Cilento Fest is an international film festival focused on cinema of small towns and inland areas, now in its fifth edition, directed by Max De Francesco. It runs 18–21 August 2026 in Perito, a hill village in the Cilento National Park, with free admission to all screenings.
It's worth separating this from CilentArt Fest, the eight-town touring arts festival that ran earlier in the month (1–12 August) and happens to also pass through Perito — the overlapping village and similar name make the two easy to confuse, but they're organised by different bodies, on different dates, with different formats: one a multi-town arts programme, the other a single-venue film competition.
What's on the programme?
More than 120 films compete for the festival's 'Cinema e Borghi' prize across the four days. The 2026 edition centres a tribute to Ettore Scola, marking ten years since the director's death, with his daughter Silvia Scola attending — alongside further tributes to musician Franco Battiato and poet Alfonso Gatto.
Perito sits inland in the Cilento National Park, away from the coastal towns most Vesuview guests base themselves in, so this suits a day trip built around exploring the park's hill villages rather than a beach-day detour. First reported by ANSA Campania, with details confirmed by Napolike and local outlet InfoCilento.
Where to stay
Our homes in Cilento
South of the Amalfi crowds — a UNESCO national park of beaches, mountain hamlets, and the Greek temples of Paestum that pre-date most of Rome.
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